By Adam Lignell
Men’s basketball player Chris Brasher made leader despite injuries
A men’s basketball player has led the Cavaliers for a solid season despite several injuries and obstacles. Chris Brasher described how he became more involved in basketball over time.
“I just really liked it because it was fun to play,” Brasher said. “As I grew up, it got more and more serious.”
Aside from working hard with his team, Brasher pursues other interests as well.
“I just love hanging out with friends,” Brasher said. “Whatever they want to do is fine by me, just some downtime.”
Brasher wasn’t alone in his pursuit to improve himself on the court.
“My uncle used to coach at UMKC,” Brasher said. “Every morning before school I’d get up at 6 a.m. and do workouts, so that was a big help.”
Aside from improving his skills as a team leader and player before he transfers, being a great basketball player isn’t Brasher’s only goal.
“I’m trying to get a 3.0 [GPA] so I can go to Western Kentucky next semester,” Brasher said. “I’m focusing on my grades so I can go there and play there next year.”
Coach Mike Jeffers explained why he thought Brasher was such a big part of this season’s success.
“When we lost Brasher in mid-January, it took us a good three to four weeks to readjust different players in different roles,” Jeffers said. “We got comfortable and confident.”
Jeffers was glad to have Brasher understand the team better this season, even after undergoing ACL injuries the past few years.
“He’s been injured three straight years now,” Jeffers said. “It’s unbelievable what he’s gone through to try to keep playing college basketball.”
According to Jeffers, Brasher certainly fit the role of a leader, which developed over his three years of effort with the team.
“Our best leaders have been players that have been red-shirted because of academics or most of the time by injury,” Jeffers said. “They’ve got a better grasp of what’s going on.”
Brasher’s close friend and teammate Nick Boehler said he was going in a better direction after learning a lot in his first year playing.
“This year was a lot more fun,” Boehler said. “This team felt more like a family, we had really good chemistry.”
On the court, Boehler recalled a couple events that really stuck out during the season.
“It was more memorable beating [KCK] there,” Boehler said. “We knew we needed a big win to propel us and get things started.”
Brasher and Boehler said their team is looking for new managers for next season, and more audience members per game.
Contact Adam Lignell, staff reporter, at alignell@jccc.edu.