Tommy Bruner’s journey: From Columbia star to college basketball’s leading scorer

The University of Denver basketball team calls on “Tommy Time” when it needs a play late in games.

Denver coach Jeff Wulbrun coined the phrase — similar to “Dame Time” for NBA All-Star Damian Lillard — for veteran player Tommy Bruner’s play in crunch time of games. And Bruner has delivered in big moments this season for the Denver Pioneers.

“He helped lead our program to signature wins this year,” Wulbrun said. “We had multiple games this year that looked out of reach, but somehow some way he wills us back in these games.”

One of those games happened Jan. 24 when Bruner, a Columbia native, scored a school-record 49 points in a 111-110 double-overtime win over South Dakota. Three weeks later, Bruner dropped 41 points as Denver rallied from 20 points down in the second half to defeat North Dakota State, 77-71.

“For them, (Tommy Time) means I am about to take over the game,” Bruner told The State this week. “It doesn’t mean much for me. I just want to win. The end of the game means it is time to win and by any means necessary.”

Those two games are part of a breakout final season for Bruner, who leads Division I men’s basketball in scoring. Denver (15-16) needs to win its conference tournament so Bruner can showcase his skills on the March Madness stage.

The fifth-year senior enters this weekend’s Summit League tournament averaging 24.5 points a game, just ahead of Purdue All-American Zach Edey (24.1). And he’s the only player in Division I with multiple 40-point games this season.

Basketball family roots

Bruner’s journey to the nation’s top scorer has been a long one and involved playing for three high schools and three colleges, with the past two years in Denver.

His basketball journey started well before that as a ball boy for his sister Ashley’s game at the University of South Carolina. He and his brother Jordan watched Ashley’s games at Colonial Life Arena, and the three of them worked out together as much as their schedules permitted.

Ashley was the first to play college basketball and then later overseas, and her brothers followed in the sport. Jordan went on to play at Yale, then Alabama and is playing overseas.

“Even with the age gap, Tommy has always been one of my best friends,” said Ashley, now an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington. “I like to think I started the train of Division One athletes in my family. They came to every home game and watched SEC basketball for four years. … I think that had a major influence on both of them.”

Ashley has been one of her little brother’s biggest fans, staying up late on the East Coast to watch brother’s games and flying out to Denver last week to be a part of senior night.

“He’s my baby brother. I’ve witnessed his greatness since about 11 years old,” Ashley said. “And I’ve seen first-hand everything he has gone through. So, it brings me to tears because he deserves all of the recognition he is getting.”

As an eighth-grader, Tommy Bruner was part of Hammond’s state championship team that included Seventh Woods. He left Hammond and went to play with his brother at Spring Valley the following year, where the Vikings advanced to the Class 4A semifinals.

Bruner finished his high school career at Gray Collegiate, where he was part of back-to-back state championship teams. He had 19 points in the state finals win over Andrew Jackson in 2019.

“He’s a dog, such a competitor and wanting to put his team over the top. Having him with us the last three years have been amazing,” Gray coach Dion Bethea said of Bruner before the 2019 championship.

Bruner signed with USC Upstate out of high school and set the school’s freshman scoring record held by future NBA player Torrey Craig. He spent two years with the Spartans before deciding to transfer to Jacksonville ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Bruner’s lone season in Jacksonville lasted just 13 games when he tore two ligaments in his foot. After the season, he put his name in the transfer portal for the second time in April 2022.

“I think as a big sister, there was a lot I wanted to say. There were pros and cons of the situation,” Ashley Bruner said. “But I wanted what was best for him. I felt as though he knew what he wanted and he was going to get it, no matter what I said. And he clearly made the right decision.”

Destination Denver

Wulbrun, a former Stanford assistant, had just wrapped his first season as Denver coach and needed a playmaking guard to replace standout KJ Hunt. He scoured the transfer portal to complete his recruiting class.

Wulbrun saw Bruner’s name and “took a deep dive” into watching film on him, especially from his time at USC Upstate. He got him and his mother to visit the campus. Bruner took a couple of other visits before picking Denver.

Bruner signed with the school in June 2022.

“We talked about our core values, integrity, selflessness and discipline. I have been doing this a long time, 35-plus years and I told Tommy I would care about him and his growth as a person,” Wulbrun said. “It seemed to resonate with Tommy. It wasn’t just a transactional situation. We thought he would come in and start for us. It also was the other pieces that aligned as well.”

Bruner said Denver’s style and fast-pace tempo suited him perfectly. He averaged 15.9 points a game last season and was named Summit League’s Newcomer of the Year.

But this year, he took his game to a new level and created a stronger bond with his coach. The two met in the offseason two or three days a week, talking about basketball and such things as Bruner’s growth as a person. The sessions proved to be beneficial for both parties.

“Many times, it wasn’t a short meeting,” Bruner said of the meetings. “Hours and hours. But I was just soaking up all that advice just to get the wisdom from him. Coach mentored me a lot and helped my on-court performance.”

Bruner was a first-team Summit League Conference selection in the awards, it was announced Thursday. He’s just the fourth player in program history to earn that recognition.

Bruner also led the league in assists this year with 135.

“It is not so much that it didn’t work out at other places. It is working out a ton here,” Bruner said. “I just kept trusting the process. All the schools I have been to and coaches I have played for, I have learned something from all of them to help me.”

A fixture in the Denver community

Bruner’s scoring prowess has brought a lot of attention to the program and school but so has his performance away from the basketball court. He has been a fixture in the community and calls Denver his second home.

He created a non-profit organization called “Be Different,” a foundation to help children in the Denver area.

Bruner came up with the name during his time at Gray Collegiate. He put the saying on T-shirts, hoodies and started selling some merchandise. That was the beginning of what he hopes is something that can have a greater impact going forward.

During the Christmas holiday, Bruner opted to stay in Colorado instead of coming home to South Carolina. He helped distribute hundreds of presents to needy children — Wilburn, teammates and even Bruner’s family went to Colorado to help out.

“He is the ultimate ambassador for the University of Denver,” Wulbrun said. “That’s the story. I don’t know if I have seen a young man in his situation so dedicated to a cause outside of basketball. It speaks volumes on who he is as a man.”

Bruner uses free time away from school and basketball to help with the foundation. He also is helping the Sharing Our Blessings Food Pantry that serves needy families in the Denver area.

And Bruner’s foundation is just getting started. He has a big vision for things in the future. There are plans for remodeling a park in the suburb of Denver with new playground equipment, a soccer field and basketball court

“We had a lot of things coming up,” he said. “Work through sport camps, building some parks. Hope to look at opening mobile schools. We have a ton going on and what we want to do. It is going to be huge.”