Roman Catholic’s Travis Reed Jr. and Cristo Rey’s Amari Dow to team up at Chestnut Hill College

Amari Dow and Travis Reed Jr. have known each other since ninth grade, often running into another at workout sessions throughout the city.

Dow can’t recall ever teaming up in a basketball game, however, until sharing the floor at the Donofrio Classic on March 25.

It gave the two a glimpse of what’s to come.

Dow and Reed will team up next season at Chestnut Hill College. Both recently announced their commitments to head coach Andrew Radomicki and the Griffins.

“We got close, and, of course, we’re going to be closer,” Dow said. “I told him I committed, and he was so happy.”

Dow spent all four years of his high school career at Cristo Rey. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists this past season.

Reed, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, averaged 10 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals at Roman Catholic this year after starting his high school career at Frankford.

Chestnut Hill started recruiting Dow during open gyms this past fall. He said another Division II program, Wilmington University, also expressed interest.

Dow was an all-Penn-Jersey Athletic Association player as a sophomore before injuries hampered him as a junior. He returned to form this season and helped the Blue Pride to their second consecutive league championship and first PAISAA tournament victory in program history.

“That was the school that applied the most pressure and was serious about recruiting me,” Dow said of Chestnut Hill. “[They like me] mainly just being a dog, a good defender, as well as my scoring ability.”

Reed was a second-team all-division selection at Frankford as a junior and led the Public League ‘B’ champions in scoring. He didn’t have much college interest until he started to produce at Roman this season.

Chestnut Hill assistant Mike Bowens, an Archbishop Carroll graduate, reached out to Reed in mid-December after his lights-out shooting performance against Bishop Ireton (Va.).

“At Frankford, I had some self-doubt because I didn’t get the looks I wanted to my two years playing,” Reed said. “But coming into Roman, it opened a lot of doors for me because now I could really showcase my talent everywhere, and there were a lot of people watching me and seeing I could actually play at the next level.”

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Reed continued to knock down big shots for the Cahillites throughout the season, earning second-team All-Catholic League honors. He had 13 points in the Catholic League semifinal at the Palestra before helping Roman capture its second straight PCL title.

Northampton Community College and Division III programs like Delaware Valley University were the top schools interested in him other than Chestnut Hill.

“I bring defense to the team, and I do whatever it takes to win,” Reed said of what interested the Griffins. “Whether it’s me scoring or rebounding or just being there for my teammates, but mostly it was probably my shooting ability.”

Reed announced his commitment to Chestnut Hill on March 19. Dow followed 12 days later, though he told Reed and Radomicki about his college decision beforehand.

Radomicki had the chance to watch his two recruits team up at the Donofrio last month, when they combined for 41 points and showed immediate chemistry.

“If he’s open in the corner, I know I have to give him the ball because he’s going to knock that three down,” Dow said. “And if I’m open on the fast break, he knows to advance the ball to me so I can finish.”

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Radomicki became the third head coach in the program’s history when he took over last offseason after serving as the associate head coach at Widener. The Griffins finished 9-20 this year but managed an 8-8 mark in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference to make the conference tournament.

Chestnut Hill has a strong young core. Freshman guard Argel “IV” Pettit, a former standout at Devon Prep and Phelps School, led the team in scoring (14.0 points) this year followed by sophomores Adam Angwafo (12.6) and Alejandro Redondo Cybak (12.4).

Dow and Reed bring a winning pedigree to the group. Dow helped Cristo Rey become one of the area’s top private school programs over the past two seasons. Reed has a division title in the Public League and a Catholic League championship on his resumé.

The goal is to continue to win games at their next stop.

“I’m just ready to start something new at Chestnut Hill,” Reed said. “Get my name out there and show that I can really play and bring something that Chestnut Hill hasn’t seen yet out of a player.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.