Bishop Fenwick big-man has sights set on strong senior season before heading to Wright State
FRANKLIN, Ohio (BVM) — There are not many 6-foot-9 big-men that come in and dominate a high school basketball program. But every so often, a guy like A.J. Braun comes along. Braun is a senior at Bishop Fenwick High School, who has enjoyed a solid career with the Falcons, and will take his talents to the collegiate level next year at Wright State University.
Braun began competing in basketball at his local YMCA in his youth, starting to play already at 3 years old. Braun enjoyed learning the game from his brother, and enjoyed the uniqueness basketball has to offer.
“Basketball is something me and my brother did a lot growing up,” Braun said. “He kind of instilled it in me and made me love the game. What I like most about it is that it’s different from other sports and just has always had a different feel.”
At 6-foot-9, Braun looks up to two men similar to his size in the game of basketball, both past and present. The Bishop Fenwick senior often models his game after Celtics’ legend Larry Bird, while incorporating the fundamentals of Nuggets’ star big-man, Nikola Jokic.
On the court, Braun believes the best parts of his game are scoring and rebounding. He hopes to continue to increase his athleticism while also becoming more versatile and being able to play every position. Braun’s coach at Bishop Fenwick, Kelven Moss, has already seen the diversity the star big-man has created in his game this summer.
“A.J. has done a great job this offseason to elevate his game and transform his game,” Moss said. “Last year, we often put him in the post or we picked and popped him. Now, I can put him on the elbow, he can put it on the deck, shoot the three…he committed to transforming his body and athleticism and now the sky is the limit for him. He’s definitely going to be the best player in the league and I think he’s the best big-man in the state.”
Before he got to Bishop Fenwick, Braun played with his local school teams until he began with AAU ball in seventh grade. At that point, he realized he had potential in the sport which could take him a long way.
Over his first three years as a Falcon, the 18-year-old has developed his game tremendously. As a sophomore, Braun averaged over 12 points per game to pair with seven rebounds. Last season, Braun upped those averages to 18 and 11, leading the Greater Catholic League Co-Ed in both categories.
But it is not just on the offensive side of the court where Braun makes his presence felt. Defensively, the Bishop Fenwick senior has already broken the Greater Catholic League Co-Ed career record in blocks. Braun has also been an all-league first team player over the last two seasons.
Although he still put up good stats, last season was a bit of a transition year in coach Moss’ first season at the helm for the Falcons. But Braun believes the future is bright as he heads into his senior year, and credits coach Moss for the job he has done so far with the team, as well as him individually.
“It was a lot different having him come in and he sees the game in a lot of different ways,” Braun said about coach Moss. “He’s helped not only me but all of our players get a lot better. It’s been great having him and his staff because they all have great minds in the game. They’ve just been awesome for us and I’m really grateful to have them.”
Going into his senior year of high school basketball, Braun hopes he can help lead his team to a league title and potential state championship. But he also is aiming to cement his legacy as one of the best players to ever play for the Bishop Fenwick basketball program.
“I want to be the best player that has ever come to the school,” Braun said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done this year but I just want to grow as much as I can as a person and a player this year. I want to enjoy this last season with all my teammates and I feel like we can do something special.”
While Braun didn’t have to endure the heartbreak of having his junior season cut short by COVID-19 last winter, he did miss out on a full summer of AAU basketball, which likely would have been important for the recruiting process, allowing him to further showcase his skills.
The senior continued to shoot and workout at home throughout the pandemic, and feels prepared as he heads into this season. But despite not playing this summer, Braun still made headlines at the end of it by making his college commitment.
Braun had multiple Division I college basketball offers, with many from local schools including Elon, Ohio University, William & Mary, Boston University, Lehigh, Bucknell, Toledo and Youngstown State.
But over a year ago, Braun began talking to Wright State University, and ultimately, he was sold on their program.
— AJ Braun (@braun_aj) September 9, 2020
“What sold me on them was that they are close to home, a great fit, and I loved the coaching staff,” Braun said. “Those factors all pulled me there and made me feel like that can be my new home. Recruiting was obviously different and hard this year, but it all worked out in the end.”
At Wright State, Braun hopes to be a productive player immediately for the Raiders, and is looking forward to helping the program win as many games as they can while making the NCAA Tournament.
Braun believes Wright State will be a perfect fit for him. But Moss also sees the 6-foot-9 big-man as being a perfect fit for their program.
“He has the ‘it’ factor,” Moss said. “I’ve been coaching for 14 years and have coached guys who have played in the NFL and the NBA and he has some of the same intangibles as those guys. I told him from day one that I will never coach him as a high school player, because his aspirations and dreams are bigger than this level. Wright State is getting a special player.”
Moss also envisions Braun having a great deal of success during his time as a Raider.
“He’s willing to out-work anyone and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants out of his opportunity at Wright State,” Moss said. “They’re just getting a heck of a guy and I feel bad for my team because I hate to lose him. He’s the true definition of a leader and I continue to believe if he continues to do what he needs to do, he will reach his goal.”
That ultimate goal for Braun is playing basketball at the professional level someday. It’s always been a dream for the 18-year-old, and as he continues to develop, both he and Moss think that dream can become a reality.
“It’s going to take a lot of work and even more than I have been doing,” Braun said about playing professionally. “But this year coach Moss will help me prepare for that as will the next four years at Wright State. If I can make it happen it would just be a dream come true and I really don’t want anything else besides that.”
“I think a lot of people in the area made a mistake in not recruiting him,” Moss added. “But God put him in this position for a reason and I think his potential is through the roof. I know what his commitment is and he already carries himself as a professional. I always tell people you have to speak what you want and you have to act what you want and he does a great job at that. If he continues on this road he will be a professional athlete and will have his name up in the banners at Wright State. I’m really excited for him.”
