Arlington’s Bryson more than just a shooter

Published 1:30 am Monday, January 9, 2017

ARLINGTON — Every once in a while, Drew Bryson will channel Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and drain a deep 3-pointer from several feet behind the arc.

But this isn’t the case of a trigger-happy high school player launching low-quality shots. For this Arlington senior guard, NBA-range 3-pointers are a practiced skill.

“People have been asking me, ‘Are you OK with him shooting that deep?’ And of course I am,” Arlington coach Nick Brown said. “He’s worked on his range for the last three years. I’ve really encouraged him to move further away from the basket and get confident shooting the ball from the volleyball line, and he (has).”

Yet while 3-point shooting has been the primary weapon for much of his basketball career, Bryson has expanded his offensive arsenal the last two seasons and developed into a balanced scorer by becoming more proficient at attacking the rim.

And it’s helped him become one of the area’s top players.

Bryson has followed up strong sophomore and junior campaigns with a standout senior season, averaging 22.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-foot-1 lefty has scored at least 28 points in five of the team’s 11 games, including a season-high 38 points against Sehome on Dec. 30.

“When I was a freshman and a sophomore, I was really kind of one-dimensional in the fact that I was mainly just a 3-point shooter,” Bryson said. “But junior and senior year I really worked on putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket.

“And I think I’ve actually been more successful the last two years at getting to the rim than being a 3-point shooter. So it’s really helped my game overall.”

The improvement is evident in his stats.

After averaging 11.9 points per game and earning All-Wesco 3A North second-team honors as a sophomore and scoring 17.3 points per game and garnering first-team honors as a junior, Bryson has added another five points to his scoring average this season. He’s also improved his field-goal percentage from 36 percent as a sophomore to 44 percent this year.

“You can’t guard him out deep, because he’ll go right by you,” Brown said. “(And if you) lay off him, he’ll shoot the 3 on you. … He’s smooth, he’s crafty (and) he’s not afraid of physicality.”

Raised in a basketball family, Bryson has grown up around the game. His father, Jeff, was the head coach at Darrington High School for 17 seasons before spending the past nine seasons as Arlington’s junior-varsity coach. And Bryson’s two older brothers, Marcus and Kaleb, played for the Eagles.

As the youngest brother, Drew took his lumps playing hoops while growing up.

“I’m five years younger than Marcus and three years younger than Kaleb, so I got beat up a lot and always had to play physical,” Bryson said. “That helped me learn how to play with physical defenders and getting pushed around a lot.”

He also has benefited from a strong work ethic. Bryson has bulked up in the weight room the past two years, which he said has “really helped me get to the hoop and finish through contact.” He’s also done plenty of ball-handling drills, whether through AAU training or on his own.

“He’s always trying to find a way into the gym,” Brown said. “He’s always trying to find a way to get some shots up. … He just never stops working.”

Bryson has been invaluable to a young Arlington team (6-5, 3-0 Wesco 3A) that has just five upperclassmen. In addition to Bryson’s eye-catching talent, Brown praised his standout senior’s leadership, team-centered selflessness and high-energy style of play.

“He does so many things for us besides scoring,” Brown said. “He rebounds, he defends, he leads. He just does everything — all the intangible things that a good player does. … I feel like Drew at the end of a game should be completely exhausted, because his feet seem to just be constantly moving. He just grinds. It’s so fun to watch him play.

“When you watch a game, whether it’s football or basketball, there are certain players who pop off the screen,” Brown added. “And he pops off the screen.”

Herald writer Cameron Van Til can be reached at cvantil@heraldnet.com