Prospect Spotlight: Braeden Combs (2019)
SPRINGFIELD — Few players in the Springfield area have seen their stock rise since last season as much as Nixa 2019 guard Braeden Combs. A year ago, Combs got some varsity run as a freshman for a talented Nixa squad,…
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Continue ReadingSPRINGFIELD — Few players in the Springfield area have seen their stock rise since last season as much as Nixa 2019 guard Braeden Combs.
A year ago, Combs got some varsity run as a freshman for a talented Nixa squad, but mostly took a backseat to a talented crew of juniors and seniors. But with the graduation of Chase Allen, Garrett Bacon and others, Combs has taken his game to another level as he prepared for a bigger role with the Nixa Eagles.
He spent the offseason running with Oklahoma PWP, whose older squad (17U) featured several Division I recruits, including St. Joseph Lafayette’s Caleb Bennett.
That work has paid off and made head coach Jay Osborne a fan of his game.
“He’s really good and he has a lot of upside too and is only going to get better,” Osborne said. “He understands the game and plays with no hesitation and no fear. I really like him a lot and he does a lot of good things for us.”
Osborne coached Combs older brother, Jalen Norman, who was a four-year starter at the school and went on to put together a college career that ended at Evangel. Norman helped lead the program to tremendous success, including an appearance in the Missouri Class 5 state championship game.
And while their games are a little different, Norman playing a 3 and Combs a lead guard spot, the younger brother put area fans on notice that their success in the Win-Loss column may be similar. Combs led the Eagles to a 3-0 start last weekend at the annual MBCA Tournament in Springfield, earning MVP honors along the way. He finished with 23 points in the championship game as Nixa knocked off DeSmet.
“I was just being aggressive and looking for my teammates first, but also scoring when I had to,” Combs said. “Anybody could get it (the MVP) on my team, it was just a great accomplishment to get it and all the hard work that I have put in is showing.”
In the semifinals, the Eagles defeated Raytown, a team that returns much of its roster from a squad that won 20 games last year, and in the opening round, Nixa knocked off St. Josepth Lafayette, a Final Four team.
“It’s all hard work, this is great to see that all the hard work that we have been putting in during practice has paid off,” Combs said.