Driven by Faith, Playing With Passion

'Superman'

Sitting in the townhouse, Reynolds appears relaxed in a black T-shirt, Nike basketball shorts, long Nike socks and a black do-rag covering his cornrowed hair. He has a black wristband with "Finish" written on it, referring, primarily, to Herndon's goal of becoming the first Northern Region team to win a state championship in 25 years. Reynolds said he only removes the wristband for games, and only because the referees make him.

With a wispy goatee and soft brown eyes, his look isn't that of a star basketball player. But closer inspection reveals thick calves, muscles that form the springs required to perform his favorite dunk: a two-handed reverse. The baggy T-shirt covers a muscular frame, the product of countless hours in the weight room.

On the court, Reynolds is constantly in motion, moving as frequently without the ball as with it. He calls often for the ball and screens, with increasing alacrity when the game is tight or when his teammates are in trouble. But here, in a sitting room of his parents' house, he is still, speaking with a tone of calm, quiet confidence. Asked what motivates him, what he has learned thus far in his 18-plus years, he turns to religion, which he says transcends all his passions -- including basketball.

"It's always been first with my family," said Reynolds, who attends a nondenominational Christian church in Annandale. "Everybody that knows me knows that that's what comes first. It hasn't changed for 18 years. By me having faith, I can overcome a lot."

Religion also provided the backdrop for one of Reynolds's most legendary on-court moments. After attending bible study on a Wednesday night last year, Reynolds arrived at halftime for a top 10 showdown between Herndon and Potomac (Md.). Reynolds scored 30 points in the 16-minute second half, helping trim a 56-33 deficit late in the third quarter to a 10-point differential in the fourth (Herndon eventually lost, 86-71). Hall said that he wasn't surprised at Reynolds's performance, having watched him pull off similar post-church rallies when he was 10.

"Just like [the Potomac game], the doors would open and it would be like Superman coming in the gym," Hall said. "He would be pulling off his tie and his shirt and sprinting on the court to save us. Everyone would just start buzzing."

Reynolds's parents, Rick, an operations manager at SAIC, a research and engineering firm, and Pam, a homemaker, emphasized faith from a young age. Reynolds, his parents and younger siblings -- brother Ross, 16, and sister, Dahlia, 8, who are also adopted -- attend bible study and two services on Sunday and another bible study on Wednesday.

For the Reynolds, religion and family are two sides of the same coin.

"I credit everything I've gone through, every situation I've been through, all my successes to my parents," Reynolds said. "For me not to do my best, for me not to try to be the best, I think that would be even doing them a disservice."

Rick and Pam Reynolds had raised three children before they decided they wanted more and adopted Scottie at birth. They said they gave little thought to the fact that they are white and Scottie, like his younger siblings, is black.

Scottie said that race has never been a concern for him; it's just everyone else that makes a big deal out of it. Rick and Pam bristle at the notion that they are anything but a regular family.

"Our family is our family, and all of our kids are our kids," says Rick. "It might be that some kid has questions, but for us as a family [race is] never an issue and it's never been an issue. And adoption, we do everything we can to make sure they see themselves as our children."