Prospect Watch: Kaileb Bryant (2019)
Class of 2019 guard Kaileb Bryant is a tough, slashing guard who really has a knack at finishing around the basket.
The 6’2″ Bryant is back for his senior year to lead a young team that advanced to the championship game in his Class 5 district last season. He aspires to lead the Wildcats to even more success this season.
“I want to develop into a great leader for a young and inexperienced team,” he said. “As the only returning starter, I want to work on being a leader on and off the court. We were a game away from a district championship last season, and I am hoping to get that opportunity again this year and achieve that goal.”
As a junior, Bryant averaged xx points a game in helping West to a xx record. He is at his best when he is attacking the basket and getting buckets and drawing fouls. He is physically strong and his ability to stay low on the dribble enables him to play through the contact and be successful. He tops it off with being an excellent free throw shooter.
“My biggest strength has always been slashing and finishing at the basket,” he said. “Because of my ability to slash, I get sent to the line a lot and I made 83 percent of my free throws.”
Bryant expects to expanded role in the offensive this season, so he has worked to expand his game by adding a consistent jump shot to compliment his driving ability.
“Over the summer, my goal was to really improve on my jump shot and ball handling,” he said. “I really want to diversify my game by being able to slide over to the point guard position when needed and to keep defenses honest by being able to hit my jump shot on a consistent basis.
Despite missing much of the summer grassroots season with an injury, Bryant still has received recruiting interest from a number of Division III and NAIA schools, including Illinois College, Columbia College and Greenville University, which extended Bryant his first offer.
“I was extremely excited to get my first offer from Greenville,” he said. “It felt like all my hard work was finally paying off and it really motivated me to work harder.”