One junior on the men’s basketball team, Craig Bryant, is focused only on basketball and playing the game.
Bryant plays as a guard or forward for the grenadiers.
“I play anything we need at the time.” Bryant said.
He graduated from New Albany High School in 2006. He had a few other offers besides IU Southeast but decided to play for a school close to home.
Bryant has lived in New Albany, Ind., all his life and family is important to him.
“I wanted to see my family more than just Christmas and Thanksgiving,” Bryant said. “[New Albany] is my home.”
Bryant said he was majoring in Business but leaning towards finance.
“After college I hope to play basketball professionally overseas if possible,” Bryant said.
“If not I can see myself working in a bank.”
When Bryant first started to play basketball as a freshman at IU Southeast he said it was a little overwhelming trying to handle classes and basketball, but has gotten use to the schedule.
“It’s not so bad,” Bryant said. “I got into the groove of it.”
During the basketball season Bryant doesn’t have much time to join other groups or activities on campus because it’s so demanding, but when he has time he likes to hang out with his friends, teammates, play video games and listen to music.
“During the summer I worked at FedEx, but it’s too demanding to juggle that in too,” Bryant said.
One of Bryant’s teammates, DeJon Gary, a junior guard, said that from the beginning they got along right off the bat.
“He brings leadership to the team and he sparkle offensively,” Gary said.
Another teammate, Carlos Mitchell, junior guard, said he had first met Bryant playing on an Amateur Athletic Union team during middle school.
“We stayed at the same hotel and I told him about IUS,” Mitchell said. “Come to find out we both signed at IUS.”
Since Bryant’s freshman year he has won some basketball awards. For his sophomore and freshman year he received All Conference and last year he got an honorable mention for All American.
Bryant said he was energized for this basketball season and hopes that more people come to watch the men’s basketball team play.
“This year we have an exciting style,” Bryant said.
“We hope with the dorms it will be more of a college atmosphere at games.”
By MARY LYONS
Staff Writer
marlyons@ius.edu