Experienced Brandywine boys basketball focused on finishing what they started last year

NILES – Hanging on the wall behind one of the baskets inside the gym at Brandywine is eight banners displaying the seniors on the Bobcats 2023-24 boys basketball team.

That’s a lot for a roster of 11, especially given what Brandywine achieved a season ago.

Returning four starters from a team that made it to the final four of the MHSAA Division 3 state tournament, the Bobcats are hungry to return to the Breslin Center on Michigan State’s campus and finish the job this time around. The journey back to East Lansing began with a 56-43 win over crosstown rival Niles Tuesday night.

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“It feels good to get this win, especially coming back from last year,” Brandywine senior Jaremiah Palmer said. “We’ve got a big target on our backs. Everyone wants to come in here and kill us, talk trash to us and get in our heads. But we stayed solid and played our game: fast, and under control.”

Expectations are raised for Brandywine after going 25-3 last season, winning the program’s first regional championship and state quarterfinal game. It was a talented team that entered the year without that major tournament experience.

They have that now, which only increases the target on the back of the Bobcats.

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“I’ve been the bad guy at times because I push them,” Brandywine coach Nathan Knapp said with a chuckle. “They’re a great group of kids. They’re always in the gym. They want to work, but there are times where I’m like, ‘You guys aren’t working hard enough.’ Everybody wants to beat them.”

With raised expectations comes more pressure. Knapp has felt that in the practices leading up to the start of the season, which has brought out the intensity in everyone.

“Every day, we do a fundamental defensive drill in practice, and it’s a war,” Knapp said. “It’s a dogfight. These kids get at it. You can only do it for about three minutes before it’s like, ‘Alright, let’s go on to the next thing.’ They’re crazy. They get after it, and they want it.”

It’s been a total team effort to improve this offseason, according to Palmer.

“We’ve got the young guys coming up, pushing us and making us better,” Palmer said. “We’ve got the five seniors back from last year pushing each other to make everyone better too. It’s good because I’m used to playing with all of these people, whether in high school, at the park, at the ‘Y.’”

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Tuesday saw everyone do a little bit of everything for Brandywine. They played a nearly flawless first 10 minutes, building the lead to 24-6 early in the second quarter. A relentless defensive effort forced several Niles turnovers, something the Bobcats pride themselves on.

“Every time we walk into practice, coach talks about how defense wins games, defense will get you buckets,” Palmer said. “He’s not really worried about offense because defense will get you into it. We’ve got to work hard on that if we really want to score a lot of points.”

Every time the Vikings threatened to get close, Brandywine had a response. With the lead cut to 10 early in the third quarter, the Bobcats scored on back-to-back possessions from seniors Byron Linley and Robert Whiting. A 7-2 burst in the final two minutes of the period extended their lead to a game-high 19 going into the fourth.

Eight different players scored for the Bobcats Tuesday, led by Linley’s 17 points and Jaremiah Palmer’s 13. It’s a balance few teams possess, helping Brandywine be one of the top teams in Division 3 heading into the year.

“I teach them that it’s one game at a time. We have Coloma next,” said Knapp on handling the increased expectations for his team. “And for them, they really want to get back to the Breslin Center and win it. I’m trying to keep them humble and keep their focus. You can’t look ahead and slip up. We’ve got Coloma next, and that’s all we’re looking at.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Brandywine boys basketball focused on finishing what they started last year