Busting Brackets
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Mid-major Basketball: Early 2020-21 preview for Belmont Basketball

By Drew Schmelzer

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Adam Kunkel #5 of the Belmont Bruins reacts on the bench in the second half of play against the Maryland Terrapins during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at VyStar Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Adam Kunkel #5 of the Belmont Bruins reacts on the bench in the second half of play against the Maryland Terrapins during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at VyStar Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – MARCH 21: Nick Muszynski #33 and Dylan Windler #3 of the Belmont Bruins = (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – MARCH 21: Nick Muszynski #33 and Dylan Windler #3 of the Belmont Bruins = (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Preview of Bruins frontcourt

Containing Belmont’s guard play is going to be critical for teams with any idea of challenging them for a league championship, but that alone will not get opponents out of the woods. One of the preseason frontrunners for OVC Player of the Year returns in Belmont’s frontcourt in the form of junior, Nick Muszynski (15.3 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.7 Ast). The 6’11 center out of Pickerington, Ohio was the recipient of numerous post season honors a season ago and is primed for an even bigger season in 2020-21.

One reason why Muszynski‘s stat line is going to look a lot bigger this upcoming season is the loss of his running mate Tyler Scanlon (12.5 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 2.7 Ast). Scanlon’s contributions in his single season in Nashville after transferring from Boston University were significant, but Muszynski will see a few more touches with his departure and the Bruins shouldn’t feel it too much.

Another reason for optimism in the paint is the entry of Even Brauns. Brauns is really good get for Belmont as he was getting a lot of interest from power 5s that didn’t come to the party until late in his recruitment. Brauns has sprouted three inches to 6’9 since he started to get initial interest and was rated the #2 prospect out of Iowa by 247 sports. He will see good minutes in his freshman season, but the 306th ranked national recruit it still not a finished product.

Joining Muszynski and Brauns up front is Caleb Hollander (4.3 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast) and Derek Sabin who redshirted a season ago. Hollander, now a junior, took a step back in his sophomore season where he averaged 7.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. You can attribute a lot of that to the emergence of Scanlon but even when on the floor last season there were times when he’d disappear a bit.

For a guy who is as skilled of a rebounder as Hollander is you’ve got to expect an increased contribution at least on the boards. The Nashville native will be looking for a bounce back season in 2020-21. Sabin, out of Slinger, Wisconsin only played 4 minutes per game as a freshman before redshirting this past season but has the right frame at 6’9 – 230 lbs to compete as a high-level post player in the OVC.