Former Cardinal Monique Reid ready to share her basketball knowledge at Bellarmine

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Monique Reid is back in her hometown, beginning a new phase of her life. The former University of Louisville standout bringing a wealth of knowledge about basketball and the world to her new job as a Bellarmine assistant coach.

Since finishing her college career in 2013 with U of L, Reid embarked on a basketball journey that spanned the globe.

"I played in Germany for three years," said Reid starting to name the various countries in which she played. "I played in Romania. I played in Bulgaria for a couple of years. I played in Egypt for a couple of years. I played in Jordan. I played in Israel. I played in Lebanon. I played in Chile and I just left Saudi Arabia. And I played in Turkey last season."

And she said the experiences were definitely more good than bad.

"I met a lot of great people and I learned a lot about the culture and also I got to see things from a different perspective," Reid continued. "We're all taught different things at school but like seeing it close up was really eye-opening and I loved the experience. Especially like being in Egypt. Just waking up and seeing the pyramids in the distance. That's amazing. Like it's a very cool experience."

Throughout those experiences, basketball has been the constant.

"Working overseas, working kids out, coming back here running her own camps," said Bellarmine head coach Chancellor Dugan. "Working our camp, working U of L camp. So she's had so much experience and she's excited about recruiting and excited about coaching on the floor and doing all the little things."

Reid said she first thought about being a coach when she sat out a year at U of L with a knee injury. She will always be thankful to Jeff Walz and his staff for what she learned during her time there.

"I bled, I cried, I wanted to quit," said Reid about her early years there. "I called my grandmother, like 'Hey I can't do this'. I had a conversation with (then U of L assistant coach) Michelle Clark-Heird in her office my freshman year 'I just cannot do this. I've never been pushed this hard.'

"But they didn't let me quit and they didn't break me down when I wanted to quit. They built me up and I think that was the positive thing about going to Louisville. They made me very tough. There's nothing I don't think I can do."

And she wants to pass along that mindset to the Bellarmine players.

"Definitely, I want to show them toughness," said Reid. "I don't want them to think we're the little sister school. We will compete and I will teach them how."