As head coach at Northridge for the past 21 seasons, Will Rey has established a standard of basketball excellence with the Knights. Despite usually competing against schools with larger enrollments, the Knights have compiled an overall record of 420-188 (.691) and a stellar conference record of 190-46 (.805) since Coach Rey arrived in 2004. Overall, he has amassed 485 wins as a high school head coach and is nearing the 500-win milestone.
Moreover, Northridge teams have captured eight IHSA 2A Regional Championships during Coach Rey's tenure, including a school-record trifecta in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The 2019-20 team's 27-7 overall tally set a school record for wins in a season, while the 2008-09 team compiled a school-best 15 consecutive victories and achieved a "Sweet 16" finish in the Illinois Class 2A high school tournament. The Knights made their second "Sweet 16" state tournament appearance during the 2014-15 season. In 2017-18 and 2022-23, the Knights secured an undefeated conference championship (12-0), marking a first for the school.
Under Coach Rey's experienced leadership, the Knights have won seven conference championships, secured seven conference second-place finishes, and claimed six large-school holiday tournament titles. The 2011-12 team finished undefeated at home (13-0) for the first time in school history. The veteran coach received IBCA District Coach-of-the-Year Awards in 2009, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023; he was named conference Coach-of-the-Year in 2007, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2025.
In January 2021, the Chicago Sun-Times identified Northridge as one of the top 50 winningest high school basketball programs in the Chicago area over the previous decade. Northridge was ranked as the area's 31st winningest program, boasting an impressive record of 206-86 (.705).Â
Before arriving at Northridge, Coach Rey spent 19 years coaching college basketball. In 1985, he joined Jim Crews at the University of Evansville, where he helped the Purple Aces win two conference championships, reach the second round in both the Division I NCAA and NIT tournaments, compile a 35-game home winning streak, and achieve a Top-25 national ranking! At Evansville, Coach Rey contributed to the recruitment and development of two of the nation's leading scorers: Marty Simmons (Utah Jazz and current head coach of Eastern Illinois University) and Scott Haffner (NBA Heat and Hornets). He also recruited and coached Dan Godfread (NBA Timberwolves and Rockets).
In 1989, Loyola University Chicago called on Coach Rey to return home and revitalize their program. As head coach, the Ramblers defeated national programs such as Notre Dame, Purdue, Wisconsin, Butler, Dayton, Northwestern, and St. Louis during his five years. After Loyola, he coached at Saint Mary's University and assisted current Pepperdine University head coach Ed Schilling at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. During Coach Rey's tenure at Wright State, the Raiders achieved back-to-back seasons with 18 and 17 wins, highlighted by upset victories over the 8th-ranked and eventual NCAA Champion Michigan State, along with a thrilling overtime win against the 20th-ranked and undefeated Butler Bulldogs at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
From 1977 to 1985, before transitioning to collegiate coaching, Coach Rey coached basketball at three high schools in the Chicago area: Gordon Tech (now DePaul Prep), Crete-Monee, and Fenwick. As an assistant to long-time NBA coach Bob Ociepka at Gordon Tech, the Rams made one IHSA 2A "Elite 8" appearance and two "Sweet 16" appearances. Coach Rey also led the lower-level Rams to an overall record of 53-13 (.803), two Chicago Catholic League Championships, and one second-place finish.
Coach Rey received the highest honor available to an Illinois high school basketball coach when the IBCA inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2015. Two years later, in 2017, the Chicago Catholic League also inducted him into its Hall of Fame. As a lecturer and instructor at the nationally renowned Five-Star Basketball Camp for 30 years, Coach Rey was also inducted into the Five-Star Basketball Hall of Fame alongside coaches and players such as Bob Knight, Chuck Daly, Hubie Brown, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Christian Laettner, and Patrick Ewing. In February 2010, Coach Rey received Sports Faith International's Lifetime Coaching Achievement Award.
A passionate educator, Coach Rey has produced 13 instructional DVDs for basketball coaches and players, sold worldwide by three of the nation's leading producers of coaching education resources: Championship Productions, Breakthrough Basketball, and Sysko's. Additionally, he has spoken at numerous basketball coaches' clinics and seminars across the country, including the highly regarded PGC/Glazier Clinics, Medalist Basketball Clinics, and state association coaches' conferences in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. Coach Rey frequently appears on national coaching podcasts and "Morning Air with John Morales" on Relevant Radio, where he shares his philosophy on Coaching4Character. This approach uses competitive athletic team experiences to help student-athletes grow in virtue and character.
In addition to serving as the Head Varsity Basketball Coach at Northridge, Coach Rey has held multiple leadership roles, including Athletic Director, faculty member in the Theology Department, student adviser, and a member of the school's Administrative Council. Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Chicago, he earned a bachelor's degree from Northeastern Illinois University and a master's degree from Concordia University Chicago. He and his first wife, Diane, who is no longer with us, raised three children and are blessed with eight grandchildren. Coach Rey and his new wife, Susan, reside just a few minutes from the Northridge campus.
