Sharpshooter Seebold Emerges as Scots’ Top Threat
Reilly Seebold could have been the next in line to carry on his family’s lacrosse legacy. Then he started scoring on a different type of net.
Seebold has emerged as the top scorer for the Highland Park basketball team, and the sharpshooting senior has the Scots on the verge of another playoff run.
(ABOVE: Reilly Seebold is the leading scorer for Highland Park this season, due in large part to his three-point shooting prowess. Photos by Chris McGathey)
The perimeter specialist has shattered the school record for 3-pointers in a season, averaging almost five per game, while connecting on nearly 40 percent of his attempts. He has led the Scots in scoring in most games this season, his first as a full-time starter.
Seebold said the outburst is simply the result of opportunity. After playing behind more experienced guards for the past two years, he’s now a team captain.
“I’ve always been capable. It was just about taking advantage of it,” Seebold said. “I’ve been able to play freely and with a lot of minutes.”
Some shooters, when they miss a few in a row, it rattles their confidence, but he’s got that short memory that good shooters have. -David Piehler
Seebold’s older brother, Owen, is a sophomore lacrosse player at Syracuse University, where his father, Bob, was a key member of the school’s national championship team in 1983.
Reilly Seebold also grew up playing lacrosse but changed gears after joining a basketball team with some of his friends in fourth grade. “My love for basketball wound up overtaking that,” he said.
Seebold debuted on the HP varsity team as a sophomore, when the Scots advanced to the Class 5A Region II semifinals. Last season, he started a handful of games and scored 26 points during a road win over Wylie East.
“He showed glimpses last year of getting hot in a game. This year, he’s our top threat from the outside,” said HP head coach David Piehler. “He has the green light. He’s earned it.”
This year, Seebold is one of the most prolific outside shooters in the Dallas area. And he doesn’t mind when people try to dismiss him as a one-dimensional player. At least they’re saluting his game.
“I think it’s a compliment even if people don’t mean it as a compliment,” Seebold said. “It’s definitely the way I get recognized. I love the 3.”
Piehler attributes part of Seebold’s success to a classic shooter’s mentality, and the ability to help the team in other ways during a rare off-night.
“Some shooters, when they miss a few in a row, it rattles their confidence, but he’s got that short memory that good shooters have,” Piehler said. “He’s become more well-rounded. He’s improved his overall game. But his shot has gotten better, too.”
