Ben Lippen hires new varsity basketball coach

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Ben Lippen) — Ben Lippen hired Jay Reid as its new Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach, the school announced Tuesday night.

Reid has a total of 8 years of collegiate coaching experience, working at four universities around the southeast including Lincoln Memorial University, Newberry College, USC-Salkehatchie, and David & Elkins College.

Coach Reid’s last stop before Ben Lippen was Lincoln Memorial University for 3 seasons. While at LMU, Coach Reid worked alongside one of the winningest coaches in college basketball, Josh Schetz, who built the third-winningest program in all NCAA levels over the past 10 seasons with a record of 276-43, or a .865 winning percentage.

During Coach Reid’s 3 years, he accumulated a record of 71-14 and captured 4 championships including 2 SAC regular seasons, 1 SAC Conference tournament, and 1 NCAA Southeast Regional Championship. During the 2019-20 season, Coach Reid helped the Railsplitters to a 32-1 (22-0 SAC) record and an all collegiate division leading 32-game win streak that was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the team was set to be one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The win streak would continue over to be finalized at 39 games, and the Railsplitters would respond to make a trip to the 2021 Final Four in Evansville, Indiana. LMU was ranked in the NCAA DII Top 25 for 30 consecutive weeks while Coach Reid was there, many of those in the Top 5.

Coach Reid has coached and developed numerous award-winning players which include 2 All-Americans, 3 Freshman of the Years, 1 Defensive Player of the Year, and 1 SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Before starting his collegiate coaching career, Coach Reid spent four seasons with Mike Young and the Wofford College Men’s Basketball program as a student-assistant coach and practice team member.

In his four seasons at Wofford, the Terriers won 2 championships and made three postseason appearances, including trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011.

Coach Reid graduated from Wofford College in 2013 with a degree in economics and a certification to teach high school social studies. Coach Reid also attained his master’s degree in Athletic Administration from American Public University. Coach Reid is originally from Lexington, S.C., where he played for his father, Joey, and legendary Coach Bailey Harris, at Lexington High School.