John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
kashif reyes
For Reading native Kashif Reyes, basketball is more than just a sport. It helped him to pay for his education, to travel the country, and to earn a living doing what he loves. Today, Kash is using the game to give back to the community, as CEO and owner of the Reading Wizards.
Q: How did you get involved with the Reading Wizards? I’m a sports and fitness trainer – I have a gym downtown, Fitness by Kash – and I’ve been training athletes since 2008. I was training somebody who wanted to get into the game, so I dipped into my resources and ended up on the ABA (the American Basketball Association) website. The top corner was flashing “be an owner.” I clicked it and they gave me a call back to talk about the reasons why I would do it, why I want to do it.
Q: What was your reason? Because Reading is a huge basketball town. There is a lot of talent out here that’s going unnoticed and there are a lot of people striving to make it playing professional ball. And it’s good for the community, too. These [players] become local heroes who can talk to the kids and drive them in a positive direction.
Q: It sounds like you want this team to bring a lot more to the community than just a sports team. Absolutely, we want to serve the community. On a grand scale it’s just such a positive that the city needs. There’s so much negativity out here, so the more things that we can put into our community, the better the city will be. And we’re a basketball community, so this is something that people can relate to and they love to watch.
Q: Do you ever get to hit the court with your team? I help coach a little bit and try to share my knowledge of the game, especially with the new guys. We have some guys that come in with college or even some semi-pro or overseas experience, but there are some guys who have no experience. Just a dream of playing professional basketball. So, I step in and coach, but I really don’t have time to play with them because I’m handling everything on the back end.
Q: What was the move from player to owner like? It’s totally different. I would say it’s the complete opposite. I have patience, but it took my patience to a whole new level. It’s basically a full-time job. Now I understand that I can’t do everything; I thought I could but it’s impossible.
Q: Why the “Reading Wizards?” A lot of the guys I grew up with playing basketball, they can handle the ball like crazy. Their dribbling skills – it was like they were wizards. It was like magic when we played basketball.
Q: What’s next for this new generation of wizards? Our goal is to be as big as we possibly can. If there are people who can’t get into the game because it’s so packed, that’s a great problem to have. I’m trying to have some of those problems.
Ball on a Global Scale. The American Basketball Association (ABA) is the largest professional sports league in the US, and also the most diverse with 75 percent of teams owned by minority owners.
Slam Dunk. The Reading Wizards are currently awaiting a 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation so they can do even more to make an impact in the community. Learn how you can help at readingwizards.org.
