Jarelle Reischel: A Quest From Germany To Westchester
In the final week of the 2016-17 season, the Westchester Knicks acquired Jarelle Reischel. What could he bring to the table if he returns to Westchester in 2017-18?
As the 2016-17 season started to wind down, the Westchester Knicks faced a bad case of the injury bug. Several players went down and the Knicks didn’t have enough alternatives on the team. Coming off the last major road trip of the season, Westchester had nine players suit up, which included Maurice Ndour on assignment from the New York Knicks.
Less than two weeks later, Westchester was in the same position with six players on the roster. The only difference is that the Dub Knicks had three players on assignment and saw their roster damaged by injuries.
Late in the season, the Westchester Knicks acquired Jarelle Reischel through the available player pool.
Before Reischel suited up for Westchester, the 6’7″ forward spent time at three colleges: Rice University, the University of Rhode Island and Eastern Kentucky University. As his collegiate career went on, Reischel saw an improvement in his overall game.
Over the course of his first three playing seasons, the Germany native failed to average more than six points or three rebounds per contest. Once he entered his senior season, Reischel took a huge leap.
The Knicks forward saw an improvement in his shooting, and was asked to do more on the offensive end. Reischel posted collegiate career-highs in shooting and was able to get to the line more than his previous three seasons.
Jarelle Reischel attributed his success in his senior season to the opportunity he received.
“[It’s] just a lot of work that I put in over the summer,” Jarelle Reischel said. “Coming into that season and really getting a real opportunity to play and to showcase my skills.”
During his senior season, Reischel averaged 17.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals on 48.7 shooting from the field in 31.4 minutes per game. The Eastern Kentucky product led the team in scoring, rebounds, steals, and minutes played.
Along with that, he was second on the team in assists and blocks.
After finishing his collegiate career, which saw him have his best year as a senior, Reischel returned home to play for SC Rasta Vechta of the German BBL. Reischel played only one game for the team.
After his one game in Germany, his basketball journey began in the NBA D-League, as he was drafted by the Salt Lake City Stars in the second round (27th overall) of the 2016 NBA D-League Draft.
Later on in the season, Reischel landed in Westchester, NY with the Dub Knicks.
“It’s been great,” Reischel said. “I’ve been to a lot of places, seen a lot of things, been around some good coaches [and] a lot of good players, and I picked up a lot of things from everywhere I went.”
Despite joining the team late in the season, Reischel said his biggest takeaway in his short tenure with the team was playing with a good pace and playing as a team.
“I would say biggest takeaway is just learning the game; playing with pace, a good pace, and playing together as a team,” Reischel said. “Over here [in Westchester], that’s what has been emphasized. And overall being good professional. Showing up early [and] getting my work done.”
Heading into his first offseason as a professional, Jarelle Reischel has his mind set on what he’s looking to improve on.
“Just my overall game. Everything, I think. [I am] trying to improve very hard in the summer,” Reischel said. “Really dedicate myself to my work over the summer time and just come out and play a full D-League season next year and hopefully make an impact in the league.”
Must Read: Westchester Knicks: 2016-17 Season Review
For most players, an opportunity is all they need. Jarelle Reischel joined the team in the final week of the season and played a combined 36 minutes in his two games with the Westchester Knicks. He showed brief glimpses of his talent.
If Reischel returns to Westchester next season, he could have more of an opportunity to showcase his skill set.