this month’s jv giant: brandon garrison
Brandon Garrison is having a rocky start to his freshman year, but the Oklahoma State big man is starting to find his way. Most McDonald's All-Americans see their freshman year as the time to showcase their abilities. The goal is to be one-and-done and quickly move on to the next level. For some, it's a given, and the focus becomes nothing more than getting through the year healthy before transitioning to the NBA.
That isn't the case with Garrison so far. He didn't even begin the season as a starter. His first few games had Cowboy fans questioning if he should have been an All-American.
Things have changed for the 6'11" standout, and Garrison is now in the starting lineup. He is playing with a lot of consistency and showing promise for how good he can be. When looking at his game logs or the Cowboys' box scores, you'd probably think I just like the kid and ask yourself, "What am I talking about?" However, you have to go beyond the stats. The numbers are the numbers, and they don't lie but don't tell the full story.
Take his game against Texas Tech in January – he only had four points and five rebounds in that loss. That doesn't sound good. With Garrison though, you have to look deeper. He has been a lot more active on the defensive end of the floor, he has been better on the boards, and the game is really starting to slow down for him. He's becoming a complete player, and his recent play has made his coach, Mike Boynton, emotional.
"Just 19 years old, he, um… he's special," Boynton said as his voice began to hang on the knot in his throat. "He's gonna get better. He's gotten better" Boynton said via The Oklahoman.
After Graisson put up a career-high of 20 points, to go with eight rebounds and four blocks against Baylor, Boynton was clearly impressed, saying, "He just shows up and does his job. I'm sorry for getting emotional, but I'm just proud of him because we needed this from him today. To see him give us a chance — it was big-time."
Let's be clear, what Boynton said wasn't just about the numbers. It was about how Garrison played, about him getting better – and about being exactly what the Cowboys need.