News you can use

Big Day in Box Elder: Brandon The Boy continues his hoops dream at RMC

BOX ELDER — It has been known for some time that Box Elder's Brandon The Boy would play college basketball — the question was where. Now, that question, has finally been answered.

The Boy, who is a three-time Class C All-State selection, signed his NAIA national letter of intent Wednesday, at a signing ceremony inside the gymnasium of the Box Elder high school, to play for Rocky Mountain College of the Frontier Conference.

“It feels really great,” The Boy said. “I just feel blessed to have the opportunity to keep my dream alive and to keep my basketball career going. The hard work paid off, and it’s the start of some more hard work. There is always something I have to keep bringing.”

The Boy, who helped lead the Bears to a Class C state title in 2014 and once again this past season, averaged nearly 25 points per game during his team’s run to the championship and was named the MVP of the state tournament.

The Boy, who had interest from other schools in the Frontier, said he elected to sign with the Battlin’ Bears of Rocky simply because they proved they wanted him the most.

“They really wanted me,” The Boy said. “I spent a lot of time alone thinking about it, but they wanted me and actually wanted me, on and off the court. It’s a place where I feel like I belong. Coach (Bill) Dreikonsen is a really good guy, and I am looking forward to the experience at Rocky Mountain College. I am just anxious to get there and to start working hard.”

“Brandon is definitely a winner in a lot of phases, not just in basketball, but in life,” Dreikosen said. “He has been successful on the court, but he has also been successful in school and those are the kinds of people that we want in our program.”

The Boy, who was an All-State quarterback as well for Box Elder, will bring a number of things to the Bears’ program, but above all else, he’s a tremendous point guard, which is one of the things that made him attractive to Rocky.

“Anyone who has played the game as much as he has, is going to come out on the positive end,” Dreikosen said. “We are looking forward to having him be part of our program. He understands the game well, he shoots the ball extremely well. I like that aspect of his game. A lot of guys like to shoot the ball a lot, but he makes it. He’s a good leader and he’s a good point guard.”

The jump from Class C to the Frontier is always a difficult one for players to make, but Dreikosen was optimistic about The Boy’s chances to become a solid contributor in the highly-competitive league.

“I hope for a good future for him. I always tell kids if they work hard enough and long enough and their ability warrants it, they will get where they want to go,” Dreikosen said. “I think that we know there are some things we need to work on with him. We need to get him stronger, but that’s like anyone that comes from high school. It’s going to be exciting to get him up there and get him working out with our guys on a daily basis, that will help him a lot. We think he can bring a lot to our program from a point-guard perspective.”

The Boy, who has not yet decided what he is going to study, while attending RMC, said the most important thing to him, was completing his education and finding a way to give back to his community.

“I am still debating on whether I want to be a (P.E.) teacher or an athletic trainer, but my main goal, when I go to college, is to help this community and help kids make it, not just in college or in basketball, but in life,” The Boy said. “Basketball is a tool and I love it, but my main goal is to come back and coach and help kids make it in life. We need that around here and I am looking forward to that.”

 

Reader Comments(0)