Inglemoor senior averaging 15.7 points a game

Inglemoor High senior Benji Bryant has been around the game of basketball even before he learned to talk.

“My parents said I started dribbling a basketball at 18 months,” Bryant recalled. “It’s pretty much been my whole life.”

A family affair

Growing up in a family with three brothers, the competitive Bryant sought to challenge himself as a youngster. He played against his older brother, C.J., three years his senior and the person Bryant said was most influential in his involvement with the sport, and his group of friends.

After learning how to keep up with kids much bigger and taller than he was, Bryant started playing for Inglemoor’s excellent feeder system, the Viking Select program, when he was 9 years old. Another scrappy kid by the name of Todd Campbell joined him and went on to achieve a bit of prominence as a three-sport star for the Vikings.

Playing with a current teammate of his for the last eight years, according to Bryant, has been key to their on-court communication.

“Me and Campbell have been playing together since the fifth grade,” Bryant said. “I think it really helps with the chemistry. I know what Todd’s going to do before he even does it.”

Longtime Inglemoor head coach Greg Lowell has watched Bryant, an honorable mention for the 4A Kingco all-league team last year, develop into the complete player he is today. He’s always an offensive threat with the range and quickness to defend anybody in the league.

“He’s an excellent leader with three years of varsity experience,” said the 14-year Viking coach. “He’s been a real clutch player for us … and Benji’s a really calm kid, which helps his shooting. Offensively, he’s put together quite a few good games.”

A solid season

A three-year varsity player, Bryant is finally getting a chance to shine as a starter for the Viks after mostly coming off the bench last season.

The pure shooter is averaging 15.7 points per game, good for sixth in the league. He has come up with a number of clutch shots, but perhaps none better than his buzzer-beater 3-pointer to give the Viks a 46-44 victory over Bothell.

“We were down one point, so we wanted to get to the basket, but as soon as I came off the screen everyone just sagged off,” Bryant remembered. “I just pulled it back and let it go.”

Bryant’s game-winner was sweet revenge for Inglemoor, which lost to the Cougars at home earlier in the year.

The Vikings are quietly having a solid year, at 7-3, and all of their losses have been by five points or less. Often the catalyst behind his team’s offensive attack, Bryant feels confident that his team will be able to make a deep postseason run this year.

“We’re just trying to keep stepping it up until the (4A Kingco) tournament, because that’s when we want to peak,” Bryant said. “We need to get everyone more involved — get our other guys to become a little more active offensively and get everyone on the same page.”

Coach Lowell likes the looks of his squad so far, but he agrees that improvement is needed for the Vikings to have a serious shot at doing well in March.

“These games are really important now that we’re in the middle of January,” he said. “We’re going to have to step up our defense better, and be more consistent offensively.”

Lowell added that foremost on his to-do list is to cut down on turnovers and have his kids stay healthy.

“The league is so balanced this year, we just have to find ways to win.”

Student-athlete

Even with the amount of time he dedicates to his basketball game, Bryant has excelled in the classroom, as well as on the hardwood.

The senior has the distinction of earning a full academic scholarship to the University of Arizona, where he will likely play hoops for the Wildcats and study sports management. He made a recent trip to the school’s Phoenix campus and was impressed with its business school.

“That’s probably where I’m leaning towards right now,” said Bryant on his future plans to attend the U of A. “I’d like to do something and stay in sports … I think it’d be pretty cool to do something on the business side.”

Whether it’s managing his team’s plays during a 4A Kingco league game or managing a basketball team, chances are No. 11 will be successful in any endeavor he undertakes.