Nation's leading boys basketball scorer Bjorn Broman is finishing with a flurry
Bjorn Broman 74 point game (Every Point) Video: Bjorn Broman scores 74 points
Every make in the Lakeview Christian Academy senior's huge performance
There's so much about the nation's leading basketball scorer Bjorn Broman that just doesn't add up.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Chiu
Bjorn Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy
His size — He stands 5-foot-11, plays below the rim and can't dunk a basketball. "A dunk only counts for two points and a 3-pointer counts for three," he said.
His disposition — Gregarious and outgoing, the senior guard loves the spotlight and sharing it with others. "Honestly, I'd rather pass off for a basket than make one," he said.
His name — Named after tennis great Bjorn Borg, the Winthrop University-bound senior is as blonde and Swedish as they come. His dad John was an Olympic ski jumper and Bjorn's siblings are named Anna and Anders. "I don't know of any other college basketball players named Bjorn," Broman said, laughing.
What does add up about Broman are his record-breaking numbers and how he went about attaining them.
Those digits are piling up by the bushel for the Lakeview Christian Academy (Duluth, Minn.) senior. At 49.5 points per game, he is punctuating an illustrious career with one of the most prolific seasons ever.
Needs 65 points
He's trying to become just the sixth player in high school history to average at least 50 points per game — the record is 54.0 by Bobby Joe Douglas, of Marion (La.) in 1980.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Chiu
Bjorn Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy
Broman will need at least 65 points in Saturday's Section 7A quarterfinal game with Fond du Lac Ojibwe, to reach the 50-point average. He had 58 against the same team in a 116-92 loss on Feb. 19.
"My goal is just to get us back to the state tournament," Broman said.
He and his brother Anders, a record-breaking scorer himself now at South Dakota State, led the Lions to back-to-back state appearances starting in 2011. Broman said all his records pale in comparison to those days.
"Man, that was a blast," he said. "We had such chemistry. I knew where he was and he knew where I was. We just clicked."
But after Anders graduated, little brother had to beef up — he's now a sturdy and fit 175 pounds — and turn from pass-first point guard to shoot from anywhere and everywhere scorer.
Weight training was key to Broman's to long-range success — "I was getting frustrated getting pushed around as a seventh- and eighth-grader," Broman said — along with endless shooting workouts with his father. Every day Broman gets 300-500 shots up at lunchtime at a local college.
No apologies
Photo courtesy of Andrew Chiu
Bjorn Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy
"We're a small school and don't have those ball machines to pass you the ball," Broman said. "Dad is my machine. He's awesome."
So is Broman, according to first-year Lakeview Christian Academy coach Jeremy Uecker. In every regard. The lad is a perfect example of the school and its faith and all things Godly, Uecker said. But Broman is also an intense competitor and makes no apologies for it.
He's had to be, to first to compete against his brother, then live up to his legacy.
"He's super fit, a lock-down defender and an incredibly smart," said Uecker, no relation to Bob "just a bit outside" Uecker. "He eats and sleeps basketball. His basketball IQ is off the charts."
That's why Uecker, who was former coach Bob Newstrom's assistant for six seasons, gives Broman the green light 32 minutes a game. For all the shots he takes — through 26 games he's taken 794 and made 415, including 195 of 437 on 3-pointers — Uecker said Broman has taken perhaps 10 bad shots all season.
And that's because he's still a dynamic passer, averaging 7.1 assists per game. Besides all that scoring, Broman is approaching the state assist record with 1,214 after 25 games. The state mark is 1,274.
"Everything on me"
"One way or another we're going to get a good look when Bjorn has the ball," Uecker said. "Almost all our points come from either his shot or pass."
Photo courtesy of Andrew Chiu
Bjorn Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy
Which is how Broman likes it. Though unselfish, he makes no qualms about his thirst to be the center of attention.
He was a pitcher on the baseball team and quarterback playing football before giving up both sports after the eighth grade. He's played varsity basketball since the seventh grade.
"I definitely love the feeling of having the ball in my hand," he said. "I like having everything on me. I like that spotlight."
He had it Thursday night when he broke Anders' state single-season scoring record of 1,311 points after going for 37 in an 85-77 win over Carlton. That gave him 1,335 for the season and 4,087 for his career, which is No. 2 in state history, but well back of his brother's record of 5,119.
Last week Broman broke Anders' school single-game record of 71 points with 74 in a 109-100 loss to Marantha Christian Academy (the state record is 90). It was the third-most points ever scored by a player on the a team. The national record is 78.
Broman isn't planning on losing much at Winthrop, which established itself as one of the nation's premier mid-major programs in the late 1990s when it started regular entrance into the NCAA Tournament.
Eight times from 1999-2008, the Eagles earned their way into the dance and in 2007, under Gregg Marshall, they reached the round of 32 and finished No. 22 in the country.
Soaking up Tyus Jones
Photo courtesy of Lynette's Portrait Design
Bjorn Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy
With the help and exposure of playing on AAU power Howard Pulley, Broman also got Division I offers from St. Francis (Penn.) and UMBC. Broman knew the moment he walked on the Winthrop campus in Rock Hill (S.C.), the Eagles were for him.
"Something clicked immediately," he said. "The very first visit. I loved all the coaches, the players, the campus, everything."
Broman has played with and against many of the nation's elite on Pulley, including teammate Tyus Jones, now starring as a true freshman at Duke. Broman played on a younger Pulley team but practiced against Jones regularly.
"I learned a ton from him," he said. "His feel for the pick and roll is one of the best. His hesitation moves – wow. I soaked up everything I could. He's a great person and a real mentor."
With his prep career winding down, Broman said he's feeling a little sentimental.
"It still feels like I'm in the seventh or eighth grade – I can't believe I'm a senior," he said. "It's a little sad. But I'm definitely getting excited for college. I've dreamed of playing college basketball and being part of March Madness since I was a little kid. I can't believe it's almost here."
Bjorn Broman - EYBL Highlight Video 2014 Video: Bjorn Broman's EYBL highlights
The nation's leading scorer plays with the nation's best
