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If she'd followed her original plan, Monique Reid probably would be playing professional basketball overseas right now.

Instead, she's going to get an early start on her coaching career -- at her high school alma mater.

Reid, who recently finished her playing career at the University of Louisville, was named Friday as the girls' basketball coach at Fern Creek.

Reid, 23, averaged 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds last season as the Cardinals reached the NCAA Tournament championship game, falling to Connecticut 93-60. She needed knee surgery after the season, but circumstances forced that surgery to be delayed until July 1. She said if she had had the operation in April, she likely would have headed overseas.

"But everything happens for a reason," she said. "Who's to say I would have gone over there and not gotten hurt my first game and had to come back? I'm very happy to have this opportunity. I'm extremely blessed to be a head coach right off the bat."

She replaces Rick Laemmle, who stepped down after posting an 8-19 record in his only season.

Reid is a 2008 graduate of Fern Creek, where she finished her career with 2,666 points and 1,558 rebounds. She was a first-team All-State pick by The Courier-Journal as a junior and senior.

She spent five seasons at U of L, missing most of the 2011-12 campaign with a knee injury and earning a redshirt season in 2012-13. She said her time watching from the bench while injured helped her learn the game.

"Organization-wise, I feel like I'll be ready for that," Reid said. "If you can play for Coach (Jeff) Walz for five years, you can do anything. ... Of course there will be some nerves, but I'm ready."

Asked if her coaching style might mimic Walz's, Reid couldn't help but make a joke.

"I can't scare off the kids just yet," she said with a laugh. "Definitely, when it comes to X's and O's, he's the best. ... He has a good personality and can be a goofy guy. I think I have a little bit of both sides in me."

Reid said she's working on her master's degree and will serve as a substitute teacher at Fern Creek.

Athletic director Troy Johnson said he had no hesitation in hiring Reid as a head coach right out of college.

"I have total faith in her," he said. "She connects with our kids. She's lived in these neighborhoods and knows what it's about. Sometimes you hire a coach who has no clue about our school. She does."

http://www.usatodayhss.com/louisville/ar...3307260095