Big South Basketball: In-depth look at USC Upstate star Tommy Bruner
By Bryan Mauro
Why you should know Tommy Bruner
The sophomore guard had the best freshman season in the history of the Spartan program. His efforts surpassed those set by NBA player Torrey Craig. Craig is a former Spartan and current Denver Nugget.
Bruner has the freshman record for points in a year in the Spartans division 1 era which has been less than 20 years. USC Upstate became a division 1 school in the 2007-2008 season. His 461 points were also good enough for seventh all-time in a single season for the program.
Bruner was also good enough to be recognized nationally for his efforts he was tabbed as a Kyle Macy Freshman All American and he was also named as the National Player of the Week by the College Sports Madness publication. The guard can score from all three levels has shown he is a tremendous shooter from deep and is one of the best free throw shooters in the entire country shooting over 80% from the line.
The sophomore can impact a game in other ways besides scoring. In conference play, he led the Spartans in assists and finished second on the team in steals. We see it all the time that so many elite scorers will sometimes use the defensive end of the floor to get a breather and get ready to go play offense, not Bruner.
He isn’t a great rebounder but he makes up for that by not being a liability on defense and guarding his assignment. His length and overall athleticism lead him to jump into the passing lanes and pick off passes which leads to easy baskets. The guard also plays defense without fouling and for a young player that is huge. Bruner is going to prove this year that he is the best player in the Big South conference, especially on the offensive end.