Prospect Intro: Christopher Brunt (2022)
The ceiling is high for St. Benedict’s incoming freshman Christopher Brunt as he’s already difficult to stay in front of, thanks to his gifted ball handling skills.
This could be the beginning for big things to come for Brunt.
Brunt is left-handed like Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden, and gets to the basket with ease like his favorite player. Brunt can shoot from long range, gets his teammates involved, and has untaught court vision. Brunt, who’s 5-foot-11, isn’t done growing yet, and is already versatile enough to be a combo guard.
He may turn into a score-first point guard, one who scores between 20-30 points a game, and dishes out 6-10 assists per contest. In the Jerry Peters Memphis Summer Classic last month, Brunt had plenty of eyes watching his offensive performance.
Brunt finished with 38 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. He made 5 of 8 shots from the free throw line. Brunt also made seven 3s, which was tied for 25th in the classic.
Brunt’s mom, Jacqueline, has seen the growth in her son since he was in the sixth grade at Ridgeway Middle School, where he was the only kid in his class to play on the varsity team.
“One thing I have seen in him is his ability to see the court, and being a team player,” she said. “Although everybody knows he can shoot, he really tries to make sure he gets his teammates involved. He’s an unselfish player.
“I have seen him develop a greater passing game than he did, maybe, when he was in the sixth grade. His eyes have sharpened to see the full court to find the open man.”
While Brunt is on path to become a combo guard, he could very easily become a point forward, which is what Kevin Durant is in the NBA. Durant’s primary position is small forward, but thanks to his ball handling and outside shooting, he can play every position on the floor.
Brunt is the type of player that could have options on what type of player he wants to become. Like what Durant has been the past two seasons for Golden State, Brunt doesn’t get rattled nor does he gets excited when he scores a basket, makes a defensive stop, or dishes out an assist.
He’s one of those players that continues to play, and excuses himself from living in the moment of a spectacular play he made on either end of the court. Some of Brunt’s teammates in the past saw how he kept his emotions deeply rooted inside.
“They were thinking at one point he was pretending to be quiet,” Jacqueline said. “But, he is. He’s never roused by anything, no matter how much he scores. I want him to remain a humbled kid, and I think private school works best for him.”
If Brunt continues to progress on the court, he could land in the same conversation as Christian Brothers’ 2022 point guard Chandler Jackson, who has already impressed many eyes early on as one of the best point guards in his class.
