One-on-One: Jeff Brandes

I was in attendance for the Broad Ripple vs. Arlington game last night, in which the Golden Knights bested the Rockets 81-70. The game had a frenetic pace and it was very up-and-down. Ripple tried to mount a valiant comeback at the end, but they came up short. After the game, I spoke to Rockets head coach Jeff Brandes about the game, his team, the future, and a few of his specific players. First, a few game notes, and then, the interview transcript.

* I will have a complete breakdown of freshman Ron Patterson's game when I publish the interview I had with him.

* Sophomore Steven Jamison is a nice player. He's 6'5" and long, and he plays the point. He has a good pull-up game and slashing ability, as well as a decent outside shot. He looks for teammates in transition. He is physically weak and pretty skinny, so he must add strength. Coach Brandes had some nice things to say about him. Jamison had fifteen.

* Junior Howard Stevenson is a scorer. He has very weak handles as of right now, but if you put him in a position to catch-and-shoot or to take 1-2 dribbles and pull up, he is money. He had several nice makes, finishing with 15 points, before severe cramping in his calf took him out of the game. He reentered, but his effectiveness was limited with the injury.

* Arlington senior guard Phillip Freeman is a very nice player with D1 potential. I talked to some Arlington adults/workers, and they are hoping he can get his grades and test scores in order so that he will not have to take the JUCO route. He finished with twenty points and like Stevenson, left periodically with cramping in his calf.

* Arlington's James Sharp lived up to his last name as a "sharpshooter." He had four big treys, a few coming a pivotal moments, and he finished with twenty as well.

* Two quick player notes from other games. In case you hadn't heard, Lafayette junior guard Jesse Berry had another huge scoring game last night, going for 55 points on the road at Fishers in a win for the Bronchos, who really needed one. Also, Covenant Christian Butler-bound senior Andrew Smith made his return to the court last night from injury, and had 25 points and 20 rebounds in a loss to Indianapolis Washington.

Now here is the transcript with Coach Brandes:

P-Hoops - Coach, thanks for giving me a minute of your time. Tough loss for you guys. What was the difference for Arlington tonight?

Jeff Brandes - Maturity. Their senior leadership versus our senior leadership. Our coaches will be having a discussion about that....

PH - IPSCA is really competitive this year. Do you see that as a continuing trend?

JB - I think so. Busing has always made it difficult. But I think it's changing. I mean, when you look at it, guys from the past like JuJuan Johnson (Purdue) and Devan Dumes (IU) should have played at Broad Ripple. I think that will change because IPS coaches are putting in more work now. We are putting in more time, doing the summer work.

PH - You have a lot of young talent with guys like Jamison and Patterson. Do you look forward to the future?

JB - Definitely. Of course. If you saw the end of the game, we had three sophomores and one freshman on the floor with one sophomore already fouled out. That is the future. And if you noticed, the young guys didn't quit. Ron (Patterson), was still going for steals all the way until the end.

PH - Speaking of Ron, he's a young kid that's pretty new on the scene. For those who haven't seen him, can you describe his game?

JB - He's real athletic. He has a great midrange shot. His three point shot and ball handling have to get better and they'll improve. And he's a very smart player. He makes smart decisions on the floor.

PH - Saw Tom Crean is here tonight. What's it like for the kids to play in front of D1 coaches?

JB - It's neat for the guys. I mean, they see it. Also, Steve Jamison is definitely D1. He's D1 also.

PH - Last question: One of your former players, Robert Goff, is at JUCO right now. Have you talked with him recently, and what's his future look like?

JB - He was here over the summer and over break. His team is top five in the country. He obviously has another year out there. I hear he is talking to IU, West Virginia, Purdue, and then the schools out there, Kansas and Kansas State.

PH - Thanks, Coach. Appreciate your time.

JB - No problem.