Reyna Frost making impact in new way for Chippewas with NCAA Tournament approaching
Senior forward Reyna Frost drives to the basket on March 15, 2019 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Reyna Frost jumped, raised her arms and grabbed three consecutive offensive rebounds.
No, those boards won't count towards her career total -- a Mid-American Conference career-best 1,526. Frost played her last game for the Chippewas in 2019, a one-point loss to Michigan State in the Chippewas' last appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
But CMU is back in the Big Dance, and Frost is right there with it. This time, however, she's an assistant coach on Heather Oesterle's staff.
The recent dominant sequence, one familiar to Chippewa fans who watched her play, came in a recent practice with the Chippewas preparing for their First Round opponent, Iowa.
In addition to being an assistant, Frost is also a practice player, trainer and scout.
"I would say out of anybody that’s trying to get into the coaching business, she’s had gotten the best experience out of anybody this year," Oesterle said.
Frost, a Reese native, has the official title of director of player development. She joined the staff after one season in Italy, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With her new role comes many responsibilities, all of which she's tackled.
"I mean, she has gotten experience in everything," Oesterle said.
In preparation for Iowa, which has a high-volume scorer in Caitlin Clark and a physical big in Monika Czinano, Oesterle turned to Frost and student manager Jerrod McCullen to provide the starters with a look in practice. McCullen, a Dewitt sophomore, played the role of Clark while Frost provided the look of Czinano.
"We have those pieces, those practice players to where we can emulate (Iowa) a little bit," Oesterle said.
Senior guard Micaela Kelly, who played two seasons with Frost, was quick to point out the current starters beat the scout team led by Frost and McCullen in a recent practice. However, Kelly said Frost still has that diverse skill set.
When Kelly and Frost played together, along with CMU all-time leading scorer Presley Hudson, the Chippewas made two NCAA Tournament appearances. In Kelly's freshman season, Hudson and Frost's junior campaign, CMU made a magical run to the Sweet 16.
And now, they're working together to make another. While they're still on the same team, Frost is helping out in different ways. According to Kelly, Frost still has the diverse skill set that made her special during her playing days.
"Reyna definitely hasn’t lost it," Kelly said. "She’s still got the hook, she can still shoot the three, she’s still explosive and one of the best rebounders we’ve ever had."
Frost has had a profound impact on many of the players who currently play for the Chippewas. Six of the eight active Chippewas were a part of the Sweet 16 run, while redshirt sophomore Anika Weekes was around for Frost's senior season.
On the floor, she was a leader by example -- diving for loose balls, hitting clutch shots and grabbing every single rebound. Now, she's teaching -- sharing experiences and thoughts.
Because, as Kelly summed it up best, Frost has been there before.
"Playing with her and switching roles as a coach, it still feels the same because Reyna was a leader as a player and as my teammate," Kelly said. "So regardless, she helps me. She understands me because she’s been in my shoes before. So regardless, she’s a coach at an age of a player."
