Former local AAU star is part of 49ers’ surge
Chris Braswell once shared equal billing with Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley on a legendary AAU team, the PG Jaguars. While Durant and Beasley were on the fast track to the NBA, Braswell took it a little slower.
Recommended Stories
But now as a freshman at Charlotte, Braswell is re-emerging. The 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward is averaging 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds and has won three Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week awards.
Braswell is one of the top three scorers, all newcomers, at Charlotte (16-5, 6-1). The trio has transformed last year’s 11-20 outfit into a contender in the A-10 and thrust the 49ers into the NCAA Tournament discussion. Charlotte is shooting for its first berth since 2004-05.
“Once we all got down here and played together a little bit, we realized the talent we had,” Braswell said. “Now we got a chance to do something that we haven’t done in years.”
When Charlotte toppled Temple 74-64 last week, Braswell scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half, helping the 49ers overcome a 10-point deficit. Afterward, Charlotte fans stormed the court, and coach Bobby Lutz grabbed a microphone and exclaimed, “The Niners are back.”
Charlotte is there with a boost from 6-6, 245-pound junior Shamari Spears (16 ppg), a transfer from Boston College, and 6-2 sophomore Derrio Green (13.8 ppg), who arrived from Gulf Coast Community College.
Braswell, a native of District Heights, came by way of Hargrave Military Academy. He started his high school career at DeMatha and committed to Georgetown in his sophomore year.
But that was before Braswell’s troubles in the classroom became more acute and he was diagnosed with a learning disability. Braswell landed at Hargrave, where he spent his senior year, plus a post-graduate season.
“Hargrave helped me out. Getting away from the area was the best thing for me — nothing to do for two years but basketball and school work,” Braswell said. “I learned time management, study habits, being on time to class.”
When Braswell opted out of his Georgetown commitment, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia Tech and Xavier were among the schools in pursuit. But Braswell chose Charlotte because of assistant Rob Moxley.
“I got to know him when he was at Maryland [2005-06],” Braswell said. “He was a great coach. My mom liked him. I just felt welcome here.”
With a 3.5 GPA in his first semester, Braswell is making it in the classroom. Lutz also likes Braswell’s on-court intelligence.
“He’s a little bit like a heavyweight fighter. As the game goes, he gets better,” said Lutz, who is in his 12th year at Charlotte. “It’s like during the game he figures out what he needs to do.”
