John Thompson stood courtside before North Carolina Wesleyan’s game against Greensboro College, watching his 10-year-old son Jackson shoot baskets. Alongside his son was his star player, 6-foot-6 senior forward Brandon Givens.

Givens transferred to NC Wesleyan just months before, and had only known the Thompsons for a few months. But as Thompson chatted with Greensboro coach Bryan Galuski, he said to him, “If I had an emergency right now for some reason and had to leave, I would be comfortable leaving Jackson with Brandon.”

Givens’ 27.1 points per game leads the Battling Bishops (15-10, 6-8 USA South) and all of Division III. His on-the-court talent speaks for itself, but it’s his humbleness that makes Givens special. His penchant for sleeping in the locker room is now widely known. His dedication was portrayed accurately. But the attention he received was probably unwanted.

“It’s funny because I wish it didn’t get out,” Givens said. “I wish they didn’t find out about that. I think some people just think its motivation, some people think it’s weird, some people think it’s strange. But I just want to practice and just get extra time and extra shots. I think it’ll pay off in the long run if I keep it up.”

Thompson receives many calls from prospective players, so when Givens called during the summer, he didn’t think much about it. Most players who contact him never follow through. He needed to know what made Givens unique.

Givens’ reason for wanting to come play for North Carolina Wesleyan struck the right nerve. Givens wanted to be closer to his ailing grandmother. He spent his sophomore year at Jones County Community College in Mississippi, more than 10 hours from his home in Ruffin, S.C.

Givens did all of the legwork. During the transferring process, he found transcripts from multiple schools he attended, and emailed and called administrators when problems arose. In a strange twist, his high school had moved to a new location. Their record system, which was on paper, was in storage.

“It took a lot of work to ultimately get that high school transcript,” Thompson said. “But again, he was just diligent about completing everything necessary.”

It’s a trait he learned from his grandmother, who raised him.

“She’s part of the reason I am how I am right now,” Givens said. “I learned a lot of stuff before basketball came along, and it came from her.”

When Givens arrived, he simply wanted to fit in. In the team’s first game against Mid-Atlantic Christian, Givens scored 14 points on 12 shots. Thompson didn’t think Givens was asserting himself enough, so he called him to his office.

“He said, ‘Coach, I don’t need to be the leading scorer, I don’t need to be the guy. I just want to try to help us win and I just want to try to fit in,’” Thompson said. “I said, ‘That’s great. But if you really want to help us win, you’ve got to be you.’”

Givens told Thompson he didn’t want his teammates to think he came to Wesleyan for one year to take all of the shots.

Five days later, against Shenandoah, he scored 43 points, shooting 14-of-22 from the field. He scored 50 points in a double-overtime win over Christopher Newport, a game in which the team trailed by 16 with 5:40 to go in regulation. He led the Battling Bishops back, assisting on the bucket that iced the win.

But more than statistics, he’s a great teammate.

Sophomore guard Eddie Stokes says Givens doesn’t really say much, but when he does speak up, it’s for the betterment of the team.

“On the court, he’s one of those people that pushes everybody,” Stokes said. “He wants the best. Off the court, he’s a cool person to be around, real humble. We don’t really talk too much about the basketball stuff off the court. He’s really wise, knows what he’s talking about. He’s real mature.”

It was his grandmother who raised him to be the man he has become, and the coaches along the way have aided his growth. Givens said he wouldn’t be where he is if it weren’t for them, and he wouldn’t trade his situation for anything.

“He has great character. He cares about other people’s feelings, whether it’s his teammates, whether it’s my young son, whether it’s other students here at school,” Thompson said. “ … He cares so much about others that he would probably give someone the shirt off his back if he needed to.”

Published on February 21, 2013 at 1:55 am

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu