The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
AOA grad Charles commits to junior college in Tennessee
Andrews Osborne senior Brandon Charles aims to play Division I basketball. To continue working toward that goal, he’s taking the JUCO route.
Charles committed to Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee on May 29, where he’ll pursue his academic and athletic aspirations.
“I received some good offers from colleges,” Charles said. “I decided on Cleveland State because it’s a D-I JUCO and it offers courses in the major I want to be in, which is kinesiology. It allows me to get exposure from fouryear universities and continue to work on my game.”
A 6-foot-7 forward, Charles is an agile big who is quick off the ground. Rim protection is his strength on the defensive end and he’s able to make an offensive impact as a rim-runner in transition. Charles works well as a roll man in the pick-and-roll and uses his strength to move defenders in the post, where he finishes with touch around the basket.
Charles averaged 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game during his senior season. He led the area with 2.9 blocks per game and received first-team alldistrict recognition. The Phoenix won 12 games and advanced to the district round in the 201920 season, their first under head coach Rudy Kirbus, due in part to Charles’ performance.
“His leadership and dedication led the AOA program to one of the more successful seasons in school history,” Kirbus said. “I am excited for Brandon as he starts his college career and I think big things are ahead for him.”
Charles played his freshman year at St. Edmund Campion near Ontario in Canada before he moved to Ohio and enrolled at Andrews
Osborne. Charles expressed his gratitude to Kirbus, James Valle, his coach the previous two years, and the school’s staff for helping him develop.
“I’ve become more confident on the court and more dominant as a player,” Charles said. “Also, I’ve gotten better at post skills and working around the basket. I’ve improved tremendously on my freethrow shooting.”
Cleveland State Community College is located in Cleveland, Tenn., northeast of Chattanooga. The Cougars compete in the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association and went 9-19 last season.
Charles said he chose the program over opportunities at schools including Owens Community College, Edison State, Bethany College, Vincennes University, Southern Georgia Tech, Illinois Valley Community College and Eastern Arizona Community College. On the court, he wants to improve his ballhandling and 3-point shooting to become more versatile.
“I plan to hopefully get to a Division I school,” Charles said. “Then after that, I would hope to play professionally while trying to receive my master’s in occupational therapy.