Sure, a Colorado High School Activities Association state championship in volleyball or basketball – preferably both – would have been icing on the cake, but Harmony Reynolds achieved plenty during her Ignacio High School student-athlete career.
Particularly during her 2022-23 year, in which she was named Second Team All-San Juan Basin League (Class 2A/1A) in volleyball. Reynolds was then named both First Team All-Intermountain League and Honorable Mention All-State in Class 3A in hoops, also earning her a selection in the Colorado Coaches of Girls’ Sports All-State Games for her hardwood exploits.
Topping it off, the now-graduated senior – who also participated in both soccer and track this spring – was recently chosen to play one last time during the 67th Colorado High School Coaches Association All-State Games June 12-16 at CSU-Pueblo.
“I feel like I’ve reached all goals on my ‘bucket list,’ you know?” Reynolds said, hardly two days before commencement.
Her most crowning objective, however, wasn’t reached until barely 48 hours before she reported to IHS Gymnasium for graduation practice on May 25. That was when Reynolds accepted an offer to elevate her game to a higher plane – a decision confirmed in ink upon a National Letter-of-Intent committing her to Kankakee Community College, located about an hour south of Chicago in Illinois.
“I’ve been to California but that’s about it,” she said with a grin, after a brief ceremony in which she autographed the document in view of staff members, family and friends. “Never lived in a huge city, so all of it’s going to be pretty new to me.”
“You know, leaving my family for the first time and going that far is a little overwhelming, but I’m excited and I’m glad I get to take it to the next level,” she said.
“Harmony, this year, really let me push her, let me yell at her and (that) really helped her grow as a student and a basketball player,” said IHS head girls basketball coach Trae Seibel. “This all comes from her hard work, and it’s all based on her efforts and her attitude to be coachable.”
Coaching was something Kankakee’s coaching staff – led by Casey Hadley Meister, set to begin her third season at the helm after spending seven as an assistant – did plenty of in 2022-23, with eight freshmen plus a transfer on the roster. For the most part, one could say the instruction was effective; after losing seven of its first eight games, Kankakee finished 13-17 – helped by a seven-game winning streak between Jan. 14 (a 78-75 home win over Moraine Valley CC) and Feb. 4 (81-65 at home over Sauk Valley CC), improving KCC’s record to 12-12 at the time – in regular-season play.
The Cavaliers (a NJCAA Division II member) then went 1-1 in the Region IV Tournament, including a season-ending 105-64 semifinal loss to tourney-hosting Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois.
Coming from a CHSAA program known for shooting the long ball, Reynolds – who averaged 14.6 points per game in helping Ignacio finish 11-11 overall in its return to the Intermountain League and Class 3A hoops – may find herself operating more on the wing at KCC than in the post.
“The offense we ran really put her in a position to … explore a three-pointer, or go all the way down to the block,” Seibel said. “So I think she’s going to thrive as a guard and as a small forward; she can shoot the ball, can handle the ball, can run the floor very well, so I’m excited for her.”
“I think they already have a spot for me,” said Reynolds, who indicated her scholarship covers her tuition and books. “The other players’ heights are pretty much the same – some are taller, six-one or six-two – but I think I’ll be playing the same position.”
“She seems like a really excellent coach,” she added of Meister, a former star at and 2006 graduate of KCC. “The way she guided me through everything, I thought, was great; I just got super comfortable with her, like, right away.”
And managed to do from long distance so via modern technology.
“The coach reached out and I got to visit the team – you know, over FaceTime – and they showed me the campus,” Reynolds said. “I liked the campus a lot and how small the community is, you know? They’re covering everything but the housing – I have to pay for housing, but I do get to live with my teammates so that’ll be great.”
“This opportunity that she has, is not a surprise to me,” Seibel said. “She and Abbey Smith (a Lamar, Colorado, CC commit) of Centauri, they led the league in scoring, Harmony was First Team All-League … she blossomed. Harmony definitely deserves to play at the next level.”
“I think this is a really great opportunity for me,” Reynolds said. “It’s actually really nerve-wracking, very scary … but I hope I continue to succeed in the sport. I’m really excited.”
At the upcoming CHSCA All-State event, Reynolds is slated to play for the 3A-Red team, to be coached by Seibel and Colorado Springs Palmer’s Dave Shackelford – said to be retiring after coaching high school sports for 40 years, including 13 at Harrison in Colorado Springs and 27 at PHS.
