The Basketball Interview…with Brayden UsesArrow
Solen’s Brayden Uses Arrow went into fantastic detail about his influences and love of the game of basketball.
At your school, what is your favorite part or parts about game days in terms of the routine leading up to the game?
“Throughout the day I always listen to Motivational Speeches by Eric Thomas or something like that, I put in my headphones and I put on some music and I also lay on the floor and wait for half time of the JV game then I start getting ready, while I’m stretching out I can hear the crowd going crazy and that gives me butterflies and I think “it’s game time.”
What makes your crowd unique? What is a memorable thing that they’ve done that you will always remember?
“Our crowd packed almost every game and everyone from our town is there even people from different towns are there to watch us play and they always have different chants and they are all there to cheer us on, I remember when I was a freshman and it was District tournament time and we were playing Grant County who was a good team at the time but one of the players stole the all from me and I chased down the player and pinned the ball off the board then I got the ball back and I drove the ball and I got fouled so I threw up a crazy shot and made it, it was pretty exciting.”
Who is the toughest player you can recall playing against in South Dakota basketball and why?
“Siman Sem from Fargo North who I’m good friends with and the reason why he’s the toughest player I played against from North Dakota is because he matches me in every way from height to athleticism, we match up perfectly.”
Who is your biggest rival and what about them makes the rivalry both heated and memorable?
“It’s either Standing Rock or Shiloh Christian, Standing Rock has been our rival since both schools started and they are only 30 miles from us, we both have the same school colors, are on the same reservation and it’s always been competitive and Standing Rock always beat Solen until I started High School ball and we beat them for the past 3 years and Shiloh always had great talent and it’s always a battle when we play them and the game is always close till the very end and for the past 3 years they got the best of us and for us to punch our ticket for state we have to go through Shiloh.”
Who is your favorite basketball player in the world and why?
“It’s either Kawhi Leonard or Klay Thompson because they both always had something to prove about themselves, they both weren’t All Americans & they both went to mid major D1 colleges and I love Klay Thompsons shoot form and I also like Kawhi Leonard’s Defense.”
What brand of gear or type of gear are you partial to?
“I really love Nike and I always wore Nike shoes when I played basketball but the one shoe I wear constantly is the Kyrie 2.”
What is your favorite venue to play basketball in that you’ve played in?
“I always loved playing in the Civic Center or Mandan High School, the Civic Center reminds of the NBA or the State tournament and Mandan High School is were Districts is held at and I always play great there.”
What court that you haven’t played on would you dream of playing on?
“I’ve never played at the Minot State Dome or Scheels Arena where NDSU plays and I would love to play at both arenas.”
Explain the relationship varsity players have at your school with youth players?
“A lot of young kids look up to us because they see our names on Prep Hoops and they ask us how AAU is or watch us play and ask how we learned to do that and we say “hard work” the other one I always hear constantly is “you guys going to state this year” and my answer is “yes”.
Best coaching advice you’ve received is what and who was it from?
“The best coaching advice I every got was from my High School coach Mr. Brandt, He said to me was “The sky’s the limit for you and the only thing holding you back from doing so is your mind so don’t put your head down or let your mind get the best of you, keep pushing and play threw everything, you will be fine”.
Who is your basketball influence?
“My dad and older brother are the ones who showed me basketball and I loved it the moment I watched the sport on tv. I remember my dad was showing me March Madness and I told him I was going to be on there and he said to me “hard work, dedication and it won’t come easy but if you push yourself to complete your personal goals you will get you there son” that stuck with me till this day and my older brother played D1 basketball and he also showed me how to workout constantly and push yourself past your limits and he brought out the competitive fire in me by playing each other 1 on 1 a lot.”