What changed?
Turns out, the Raiders really do reward players for how they perform in practice.
“We’re always talking about how guys are practicing, and he was practicing great. And Detroit usually keeps it tight (defensively), and we wanted to have his shooting out there,” coach Clint Sargent said.
“The last month or so, he’s just had a breakthrough. His demeanor and emotional state of mind, it’s just really changed. All those reasons factored in for me, and I said, ‘We need to get him in the rotation.’”
After scoring three points in five minutes against Detroit, the redshirt freshman from Shelby poured in 25 in 28 minutes in a 102-90 win over Cleveland State on Sunday. He made 6 of 8 shots, including all three of his 3s, in just his ninth career game.
He’s a point machine, scoring 64 in 88 minutes this year.
“He’s not afraid of it. You can tell when he comes in, it’s like he’s been playing the whole game,” Sargent said.
“He’s got a knack for (scoring), loves the moment. We’re just trying to get him more consistent defensively.”
The 6-8 guard, who got a boost in playing time because starter Solomon Callaghan was sick at home, has gone 12 of 19 on 3’s, which was his forte when he was a finalist for the 2024 Ohio Mr. Basketball Award.
Seeing Bruskotter’s perseverance pay off with a magical day was especially meaningful for Sargent, who called it “the best part of being a coach — better than winning.”
He added: “His story is near and dear to me just because I was the one to recruit him. It was a long recruitment — almost two years — and when you become the head coach, things can change.
“I thought he really needed me, and I wasn’t there (because of other duties). He was learning and growing. I was learning and growing. I just love how he stayed committed to his teammates, committed to the program.”
Bruskotter was close to cracking the rotation earlier, but it was already at a bloated 10 players and couldn’t get any bigger.
“His maturity level, his consistency — all his teammates absolutely love him. He has the respect from everyone. Nobody’s surprised by what he did, but everybody is so happy for him,” Sargent said.
Bruskotter helped the Raiders go 12 of 17 from 3, ending their long-range slump.
They were 34 of 114 (29.8%) in their previous five games.
Sargent wasn’t alarmed. He wants an offense that generates inside touches — and then a kick out for a 3 if nothing’s there.
“We believe in playing inside-out and (shooting) in rhythm. That’s what we always want to establish first. When you’re making them and they’re in rhythm, you roll with it,” he said.
Next game
Who: IU Indy at Wright State
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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