Al Reed grew up in South Minneapolis where he developed the passion for basketball. He was an exceptional player who competed all four years at Minneapolis Washburn High school and went on to play briefly at the collegiate level. 

Soon after he began coaching and training underserved youth at a local rec center, which began as a hobby, but sparked his desire to affect the game outside the lines. He continued to coach in the AAU environment for more than 15 years. specializing in teaching the fundamentals of the game, and helping athletes with lesser abilities compete with superior talent. He later accepted a varsity assistant role while also coaching 9th grade, and Junior Varsity at Minneapolis Southwest High School. In his first year, he led his team to a historic 23-3 record and represented Minneapolis at the Twin Cities Championship game.

His unique perspective as a high level athlete, coach and trainer empowers him to relate to athletes on all levels. As a player, he understands the importance of preperation and mental toughness needed to perform. The coaching perspective enables him to provide insight on how to be a great team player while using thier abilities to thrive individually. As a trainer, he understands which skills are needed to be a well rounded player, and how/when to use those skills to be effective in a game environment.