Player of the Week: Drake Brewster
One of the bigger shocks in the state this season, we knew Cedar Rapids Kennedy would be pretty darn goon, but they’ve been really, really good.
And this week’s Player of the Week Drake Brewster is a big reason why.
Last week, during wins over a very good Dubuque Senior squad and a 34 point win over Washington, Brewster was especially effective
He’s been flashing his versatility often this season, and his ability to play anywhere on the floor is what makes him great.
“During offense I play post and then I play on the wing too, just so I’m harder for other teams to scout, and it’s a double threat type thing,” said the 6-foot-6 forward. “So it allows me to play free and get those long timing rebounds out on the wing.”
And that’s just what he was able to do in the first half against Senior, a game which he double-doubled, scoring 18 points and snaring 10 boards.
“The Senior game I had a bigger guy on me in the first half, so I was out on the wing more, so I had an opportunity to get some offensive rebounds and put them in for some easy putbacks,” said Brewster. “And in the second half they put a more athletic wing on me, and I got to post up in the middle and just play that short game.”
Then, on Friday, Brewster erupted again, but in a different fashion. He scored a season-high 25 points on some very efficient shooting (12-17), and he swiped four steals on the defensive end.
“Offensively I had been struggling percentage-wise, so I got in the gym earlier that day and got a bunch of shots up, and everything felt really smooth in the game that night,” said Brewster. “And we scout every game, so it made it pretty easy to read those plays and get those four steals.”
Brewster has been great all season, not just like week. He’s averaging 16 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and has lead the Cougars to a 6-0 mark.
Kennedy will likely be our No. 2 team in the state when the new rankings are released Monday.
“I think our team is more surprised of the high ranking, but we always knew we were going to be good this season. We were just day in and day out doing the little things, so that part’s not really a surprise.”
After trailing Davenport Central’s Tyrique Vesey most of the week in voting totals, Brewster received enough support the morning the poll closed to mount a come-from-behind win.
“The support in this community is unbelievable,” said Brewster. “I could play my best game or my worst game and those people that believe in me will tell me good job and keep me going in that right direction.”
Week 3 Voting Totals
Drake Brewster — 590
Tyrique Vesey — 483
Kolby Molinsky — 54
Austin Roetman — 46
Janier Puente — 11