Staff Directory
Reed, Brett
Brett Reed
- Title:
- Murray H. Goodman '48 Head Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- 610-758-4308
- Alma Mater:
- Eckerd '95BA, Wayne State '97MA, '03PhD
The 2025-26 season is Brett Reed’s 19th as the Murray H. Goodman ’48 Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Lehigh University. In 19 years on the sideline, Reed has become the winningest coach in Lehigh history and has won nearly 70 percent of his games at Stabler Arena.
During the 2012-13 season, Reed won his 100th career game and became the fastest coach to 100 wins in the history of the Patriot League. The same season, he also became the all-time winningest coach in school history. Early in the 2018-19 season, he reached 200 career victories, and he passed 250 with a win over Monmouth in November of 2022. Reed is the Patriot League’s longest-tenured coach.
Reed owns a 53.4 career winning percentage, among the best in Patriot League history and second among active coaches. Reed’s 276 overall wins and 155 Patriot League victories are both second in league history.
Reed has consistently won at Lehigh, eclipsing 20 wins three times in a four-year span from 2009-13, which also included three national postseason appearances. The Mountain Hawks twice won the Patriot League and advanced to the NCAA Tournament while advancing to the College Basketball Invitational in 2013. Lehigh reached back-to-back Patriot League Championship Games in 2016 and 2017, marking the third and fourth times in eight seasons the Mountain Hawks played in the title game. In 2018-19, Reed led Lehigh to 20 victories for the fifth time in 10 years, finishing in the top four of the league standings in nine of the last 10 seasons.
Lehigh has developed plenty of impressive talent in Reed’s tenure, led by two-time All-American and Patriot League Player of the Year C.J. McCollum ’13 who was selected 10th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2013 NBA Draft and has developed into an NBA star. McCollum has averaged at least 20.0 points per game in each of the past nine seasons and was only the second player in Patriot League history to be drafted. Tim Kempton ‘17 was a two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, who was invited to play for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Summer League following graduation, leading to a professional contract overseas. Reed has recruited at an extremely effective rate, as 24 alumni have signed pro contracts over his first 16 years as head coach.
Reed will be most remembered for the 2011-12 season, when the Mountain Hawks posted a school-record 27 wins, along with the program’s third Patriot League Championship (and second in the three years). The highlight was a historic 75-70 NCAA Tournament win over Duke, becoming only the sixth No. 15 seed to ever beat a No. 2 seed and second in the same day (Norfolk State defeated Missouri just hours earlier). McCollum led the way with 30 points as Lehigh never trailed by more than five and was leading for much of the game. Mountain Hawks’ largest lead came in the final minute (eight) as the squad always had an answer for the Blue Devils’ runs.
That game helped put the Lehigh men’s basketball program squarely on the map as over the ensuing days. The Mountain Hawks were featured in an endless number of national media outlets including SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and many more. The Mountain Hawks entered the following season ranked among the mid-major’s best teams by numerous outlets. The 2011-12 season also featured a school record for non-league wins (12), as the Mountain Hawks shattered the program’s previous wins record of 22 (also set by a Reed-led team). Along the way, Lehigh played tough against power conference foes, including NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed Michigan State which saw the Mountain Hawks hold a 38-35 lead at the half.
The Mountain Hawks earned two more wins against power conference foes during the 2014-15 season as Lehigh took a big step forward in its quest to return to championship contention. The Mountain Hawks’ season was highlighted by two wins over power conference opponents DePaul and Arizona State, as well as a tight loss to eventual No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament Villanova. The Mountain Hawks rebounded by winning seven-of-eight games midway through the Patriot League schedule. Late in the season, Lehigh dominated eventual regular season champion Bucknell to clinch a home game in the Patriot League Quarterfinals.
Several individuals took their play to new levels in 2014-15, highlighted by Kempton who was named the league’s Player of the Year as just a sophomore. Along with Kempton, first-year Kahron Ross became the Mountain Hawks’ fifth Patriot League Rookie of the Year in the previous nine seasons, along with Marquis Hall (2007), Rob Keefer (2008), McCollum (2010) and Kempton (2014). Ross set a single-game record with 14 assists in Lehigh’s thrilling win at Arizona State.
Lehigh rebounded from a slow start in 2015-16 winning 11 straight games beginning in early February, tying the program’s 90-year school record. The Mountain Hawks surged to the No. 2 seed in the league tournament and went on to host the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game. It marked the sixth time in seven seasons that Lehigh has played at least one Patriot League Tournament game at home. The Mountain Hawks wrapped up an undefeated February, their first undefeated month since November of 1993. When all was said and done, Lehigh finished the season with a school-record 13 Patriot League victories.
Kempton and Ross were each named first team All-Patriot League, marking the first time in school history Lehigh has featured multiple first team honorees. Ross broke the school’s single-season record for assists (194), previously held by Mackey McKnight. Kempton was also named Patriot League Player of the Year for the second straight season, becoming just the third player in league history to earn the honor twice before his senior season, the others being McCollum and Colgate’s Adonal Foyle. As a team, Lehigh finished the season 15th nationally in three-point percentage (39.2).
The Mountain Hawks finished the 2016-17 season with a 20-12 record, tied for second in the league standings before defeating Colgate and Boston University in the Patriot League Tournament to reach their second straight title game. Among Lehigh’s wins was an 87-73 win at Mississippi State, the program’s first-ever victory over the SEC. The Mountain Hawks also defeated eventual Ivy League Champion Princeton as one of four wins over NCAA Tournament teams. Kempton led the league in points (20.4) and rebounds (10.4) and was named a Final Five Finalist for Kareem-Abdul Jabbar National Center of the Year. He also became Lehigh’s first-ever participant in the 2017 Reese's® Division I College All-Star Game, going on to score a game-high 21 points.
Reed’s first Patriot League Title as head coach came in 2009-10 when he led the Mountain Hawks to their second Patriot League Tournament Championship, first outright regular season league title, the most wins in school history (at the time) and the most-ever wins at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks also led the Patriot League in scoring offense, scoring margin, three-point percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio and defensive rebounds. Their 220 made three-pointers established a new school record, later broken just four seasons later when Lehigh knocked down 235 in 2013-14. The 2009-10 team also set a mark for the most dominant run in the Patriot League Tournament’s history, winning every game by 15 points or more. They also excelled in the classroom. Lehigh’s starting five of Dave Buchberger, Zahir Carrington, Hall, McCollum and Gabe Knutson achieved an average grade point average of 3.2.
Reed was named Lehigh’s head coach on August 10, 2007. He had been an assistant at Lehigh for the previous five years, serving as associate head coach for the 2006-07 campaign.
Prior to his time at Lehigh, Reed served as the top assistant coach at High Point University in North Carolina for two seasons. Reed was an integral part of the coaching staff that led the Panthers to the Big South Championship Game in 2002. Included in that two-year period, Reed recruited a Big South Rookie of the Year and a Player of the Year.
Reed spent 1999-2000 as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of North Carolina - Greensboro. He began his collegiate coaching career at Oakland (Mich.) Community College where he was an assistant for his father’s program.
A native of Waterford, Michigan, Reed attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida where he contributed at point guard and helped lead his team to a conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. Reed graduated with honors, earning his Bachelor’s degree in 1995 before earning his Master’s at Wayne State in 1998. In 2003, Reed received his Ph.D. from Wayne State University in Instructional Technology with a Cognate in Sports Administration. He is one of only two Division I men’s basketball head coaches in the entire nation to have earned their doctorate degrees. Reed was also honored during his academic career with a number of awards including the prestigious Thomas C. Rumbell Fellowship.
Reed and his wife Kindra reside in Bethlehem with their sons Brendan and Calvin, and daughter Makenna.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT COACH REED
“Brett Reed is an excellent basketball coach. He has led the resurgence of Lehigh basketball and turned it into a power from the Patriot League. He’s building a program that can withstand one of sport’s ultimate challenges – the test of time. It is undoubtedly an impressive accomplishment.”
- Mike Krzyzewski, former Duke University and U.S. National Team Head Coach
“I’ve known Brett Reed for over 10 years, and was fortunate to have him on my staff and watch him develop as a coach. I strongly believe Brett is one of the best young coaches in the country. His performance in 2011-12 was as good as or better than anyone in our profession. He’s an excellent basketball coach on the floor, has incredible demeanor on the sideline and has proven that he is a top-notch recruiter.”
- Fran McCaffery, former Lehigh and current University of Pennsylvania Hed Coach
“I am very proud of the success Brett has enjoyed as the head men’s basketball coach at Lehigh University. Brett is extremely intelligent, hard-working and passionate about the game of basketball and is a terrific role model for the young men in his program. I am excited for what Brett has been able to accomplish in his short time as the head coach at Lehigh and am confident that he will continue to be successful for many years to come.”
- Billy Taylor, former Lehigh and current Elon Head Coach
“Brett Reed is respected by our student-athletes, he is an excellent teacher and communicator and has been an extremely productive recruiter. I admire his values, his work ethic, his energy and his devotion to our players, their education and their experience.”
- Joe Sterrett, Former Lehigh Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics
During the 2012-13 season, Reed won his 100th career game and became the fastest coach to 100 wins in the history of the Patriot League. The same season, he also became the all-time winningest coach in school history. Early in the 2018-19 season, he reached 200 career victories, and he passed 250 with a win over Monmouth in November of 2022. Reed is the Patriot League’s longest-tenured coach.
Reed owns a 53.4 career winning percentage, among the best in Patriot League history and second among active coaches. Reed’s 276 overall wins and 155 Patriot League victories are both second in league history.
Reed has consistently won at Lehigh, eclipsing 20 wins three times in a four-year span from 2009-13, which also included three national postseason appearances. The Mountain Hawks twice won the Patriot League and advanced to the NCAA Tournament while advancing to the College Basketball Invitational in 2013. Lehigh reached back-to-back Patriot League Championship Games in 2016 and 2017, marking the third and fourth times in eight seasons the Mountain Hawks played in the title game. In 2018-19, Reed led Lehigh to 20 victories for the fifth time in 10 years, finishing in the top four of the league standings in nine of the last 10 seasons.
Lehigh has developed plenty of impressive talent in Reed’s tenure, led by two-time All-American and Patriot League Player of the Year C.J. McCollum ’13 who was selected 10th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2013 NBA Draft and has developed into an NBA star. McCollum has averaged at least 20.0 points per game in each of the past nine seasons and was only the second player in Patriot League history to be drafted. Tim Kempton ‘17 was a two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, who was invited to play for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Summer League following graduation, leading to a professional contract overseas. Reed has recruited at an extremely effective rate, as 24 alumni have signed pro contracts over his first 16 years as head coach.
Reed will be most remembered for the 2011-12 season, when the Mountain Hawks posted a school-record 27 wins, along with the program’s third Patriot League Championship (and second in the three years). The highlight was a historic 75-70 NCAA Tournament win over Duke, becoming only the sixth No. 15 seed to ever beat a No. 2 seed and second in the same day (Norfolk State defeated Missouri just hours earlier). McCollum led the way with 30 points as Lehigh never trailed by more than five and was leading for much of the game. Mountain Hawks’ largest lead came in the final minute (eight) as the squad always had an answer for the Blue Devils’ runs.
That game helped put the Lehigh men’s basketball program squarely on the map as over the ensuing days. The Mountain Hawks were featured in an endless number of national media outlets including SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and many more. The Mountain Hawks entered the following season ranked among the mid-major’s best teams by numerous outlets. The 2011-12 season also featured a school record for non-league wins (12), as the Mountain Hawks shattered the program’s previous wins record of 22 (also set by a Reed-led team). Along the way, Lehigh played tough against power conference foes, including NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed Michigan State which saw the Mountain Hawks hold a 38-35 lead at the half.
The Mountain Hawks earned two more wins against power conference foes during the 2014-15 season as Lehigh took a big step forward in its quest to return to championship contention. The Mountain Hawks’ season was highlighted by two wins over power conference opponents DePaul and Arizona State, as well as a tight loss to eventual No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament Villanova. The Mountain Hawks rebounded by winning seven-of-eight games midway through the Patriot League schedule. Late in the season, Lehigh dominated eventual regular season champion Bucknell to clinch a home game in the Patriot League Quarterfinals.
Several individuals took their play to new levels in 2014-15, highlighted by Kempton who was named the league’s Player of the Year as just a sophomore. Along with Kempton, first-year Kahron Ross became the Mountain Hawks’ fifth Patriot League Rookie of the Year in the previous nine seasons, along with Marquis Hall (2007), Rob Keefer (2008), McCollum (2010) and Kempton (2014). Ross set a single-game record with 14 assists in Lehigh’s thrilling win at Arizona State.
Lehigh rebounded from a slow start in 2015-16 winning 11 straight games beginning in early February, tying the program’s 90-year school record. The Mountain Hawks surged to the No. 2 seed in the league tournament and went on to host the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game. It marked the sixth time in seven seasons that Lehigh has played at least one Patriot League Tournament game at home. The Mountain Hawks wrapped up an undefeated February, their first undefeated month since November of 1993. When all was said and done, Lehigh finished the season with a school-record 13 Patriot League victories.
Kempton and Ross were each named first team All-Patriot League, marking the first time in school history Lehigh has featured multiple first team honorees. Ross broke the school’s single-season record for assists (194), previously held by Mackey McKnight. Kempton was also named Patriot League Player of the Year for the second straight season, becoming just the third player in league history to earn the honor twice before his senior season, the others being McCollum and Colgate’s Adonal Foyle. As a team, Lehigh finished the season 15th nationally in three-point percentage (39.2).
The Mountain Hawks finished the 2016-17 season with a 20-12 record, tied for second in the league standings before defeating Colgate and Boston University in the Patriot League Tournament to reach their second straight title game. Among Lehigh’s wins was an 87-73 win at Mississippi State, the program’s first-ever victory over the SEC. The Mountain Hawks also defeated eventual Ivy League Champion Princeton as one of four wins over NCAA Tournament teams. Kempton led the league in points (20.4) and rebounds (10.4) and was named a Final Five Finalist for Kareem-Abdul Jabbar National Center of the Year. He also became Lehigh’s first-ever participant in the 2017 Reese's® Division I College All-Star Game, going on to score a game-high 21 points.
Reed’s first Patriot League Title as head coach came in 2009-10 when he led the Mountain Hawks to their second Patriot League Tournament Championship, first outright regular season league title, the most wins in school history (at the time) and the most-ever wins at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks also led the Patriot League in scoring offense, scoring margin, three-point percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio and defensive rebounds. Their 220 made three-pointers established a new school record, later broken just four seasons later when Lehigh knocked down 235 in 2013-14. The 2009-10 team also set a mark for the most dominant run in the Patriot League Tournament’s history, winning every game by 15 points or more. They also excelled in the classroom. Lehigh’s starting five of Dave Buchberger, Zahir Carrington, Hall, McCollum and Gabe Knutson achieved an average grade point average of 3.2.
Reed was named Lehigh’s head coach on August 10, 2007. He had been an assistant at Lehigh for the previous five years, serving as associate head coach for the 2006-07 campaign.
Prior to his time at Lehigh, Reed served as the top assistant coach at High Point University in North Carolina for two seasons. Reed was an integral part of the coaching staff that led the Panthers to the Big South Championship Game in 2002. Included in that two-year period, Reed recruited a Big South Rookie of the Year and a Player of the Year.
Reed spent 1999-2000 as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of North Carolina - Greensboro. He began his collegiate coaching career at Oakland (Mich.) Community College where he was an assistant for his father’s program.
A native of Waterford, Michigan, Reed attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida where he contributed at point guard and helped lead his team to a conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. Reed graduated with honors, earning his Bachelor’s degree in 1995 before earning his Master’s at Wayne State in 1998. In 2003, Reed received his Ph.D. from Wayne State University in Instructional Technology with a Cognate in Sports Administration. He is one of only two Division I men’s basketball head coaches in the entire nation to have earned their doctorate degrees. Reed was also honored during his academic career with a number of awards including the prestigious Thomas C. Rumbell Fellowship.
Reed and his wife Kindra reside in Bethlehem with their sons Brendan and Calvin, and daughter Makenna.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT COACH REED
“Brett Reed is an excellent basketball coach. He has led the resurgence of Lehigh basketball and turned it into a power from the Patriot League. He’s building a program that can withstand one of sport’s ultimate challenges – the test of time. It is undoubtedly an impressive accomplishment.”
- Mike Krzyzewski, former Duke University and U.S. National Team Head Coach
“I’ve known Brett Reed for over 10 years, and was fortunate to have him on my staff and watch him develop as a coach. I strongly believe Brett is one of the best young coaches in the country. His performance in 2011-12 was as good as or better than anyone in our profession. He’s an excellent basketball coach on the floor, has incredible demeanor on the sideline and has proven that he is a top-notch recruiter.”
- Fran McCaffery, former Lehigh and current University of Pennsylvania Hed Coach
“I am very proud of the success Brett has enjoyed as the head men’s basketball coach at Lehigh University. Brett is extremely intelligent, hard-working and passionate about the game of basketball and is a terrific role model for the young men in his program. I am excited for what Brett has been able to accomplish in his short time as the head coach at Lehigh and am confident that he will continue to be successful for many years to come.”
- Billy Taylor, former Lehigh and current Elon Head Coach
“Brett Reed is respected by our student-athletes, he is an excellent teacher and communicator and has been an extremely productive recruiter. I admire his values, his work ethic, his energy and his devotion to our players, their education and their experience.”
- Joe Sterrett, Former Lehigh Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics
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