The Herald’s 2025-26 Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Reed Nagel
Published 5:15 pm Monday, March 23, 2026
Few high school players can maintain a high level of efficiency when their usage rises to team-high levels.
Taking the “right” shot and getting teammates involved consistently when a player has a sizable scoring burden can feel impossible, but Reed Nagel made it seem elementary for the Glacier Peak boys basketball team this season.
Look no further than his performance in the state tournament, where the senior guard made the play of the day in the Round of 12.
With the Grizzlies clinging to a six-point advantage and the third-quarter clock dwindling, Nagel drew a foul and hit a reverse layup off the ensuing baseline inbounds play. Sensing the urgency of Woodinville to get the ball up the floor in a hurry, Nagel sprung a trap and picked off a ball on the left sideline. He hoisted a last-second shot at the buzzer, which fell to push the lead to 11.
“We (went from) up six to up 11 in two or three seconds,” Grizzlies coach Brian Hunter said. “At the high-school level, I mean, that’s the difference between winning and losing a game like that.”
That kind of sense for the game can only come with reps. Those are in no shortage for the 6-foot-1 Nagel.
“I don’t even know when I don’t play basketball,” Nagel, who spent his previous offseason playing AAU ball with Hooptown Elite out of Spokane, said. “I just love it so much that I pick up on little things… It just all comes natural.”
The senior point guard averaged 16 points and dished out 6.5 assists while shooting a dizzying 46% on his 3s and 55% on his 2s. Nagel also pulled down five rebounds per game, evolving his game after the Grizzlies graduated all-area star Jo Lee before the season.
Nagel was named to the 4A all-state tournament team and the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association (WIBCA) all-state team as local coaches and media got a chance to see the senior shine in his own right.
For his ability to impact winning at a high level through an efficient brand of basketball, Reed Nagel has been named The Herald’s 2025-26 All-Area Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
Hunter, who has ushered in an era of winning since the school’s founding in 2008, was confident in Nagel’s top-level ability from day one.
“We knew that we had a guy that was probably overshadowed a little bit the two previous seasons because of what (Lee) was doing. But we knew that we had a guy that was really respected by his teammates,” Hunter said. “(Nagel) had been through all the struggles and all of the difficult moments that you can look back on and pull from for when you need them later.”
Indeed, Nagel started his high school career playing 20 games for GP’s junior varsity squad while Hunter spent the season on sabbatical.
What stood out to Nagel, who was technically playing up to the JV team instead of the C team, was how “connected” the team was. Knowing each other’s tendencies and building bonds became a central part of his approach as a floor general early on.
After a strong shift with the second squad in his freshman year and after Hunter returned, he saw a guard he could work with.
Hunter spent time with Nagel in the summer leading up to his sophomore year and noticed the young guard wasn’t afraid of the pressure of stepping up to varsity. With an obvious affinity for passing the ball, Hunter trusted Nagel to fill a key spot at the point for Glacier Peak.
Having a trusted point guard meant Lee could slot into his true two-guard position for his junior season. He responded with a school-record-setting scoring season, including a 49-point game.
“They came along at the right time for each other, truthfully,” Hunter said of the duo.
Off the court, Nagel learned how the varsity guys would bond — by just having fun.
“(Lee) and Isaiah Cueller, they’d always have the speak in the back (of the van), and they’d be singing,” Nagel said.
Indeed, road trips became concerts for the Grizzlies, and Nagel didn’t hesitate to jump in.
“Reed is a fearless singer, but it is not necessarily at the highest level,” Hunter said with a laugh. “It’s one of my favorite things about him, to be honest. When we’re in the van, and his song comes on, he’s gonna bring it.”
Nagel’s song?
“Love” by Keyshia Cole.
With Lee and Cueller having moved on, Nagel preserved the tradition well into his senior season.
“Singing your heart out… it’s a different type of bond when no one judges you,” Nagel said.
The closely bonded team went to the state semis twice with Lee and Nagel running the show, dominating the Wesco 4A league with relative ease. In the state tournament, Hunter saw Nagel grow to meet the moment as GP matched its furthest finish in Tacoma with back-to-back semifinal appearances and a 2025 District 1/2 title.
With Lee out of the picture heading into 2025, Hunter began to prep Nagel for a more involved senior season. Lee was a vocal figure in the locker room and the team’s go-to scoring option, while Nagel has a quieter nature and looks to involve his teammates first despite his lethal jump shot.
As the 2025-26 season got underway, Hunter found that he had to remind Nagel of his scoring abilities and “prod” the guard to impact games on his own early in the year.
Nagel appreciated the encouragement.
“Sometimes I get in my head too much, but then I kind of got to realize who I am, because I feel like I can take over at any point,” Nagel said.
He paid off the belief with what turned out to be a season-high 32 points against Snohomish in December as the Grizzlies began to roll.
And roll.
And roll.
Glacier Peak won its first 21 games, overcoming a 52-50 game against Lake Stevens early in the conference slate and a 69-64 game against West Valley in Yakima.
As the season progressed, new stars emerged as the Grizzlies fully leaned into Hunter and Nagel’s brand of selfless basketball. Junior Edison Kan finished the season near the top of Wesco 4A MVP voting by averaging a team-high 18 points, while contributors like Paulos Mulugeta and Zachary Albright took turns lighting up the scoresheet for the Grizzlies.
“We had so many players that can lead us in scoring every night, and it didn’t have to be one player,” Nagel said. “In the past, it was pretty much always (Lee) that led us in scoring, and this year it was multiple kids.”
The team’s efficiency was off the charts, and Nagel’s numbers were a microcosm of the team-wide trend. Nagel hitting nearly half of his shots from 3-point land was never a coincidence for Hunter.
“He does not shoot bad shots; he does not make bad decisions. He’s the guy we wanted to have the ball in his hands as much as possible,” Hunter said.
The Grizzlies entered the state tournament trying to accomplish something they hadn’t in program history: place for a third straight season.
An opening loss to defending champion Gonzaga Prep set Glacier Peak on a tougher path back to the semifinals. The team responded with an efficient showing against Woodinville as Mulugeta led the balanced performance with 20 points, while Nagel fed Albright consistently in the paint to open up the rest of the court.
Nagel’s five points in three seconds created the separation necessary to ensure a 57-38 win for the No. 4 seed and a rematch with a No. 3 Lake Washington squad that had beaten the Grizzlies in the district tournament.
The game didn’t go as planned for GP, as Nagel scored 20 points and dished out seven assists in a 49-46 loss that came down to a final shot from the corner. Nagel scored off the bounce a few times, trying to will his team forward in the loss.
Still, Hunter was pleased with what his team showed in Tacoma, as Nagel and co. rallied to beat West Valley in the consolation bracket to place sixth and bring home hardware for a third straight season.
Nagel, as usual, had his teammates on his mind as his high-school career came to a close.
“It was also a very hard 4A tournament — there’s a lot of good teams. So I feel like, for the culture of GP, I feel like (the tournament) went well because a lot of kids that don’t usually get on the court got on,” Nagel said.
Although collegiate recruiting started to pick up noticeably after Nagel’s individual performances at the state tournament, he’s yet to commit anywhere. Nagel said he’d like to study finance in college and has a strong desire to keep playing at the next level.
Hunter has a simple pitch for any interested parties.
“I told him many times, I wouldn’t have traded him for any guard in the state… I think he’s that good. He’s a great guy to lead your program.”
