On August 18, St. John’s announced the signing of 6-foot-10 forward Reed Bailey, coming from Indiana. Entering his fifth collegiate season, Bailey now looks to put the 2025-26 season behind him and rediscover the form that made him one of the more intriguing players in the transfer portal.
Bailey posted 8.3 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 57% from the field last season at Indiana. After playing in a system that didn’t maximize his strengths and being asked to play out of position, Bailey could
have a much higher ceiling with the Johnnies.
The former three-star recruit comes from an athletic family. His father, Nathan, played basketball at Navy and Pittsburgh, while his mother, Linda, played volleyball at Pittsburgh. His siblings also competed collegiately across basketball and volleyball. Coming from Harvard, Massachusetts, Bailey wasn’t heavily recruited, which ultimately led him to Davidson.
Bailey started all 97 games he played during his three seasons at Davidson. In those three seasons, Bailey was named Atlantic-10 Most Improved Player and First-Team All-Atlantic-10 after the 2024-2025 season. With this proven track record, Bailey became one of the premier transfer recruits, ranking 63rd in the portal, right behind future national champion Elliot Cadeau. Indiana ultimately landed Bailey, attracted by his combination of length, fluidity in transition, and ability to consistently threaten defenses around the paint. Within the Wildcats’ offense, Bailey was used primarily as a power forward, working off the ball and serving as an off-ball screener.
Between all the high screens and low block movement, Bailey found himself open a lot, where he was fed his points. But Bailey isn’t solely an off-ball player. There were plenty of instances where he received the ball at the top of the key and became the focal point of the offense, initiating the possession himself.
At 6-foot-10, Bailey has very fluid movements where he moves like a small-ball forward. He’s not a bulky mover, but he can easily get in between tight spaces to find the open area for a shot. Playing in this faster-paced system, Reed averaged 18.8 points and 6.1 rebounds on 48% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. But the way Bailey was used at Davidson was almost the complete opposite of how Indiana deployed him.
With high expectations, Reed was expected to be a day-one contributor for Indiana, which was going through a program rehaul. Coming off a really good season where Bailey was one of only two players nationally 6’10” or taller to record at least 600 points, 200 rebounds, and 100 assists (the other was Auburn’s Johni Broome), Reed had a very slow start where he was eventually benched in favor of Sam Alexis.
Many Hoosiers fans were disappointed with Bailey and the expectations that came with him, but stats don’t tell the whole story. As stated before, Davidson was more of a transition team where Reed’s size and movement fit the system. Indiana was ranked 256th in pace last season and was more focused on setting up the offense and set pieces. Bailey’s biggest problem at Indiana wasn’t necessarily his ability. It was where Indiana needed him to play.
Another important piece of context: the 2025-26 Indiana Hoosiers lacked size at the five. All season long, with Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis, who were both career power forwards, they were thrust into playing center for the first time in their collegiate careers. Bailey has the frame of a forward, but isn’t built to consistently defend true college centers.
Beyond that, Bailey was excellent at boxing out and could grab rebounds, but his defense was the real kicker. A lot of media and Indiana fans will say this was a really down season for Bailey, but advanced stats don’t reflect that. Reed finished with a 125 ORTG (Offensive Rating) and a 65% true shooting percentage, numbers that suggest his offensive efficiency remained strong despite his reduced role. Bailey, in his down year, is still a very serviceable college basketball player, and with Rick Pitino’s coaching, it would be surprising if we didn’t see more of the Davidson Bailey than the Indiana version of him.
As of right now, Bailey is slotted in as the backup power forward to Babacar Sane. With St. John’s ranking 68th nationally in pace last season, Bailey should have more opportunities to utilize the transition game that made him so effective at Davidson. Bailey shot 64% around the rim, which would have finished 3rd on the Johnnies roster last season behind Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell.
The fit for Reed Bailey is exactly what he needs to get back on the right track. Rick Pitino already seems very excited to get his hands on Bailey.
“We think he fits in perfectly for what we need. He’s a veteran basketball player. He has seen it all, done it all, and he knows how to play in a motion offense,” Pitino told the New York Post after Bailey’s signing. “He has good size, and he really knows how to play the game.”
One thing St. John’s fans gotta be excited for is the amount of different lineups Rick Pitino can throw at teams. For example, he can throw out a lineup featuring Ellis, Yessoufou, Sane, Bailey, and Prey, which would give Pitino a combination of size, length and ball-handling that could create matchup problems. That’s just one combo of what he can do during a game to bring in size and speed. Reed Bailey might not have been the shiny move like Keyshawn Hall, but his fit could be exactly what Pitino needs off the bench. A proven player on a proven team with a proven coach, now that’s a recipe for success.
