For many, today’s college stars are like superheroes or famous role models. We only see who they are mostly on the court or the gridiron. But we have to remind ourselves that they have real struggles and feelings outside the arena.
And that’s important for executives and scouts of professional organizations. When a team invests in a player and what he can do as one of the faces of a professional franchise, it’s also investing in who that person is in totality in the community and outside the competitive environment.
Former Ohio State guard Malaki Branham improved greatly over the course of his freshman season, arguably becoming the team’s best player down the stretch of the season. As a result, Branham has rocketed up NBA draft boards and is expected to potentially be a top-15 pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA draft.
If any scouts or executives have questions about who Branham is as a person, head coach Chris Holtmann provided a peek into who he is by sharing a text between the two after a tough outing early in the season.
Congrats to Malaki on the Green Room invite for the NBA Draft. Have had a lot of q’s about his rapid growth this YR.
Maybe this will help…He sent me this text the morning after a tough early season game. Gratitude, self-awareness, accountability and grit on full display here. pic.twitter.com/GG63QuH7sv
— Chris Holtmann (@ChrisHoltmann) June 14, 2022
We obviously don’t see the full context of this conversation and don’t know about other texts that might not be so flattering, but this is the type of mindset and self-awareness that is hard to find these days. When everything has turned into entitlement and self-gratification, it’s nice to see an old-soul type of player looking to get better and do what it takes to be the best that he can be.
I don’t know where Branham will eventually land, but it sure looks like whatever team takes a chance on him won’t have to worry about character and conduct in the locker room and in the community.
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