A nice ring to it ... South Bend Washington honors its IHSAA girls basketball champs

SOUTH BEND — Washington girls basketball coach Steve Reynolds admitted he shed a few tears last week while sitting in the "Great Western Forum" as cutouts of his 2022 3A state championship team were unfurled in the rafters of his homecourt.

He also knew the one person who had to share in that moment with him.

"I called my wife (Marcy) and told her to come over here," recounted Reynolds Tuesday night prior to the celebration for the 2021-2022 team at the Panthers home opener.

"We just sat in the seats on our bench and looked up at them. We remembered when we talked about when we would win state."

"It was a huge faith walk for us. Twenty years Marcy and I have been married and with our seven kids. It was about serving God first. He blessed us and we were able to make history. It was dreaming big and came to be more than I ever thought it would be."

More:Statement made: 4A No. 1 Washington girls basketball rocks 3A No. 1 Marian

Reynolds, along with his wife/assistant coach and three daughters, were huge parts of last year's Class 3A championship squad. The Panthers went 28-3 and claimed the second state title in program history, joining the 2007 team led by Skylar Diggins.

Amiyah Reynolds, now the senior point guard for the Class 4A No. 1 ranked Panthers, admitted it was surreal to see herself in the rafters.

"It's pretty unreal," said Amiyah of looking up and seeing her cutout in the rafters of her home gym. "It was always one of our goals and something we said that we could not wait to be up there.

"I'm just super grateful. To be able to share it with my family like that means everything to me."

Amiyah Reynolds has committed to play for Maryland next season, where older sister Mila is a freshman now.

Coach Reynolds squad received their state title rings Tuesday night prior to facing NIC foe Riley. The Panthers rolled to last year's state title after finishing as Class 3A state runner-up in 2021. Washington was ranked No. 22 nationally last season and beat Silver Creek 93-35 in a record-setting performance for the ages in the finale.

"We took our lumps in the past, but you can't let obstacles get in your way," said coach Reynolds, a former star player at Riley. "Now we are part of a culture that is engaging our community."

The Panthers won the state title with a squad of just nine players a season ago. The trio of Mila, Amiyah and Kira Reynolds led the way, along with Rashunda Jones, Ryiah Wilson, Monique Mitchell, Lauren Gillon, Shamarah Allen and Jamiyah Parahams. There were three seniors in Mila Reynolds, Gillon and Allen.

Karis Phillips has the unique perspective of being a part of both Panther state title teams. She was a reserve guard as a sophomore on the 2007 team and is now an assistant coach in the powerhouse program.

"It's a bit overwhelming," admitted the soft-spoken Phillips, who played with her older sister Emily at Washington. "But it's truly a blessing. To be a part of this legacy as a player and now as a coach is really a blessing.

"It gives me chills to look up there and remember 15 years ago. It's all about setting the bar high and always trying to be the best version you can be. You have to dream big and have big goals."

Reynolds, now in his ninth season as head coach of The Pride of the West Side, saw his team move to 4-0 on the season with a 95-13 win over Riley Tuesday night. The Panthers are ranked No. 15 nationally by ESPN.

Washington has come a long way the past three seasons. The Panthers finished just 10-13 in 2018-19, which was Mila Reynolds' freshman season. The team then lost in the sectional final to Marian the following season before losing to Silver Creek 54-48 in the Class 3A state title game in 2021.

Coach Reynolds made history himself last February as he became the first African American head coach in South Bend high school athletics history to win a state championship in any sport. He also became just the second black head coach to win a girls basketball state title, joining Stacy Mitchell of Warren Central in 2018.

The Washington program had an incredible four-year run, led by WNBA star Diggins. The Panthers went to the state finals four times from 2006-09. They were 102-7 over that time span under coach Marilyn Coddens and coach Maurice Scott, Diggins' stepfather. Those teams included names like Diggins, Phillips, Varner, Boocher and Archie.

Now, the 2021-2022 edition of the Panthers will hang forever in the rafter right across the gym floor from that group.

"I look up there in the rafters and see my daughters next to me," said Reynolds, pausing for a second to collect himself. I know the work that they put in and all of the work behind the scenes that Marcy put it and it's just extremely gratifying. They bought in to my dream and they did it with me."

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana high school girls basketball: Washington gets championship rings