HS Girls’ Basketball: Nativity names Reed as new head basketball coach

Nativity girls' basketball coach William Reed

POTTSVILLE — William Reed knows what it’s like to be part of a winning basketball program at Nativity.

He hopes to take that knowledge and turn the Nativity girls’ program golden again.

An assistant boys’ coach atop Lawton’s Hill the past eight seasons, Reed was announced as Nativity’s new girls’ basketball head coach during a short ceremony Friday morning.

Reed was a valuable member of Mike Walborn’s boys’ staff at Nativity, playing a key bench role during the Hilltoppers’ run to Schuylkill League and PIAA Class A state championships in 2021.

The 52-year-old Pottsville graduate takes over for Scott Forney, who was not retained after nine seasons as Nativity’s head coach.

“I’m very blessed, very excited,” Reed said. “Coach Walborn gave me a blueprint how to be successful, how to win a state title. I believe I can follow that blueprint and put the girls’ program back on the map.”

Reed is a 1990 graduate of Pottsville Area High School, where he played basketball as an underclassman. He entered the United States Marine Corps upon graduation and served four years in the Marines. He’s worked the past 28 years with the Department of Corrections, retiring last week.

The 6-foot-2 Reed was a girls’ varsity assistant for two seasons at Mount Carmel in the early 2000s and was a junior high girls’ coach at Saint Clair for two seasons before coming to Nativity. In addition to basketball, Reed has coached junior high softball at Saint Clair.

He said making the transition from coaching boys’ basketball to girls’ basketball won’t be a problem.

“I met with my future Golden Girls this morning and I told them three things: ‘Faith, family, tradition.’ I truly believe if we can follow those three with hard work and teamwork, we can be very successful next year,” Reed said.

“The support is great. The family atmosphere. We need to sell that family bonding, build teamwork and it will all work out.”

Reed’s biggest task will be to increase the numbers at Nativity, which hasn’t had enough girls to field a junior varsity squad the past three seasons. The Golden Girls have gone 24-73 over the past four years, including 1-21 overall and 0-14 in Schuylkill League Division II play in 2024-25.

This past season, however, was the first time since 2019 that Nativity did not make the PIAA Class A playoffs. Since the PIAA expanded to six classes in 2016-17, the Golden Girls qualified for the state playoffs seven of the nine years, reaching the Class A state quarterfinals in 2017.

Reed’s wife, Amy (Snukis), is a former player for Nativity. He knows exactly where to go to learn more about a program that has won six Schuylkill League crowns, 16 District 11 Class A titles, five PIAA Class A championships (1978, 1990, ’99, 2000, 2006) and was the PIAA Class A state runner-up five other times.

Reed’s ultimate goal is to bring Nativity back to that level. For now, his goal is simple — increase the numbers enough to field a JV team next fall.

“First thing I have to do is make connections. Clear communication, get them out to try,” Reed said. “I’m going to start open gyms next week. Hopefully one girl brings two girls, two girls bring four girls … before you know it I have 16 girls.

“My goal is to have a JV team next year. That’s my first goal, have a JV team come mid-November.”