Ulysses Cleon "U.S." Reed (born May 23, 1959) is an American former college basketball player for the Arkansas Razorbacks, perhaps best known for the half-court buzzer beating shot he sank during the 1981 NCAA Tournament to defeat the defending tournament champion Louisville Cardinals.
College career
Fresh from an Arkansas state championship at Pine Bluff High School, Reed joined the Arkansas men's basketball team in 1977, at the height of the success of the "Triplets" – Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer and Marvin Delph – and was a key part of the team that made it to the 1978 NCAA Final Four, finishing third after losing to eventual champion Kentucky Wildcats in the semifinal game.
A guard, Reed broke into the starting line-up for the Razorbacks in his sophomore year and was a starter for the remainder of his career.[1]
In 1979, Reed was instrumental in helping Arkansas to a very successful season following the loss of Brewer and Delph. The team, captained by Moncrief, made it to the NCAA Regional Finals before losing to the Larry Bird-led Indiana State Sycamores. In the game, Reed was called for traveling after he tripped with 1:02 remaining in the game, and the Sycamores held on for the final shot. Sycamore player Bob Heaton took five steps to the bucket and scored on a left-handed shot at the buzzer, giving ISU a 73–71 win and a trip to the Final Four, where they finished second to Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans.[2]
The 1981 NCAA Tournament featured the shot that turned Reed into a star of the NCAA tournament. In the second round of the tournament, the Southwest Conference champion Razorbacks were playing the defending NCAA tournament champion Louisville Cardinals in Austin, Texas. Trailing by one with five seconds remaining in the contest, the Razorbacks threw the ball to Reed after a timeout. He was unable to get the ball to any of his teammates, including future NBA players Darrell Walker and Scott Hastings, and took a desperation shot from just beyond the mid-court line as the clock expired. The ball ripped through the net, giving Arkansas a 74–73 victory (this game was prior to the advent of the 3-point shot in the college game). Some credit this shot and the hysteria that accompanied it as what cradled the phrase "March Madness". The team lost their next game against the LSU Tigers.[4]
Reed ranks number 21 on the Arkansas all-time scoring list at the start of the 2008–2009 season with 1,260 points. Only 6 foot 2 inches tall (though he played center in high school), he led the Razorbacks in blocked shots in 1979 with 30. A member of three Southwest Conference championship teams, Reed ended up playing in four NCAA Tournaments during his tenure and was named National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District in 1980 and 1981.[1]
Reed has returned to his hometown of Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he is a real estate investor and a minister at Deeper Revelation International Ministry. He spent one year as assistant coach for the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans.[2][5]
