Big man has big potential

By Chris Furnari

Listen. Do you hear it?

The Leavey Center is standing room only as the Broncos take on the Torerros of San Diego.

The crowd, trembling with excitement, goes silent as junior John Bryant steps to the line just a few minutes into the second half. The first shot is up, and good. The crowd goes wild.

"Why the excitement?" you might ask. Bryant just scored his 1,000th career point.

In this Saturday's match-up versus San Diego, Bryant is almost certain to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. In his past two games, Bryant has exploded for 61 points and boosted his career point total to 982. Soon, the junior center will be joining fellow teammate, Brody Angley, as the two newest members of the 1,000-point club.

All the excitement got me thinking about the future and what exactly John Bryant is capable of. With four games left in the regular season and one game guaranteed in the WCC tournament, it is conceivable that Bryant could finish the season with over 1,100 career points, placing him in the top 25 of all time at Santa Clara.

The Broncos' all-time leading scorer, Kurt Rambis, scored 1,736 points during his outstanding career. With 1,100 points and one full season left to play, it's also conceivable that Bryant could challenge Rambis for top honors.

Assuming that Bryant reaches 1,100 points this season, he would need to average just over 21 points per game -- during 30 regular season games -- next season in order to surpass Rambis.

In any case, Bryant will undoubtedly crack the top 10, something that hasn't been done since Kyle Bailey graduated in 2005.

Bryant's scoring means so much more than records. His play this year has improved so much that making the NBA seems much more real. He is averaging nearly a double-double per game, and his size could make him a solid second-round draft choice.

His numbers are comparable to that of Nick Fazekas, formerly of Nevada, who was selected 34th overall in the draft last year by the Dallas Mavericks. Bryant is also one of the most efficient big men in the country, averaging 18.8 points a game and 9.8 boards on just 28 minutes of action.

For now, however, when Bryant breaks the 1,000-point barrier, we should celebrate. For many, it will be one of the few times that a player of his caliber will ever play at the Leavey Center during our time as students.

Plus, I can't think of a more fitting time to celebrate such a great achievement than during homecoming week.