THIBADOUX, La. – Sean Nelson was coaching middle school basketball the first time he met Trovon Reed. He reached out to the quiet little boy with uncanny quickness. And a relationship grew that became about family in a very real way.
When Reed, the top college football prospect in the state of Louisiana, committed to Auburn on Friday in the Thibadoux High School gymnasium, Nelson was there, smiling proudly.
It was, they both said, very much like a father and a son.
“Sean is not even 30 years old, and he treats me like a dad,” Reed said. “Everybody thinks Sean is here for football. Before I even started playing football, Sean was the one taking care of me, helping me get school clothes when my mom didn’t have the money, helping me get school shoes, giving me a ride home from practice. I used to have to walk because my mom never had a car.
“Sean just a person that looks out for kids. We have a lot of kids on this team with no scholarship, no names for themselves. He takes them to camps trying to get them known. He calls them and makes them work out. He’s just a person that looks out for kids.”
Nelson was there to offer a helping hand and shoulder to cry on when Reed’s mother died last March. He went with him on unofficial visits that eventually led to Reed making his commitment Friday at his school on his mother’s birthday.
“It’s funny, because for some kids this opportunity just happens,” Nelson said. “Trovon made it happen. It showed those guys it’s possible you can make it.
Nelson hasn’t just been there for Reed. He’s been there for his family. And now, Reed says, he’s looking forward to the next big step in his football career and in his life. And Nelson will still be there.
“Right now, times are hard for me and my family,” Reed said. “That’s why I can’t stop now. I have to take care of them.”
