LYNN — After helping lead the Lynn Classical boys basketball team to a 17-3 regular-season record and a trip to the Division 3 Final 4, DJ Reynolds is ready for his next stop: Bridgewater State University.

The combo guard will play basketball for the Bears this winter, and he has been putting in the work all summer to prepare for the jump to the collegiate level.

“It’s been good getting back into the gym. I’ve been trying to play as much basketball as I can at all times,” Reynolds said. “I feel like the more work you put in with different players and at different levels, it just helps you become a better player and gets me ready for the next level.”

There have been plenty of summer tournaments and showcases across the North Shore, and Reynolds has made his presence felt, including hitting a game-winning basket in the Taft Rising Stars Challenge.

Despite graduating, Reynolds and his Lynn Classical teammates still play together, just as they have since they were kids.

“Ever since we started playing together in fourth or fifth grade, it’s been fun playing with them. The chemistry’s always been there, and it’ll still be there in the future no matter what path we take,” Reynolds said. “Playing with them every day is a great feeling. We’re just a great team, and we have a great connection. It goes back to coach [Marvin] Avery helping us build that chemistry from freshman year through our senior year, and it showed this season.”

This offseason, Reynolds has focused on his ballhandling and jump shot because he knows he’ll be one of the primary ballhandlers in college.

“During this past basketball season, I was playing the three position and the point guard position. Obviously I’m not the tallest person, so something I’ve been working on over the summer is my ballhandling because I’m going to be more of a guard in college,” Reynolds said. “Between my handles and spot-up shooting, that’s been the primary focus for me this offseason.”

Working hard in the offseason is nothing new for Reynolds. He credits Avery and his teammates with pushing him each summer to improve, and he has been reaping the rewards of long summers filled with conditioning and workouts.

“Every year coach Avery always challenged me in a different aspect of my game. He kept having me guard different positions and different types of players. My teammates know I’m a great defender, but they would push me the most to guard the best player most of the time and push me to be the best player I can be,” Reynolds said. “During the offseason, coach Avery had people come in to help us work out, made sure the gym was open for us and used stuff like the shooting machine to make us better.”

Now preparing to play Division 3 basketball, Reynolds is excited for the step up in competition.

“I’m looking forward to the competition,” Reynolds said. “A lot of people have said it’s different going from high school to college because they’re a lot stronger, faster, and I’m just ready to see the transition and see how I can adjust and get up to speed.”

Despite putting in countless hours this summer, Reynolds knows he’ll have to put just as much work into the classroom once school begins. One of the reasons he chose Bridgewater State was because of its academics, in addition to the opportunity to play basketball.

Reynolds plans to major in cybersecurity.

“I visited Bridgewater State and I just knew it was a great school. Between the academics and what I wanted athletically, it was the perfect school for me,” Reynolds said. “I put in a lot of work for it and everything was what I was looking for. The people were great, the environment was great. I think it’s the perfect fit.”