Mike Reid Coaching at 1999 I.H.S.A. State Tournament

Special Thanks to the Argus/Dispatch

Mike Reid to take over as
head coach
at Davenport Central

By Marc Nesseler, Sports editor

Coach Reid is back into Quad-Cities high-school basketball.

However, it's not state Hall of Famer Duncan Reid, the retired boys basketball coach at Rock Island. It's his 39-year-old son, Mike Reid, who was an assistant for his father's Rocky teams for nine years.

Mike Reid will be named the head boys basketball coach at Davenport Central High School on Thursday, according to WQAD-TV sports director Dan Burich, who broke the news on his Tuesday broadcast. Reid will be introduced by the Blue Devils at a 2 p.m. press conference, Burich said.

Mike Reid had his hat in the coaching ring for the Rock Island job when Duncan retired after the 2000-01 season. Rock Island hired Thom Sigel from Rock Falls and Mike has spent the last two seasons away from the bench.

It will be Mike's first stint as a head coach, although he did coach the Rocks in the lead capacity for 11 games when Duncan underwent quintuple bypass surgery in 1996. The Rocks were 10-1 under Mike's direction.

Mike had been with the Rock Island program for 11 years, nine as a varsity assistant.

Fans won't have to wait until Thursday's press conference to find out whether Duncan with turn the tables and be his son's assistant at Davenport Central, as had been rumored.

``That chapter's over,'' Duncan said Tuesday night. ``I will, though, assist him some other way.

``Actually, I'm busy enough with my banking job and my column,'' added, Duncan, though he's taking the summer months off from his weekly ``The Ol' Coach Says'' sports offerings for The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus.

Mike Reid was unavailable for comment Tuesday. Duncan said his son had taken his family to Chicago for the final Chicago Bulls home game of the NBA season.

Mike Reid was a standout for the Rocks during his high-school playing days, graduating in 1982. He still holds the school record for points in a game (43, vs. Bloomington) and assists for a season (229). Reid went on to play collegiately at the University of Colorado.

Reid will replace Ray Swetalla, whose messy exit from the Devils' program occurred the day before college signing day for preps last November. Swetalla was replaced on an interim basis by Bill Burden, Swetalla's assistant.

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