Local 2026 Guard Steven Reynolds III Has Notre Dame's Attention

It’s early, but Steven Reynolds III has already become a top target for a pair of in-state powers.

The 2026 Indiana shooting guard already has offers from Notre Dame and Purdue, along with offers from Nebraska, Toledo and Eastern Michigan among others.

“He's 6-5 and probably still growing,” Washington High School head coach Ryan Varga says of the South Bend native.

“He's athletic, but as a player, he's very much of a student of the game. He has a high IQ, just an overall natural knack for scoring. He can score at all three levels. He can shoot it, he can get to his mid-range, and then over the course of the summer, what he's been working on mostly is getting to the basket, getting stronger and getting more athletic. He's able to finish at the rim.”

Still, Varga says Reynolds’ willingness as a passer may be his greatest strength.

“He wants to get his teammates involved,” the coach says. “It's part of his maturity and his growth. A lot of guys would probably want to score and shoot every time, but he has an understanding of what basketball looks like and how it should be played.”

Reynolds’ father, Steven Reynolds Jr., is the head coach of the successful Washington High School girls squad that has featured three of his older sisters and his mother as assistant coach. 

“I think for him it's a little bit of a different mindset,” Varga says. “I think he's more apt to make the right play.”

Varga describes Reynolds III as “a great student with a 3.5 GPA” and “quiet.”

“Keeps to himself,” the coach continues. “Last year, we had seven seniors, so he wasn't as vocal and now he's having to learn how to be a leader. He has kind of stepped into that role of being more vocal and getting guys where they need to be and making sure they're showing up on time to practice, if we have morning workouts, making sure they get there. 

“He's kind of coming out of the shell in that realm of taking that next step of, now I've got to be a leader and I've got to get guys to perform at their highest level so we can be a good team.”

Varga has welcomed Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry and his staff have been in the building to observe Reynolds III and Shrewsberry has returned the favor.

“I think it's great,” Varga says. “Anytime you can have a coach of his caliber, someone who's won at so many different levels, stop by your practice and be there it is phenomenal. 

“Being able to drive up the road pretty much and attend their practices and be around their program and see the way they do things, I think it's been just a blessing. You don't get to get that every day, being around a college program. I think it has been a blessing for us and for him, making sure that he's seeing the game from a different aspect.”

Reynolds’ interest in the Irish is certainly serious, but it’s still too soon to say where he’s likely to end up playing in college.

“Right now, it's very early in the process for him. He's just kind of grasping everything that's been thrown his way. It's going to be interesting to see how everything shapes out as he continues to build those relationships with coaches and Coach Shrewsberry and things like that. When he's ready to make that decision, I think he will be ready to, but it's just all fresh for him.”

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