2008 Woodie Awards
Bramos coming into role as MU basketball leader
Roger Sauerhaft
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: Sports
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"It's never good sitting on the bench but it allows me to see stuff I don't see on the court, (such as) when our energy is bad," Bramos said. "It's just tough to realize when you're on the court playing-you're in the heat of the battle but you notice a lot of things on the court so I think that when I get back it'll help me pick things up a little bit quicker."
With his return to the lineup Feb. 2, Bramos could once again lead both on and off the court.
Setting the stage
As the final buzzer sounded in Spokane, Wash., last March, sending the Miami University RedHawks home for the duration of the NCAA Tournament, then-sophomore Bramos was about to see his role on the team expand greatly.
In a season marking his entrance into the starting lineup, a MAC Championship and an unlikely appearance in the NCAA Tournament, 2006-07 was a season to remember for Bramos.
However, May 2007 marked the graduation of three prominent members of the RedHawk roster: second-leading scorer Nathan Peavy, MAC Tournament hero Doug Penno and veteran leader Monty St. Clair. With two starters lost and five total letter winners no longer on the team for 2007-08, the stage was set for Bramos to take over as a team leader.
Following a season in which Bramos finished third on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game, won his team's Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the 2007 MAC All-Tournament team as a sophomore, expectations were high for 2007-08 and Bramos quickly relished the opportunity to lead.
The RedHawks opened the season coming back from a 32-21 deficit against Xavier University with 15 points from Bramos and some last-second heroics. With just six seconds left, Bramos was fouled as he was attempting a 3-pointer to win the game. He made three free throws to preserve a 59-57 victory at home as fans rushed the court in celebration of the final buzzer. He only got better from there, scoring 28 against the University of South Alabama on the way to averaging 20.4 points through his team's first seven games in a difficult early season schedule. Nov. 28 against Dayton, Bramos exploded for a career-high 36 points.
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