It’s fitting that Tarris Reed Jr. plays basketball. Always bigger than his peers growing up, and now standing at 6-foot-10, his perpetually-towering stature made him a prime candidate for the sport.
But basketball wasn’t his first love. In fact, it wasn’t any sport at all.
Years before establishing his passion for basketball, Reed had already dedicated himself to another activity.
It’s not a typical activity for someone of his size. It’s not typical for someone with his athletic frame. And it’s not typical of someone who is now a starter for the Michigan men’s basketball team.
But for the Reed family, not only is it typical, it’s expected. Because in the Reed household there’s a long-standing rule: you need to play an instrument.
And for this Reed, it was a reed instrument — the saxophone.
“(Tarris) started playing the saxophone, I want to say roughly fifth, sixth grade,” Darlene Reed, Tarris’ mom, told The Michigan Daily. “It was a requirement in the family to play an instrument. You had to do something musically, whether it was singing, or playing the saxophone, he had to do something musically.”
Nearly a decade later, Tarris doesn’t need to continue playing the saxophone. He satisfied his familial tradition in full while taking his other passion, basketball, to the collegiate level.
Tarris may not need to continue playing the saxophone, but that doesn’t matter. Because now, he wants to keep playing it.
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Although he didn’t pick up a basketball until the summer before eighth grade, Tarris was always athletically driven. He began playing football before giving track and then soccer a shot. But it wasn’t until that summer when he took up basketball that he discovered a sport he truly was passionate about.
“I mean, he just loved sports,” Darlene said. “… And he just wanted to put his mind to each sport, to be able to master something in that sport. And when he got to basketball, that’s what he fell in love with.”
Basketball didn’t replace the saxophone in his life, though — it accompanied it.
During the school day, Tarris remained seated in front of a music stand, analyzing musical notation. But once the final bell rung, he mobilized, roaming the court and honing in on physical skills. On the surface, the similarities between playing the saxophone and basketball may seem sparse.
But for Tarris, the connection was crystal clear.
“(The) saxophone, it’s all about rhythm, it’s all about tuning,” Tarris told The Daily. “So on the court that’s what it is. You need rhythm, you need tuning. You need to know where the defender is on the offensive side, where to be on defense, when the time is right. And that’s the biggest thing in music. You have to be able to play a specific note at this time, in this pitch, in this rhythm. So I’d say that’s probably the biggest thing, the rhythm.”
Today, that rhythm is embodied in the way Tarris plays on the court. His positioning, passing, shooting and even communication relies on hitting the right steps, at the right time, in the right sport.
That’s rhythm, and that’s something Tarris first learned on the saxophone.
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Eighth grade wasn’t just the year Tarris picked up basketball and saw his abilities tested. It was also the year he first tasted high-level competition, making it to states — the state band competition, that is.
“To see him prepare for that was really a joy,” Darlene said. “To really see him stay focused on his portion and really know that he had to be a team player with the band, but then he had to stand alone. He did so well, that year they did really well in the state band competition.”
Tarris saw his hard work translate into tangible triumph. Since then, the court is where he’s amassed the most achievement, not the band room. But if you saw Tarris in eighth grade, you might be surprised by that.
Just like with the saxophone, his affinity for playing basketball was there right away. What was lacking was his confidence.
“I watched him grow from a kid that really didn’t think he could play (basketball), he was more of a soccer player at one time,” Darlene said. “And for him to say ‘You know what, this is what I really want to do. I want to play basketball,’ and for him to grow in the game, (it) has been mind blowing.”
His confidence may have lacked, but he was still motivated, passionate and dedicated to the game. And with those qualities, confidence and capabilities will develop. Tarris knew it — he’d been through it before.
Similar to his journey with music, Tarris always put in the work on the court. As he did, his self-confidence grew and his talent materialized with it.
“As he moved forward in his basketball talent, he trusted himself,” Darlene said. “And as he trusts and as he continues to grow and continues to work on his game, the sky is the limit. It’s the same with playing an instrument. You have to practice, you have to keep going, you have to be motivated.”
Now, entering his sophomore season at Michigan, he’s seeing it pay off.
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On the basketball court, finding the balancing ability between being a team player and standing alone is essential. Now in his sophomore campaign, that will be put to the test as Tarris sees a substantial increase in minutes. When now-Kansas center Hunter Dickinson transferred, he essentially tossed Tarris the keys. Now, there’s a void at the ‘5’, and Tarris is the prime candidate to take the wheel.
Without warning, the rug was ripped out from under him. And it didn’t take long for Tarris to realize the impact the departure had on his future.
“The first thought on my mind is ‘OK, what’s next, who’s gonna be next man (up)?,’ ” Tarris said. “We all looked around the team and it was like: well it’s myself. I only played like 12 minutes a game, averaged three points, maybe like three rebounds. I didn’t really have a significant role. And now, my role is about to increase by double, triple.”
Tarris is right — putting up 3.4 points in 12.6 minutes of action per game is nominal in comparison to the monster numbers Dickinson produced. Dickinson left a crater in his wake, and now Tarris will try to fill it.
As daunting as the task is, it’s one that, unknowingly, Tarris prepared himself for through his musical background. The constant presence of music in his life taught him how to stay focused and centered, and that’s something valuable beyond just playing the saxophone.
With high expectations comes a lot of outside noise. But Tarris knows how to tune it out and remain focused.
“I love music, I listen to music every day and really love playing the saxophone,” Tarris said. “Things get hard with basketball. Especially as a college athlete, it can get hectic. So you’re gonna need something in your free time to do, and I found myself playing the saxophone, listening to music.”
As ubiquitous as the saxophone is in Tarris’ life and basketball journey, though, it flies under the radar.
After eight years cultivating his skills on the saxophone, Tarris excels in the craft. But his teammates will have to just take his word for it.
“He used to go across the street, to one of the school buildings and played it,” sophomore guard Dug McDaniel, Tarris’ freshman year roommate, said Oct. 17 at Michigan Media Day. “Yeah, he played it a lot. And that was surprising because I’ve never seen nobody play one of those before.”
It isn’t necessarily strange that McDaniel was unacquainted with saxophonists before Tarris. After all, most elite athletes haven’t dedicated much time to playing an instrument. But Tarris isn’t most people.
Most people wouldn’t expect Tarris to double as a skilled saxophone player. Likewise, most people don’t expect him to seamlessly replace what Dickinson did for the Wolverines the last three seasons. But he’s not listening to that noise. Instead, he’s putting the work in to create his own.
Staying in Ann Arbor over the summer and working with strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson, Tarris invested in himself and his future. Becoming leaner, putting on muscle and improving his conditioning helped get his body ready for a larger role. Getting comfortable on the offensive end, especially with his touches around the rim, enhanced skills he’ll need to excel in.
For Tarris, he also accompanied the physical advancements with mental ones.
“The way I approached the game and (by) being more dominant, my mindset has changed,” Tarris said. “Being more comfortable on the court, knowing what to do, at what time, on the court and really trusting in my teammates and trusting in the work I put in.”
His mindset may have changed, but the ability he gained to trust himself remains steadfast.
As a kid, it was trust that helped him prepare for his state band competition. In middle school, it was trust that fueled Tarris forward when he picked up a basketball. Six years later, it’s that same trust that’s acting as ammunition.
“(He’s) just putting forth the effort, putting forth the trust in himself,” Darlene said. “… He’s always set those goals to win and be tough.”
The goal Tarris, and the Wolverines as a whole, are setting for him this year is daunting: Fill the massive shoes left by Michigan’s leading scorer and rebounder over the past two years. It’s a tough position to be in, and not one he’s necessarily expected to succeed in.
But Tarris is used to doing the unexpected.
Every time the 6-foot-10 forward picks up his saxophone, he proves that. Now, as he turns his attention to the court, he’s ready to face the music.