Bryant's dedication harnessed by teammates

By Justin Phan

Take one look at senior John Bryant and you will have a good idea of what to expect from the men's basketball team this upcoming season.

Weighing in at over 350 pounds during his senior year of high school, Bryant has undergone quite a transformation in his three years at Santa Clara.

After a rigorous summer workout routine, he has slimmed down to just 275 pounds, a feat for his 6 feet 11 inch frame.

Bryant has made it a priority this summer to get himself fit so he could reach his full potential.

"This was probably the hardest summer I ever had in my life," Bryant explained. "It was just a complete commitment to diet, working out every day and getting in the gym -- making the sacrifice of not having a fun summer and going to hang out and going to the beach. Just all summer was right here in this gym. It's just basically commitment."

Bryant, who was stabbed last month, said it did not affect him on the court. "It's just a little speed bump. Just a quick little two-week stretch. Now I'm back in it ready to go," he added.

The center embodies the dedication and work ethic that the team has adapted during the offseason.

It all starts with senior leadership, and with Bryant's willingness to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team, the Broncos have gotten off on the right foot.

Leadership from Bryant and senior Calvin Johnson will be especially important with seven of the Broncos' ten scholarship players having never played for Santa Clara before.

Head Coach Kerry Keating said it is hard to figure out what to expect so early on in the season because there are so many players new players the team.

"But I certainly expect us to play hard every time we're playing and to get better every time we go out," Keating said.

"I hope that we'll be able to grow quickly so that we'll give ourselves the chance to utilize our seniors, Calvin and John, who have put themselves in a position where they've worked hard to have a great senior season."

Headlining the group of newcomers are freshmen James Rahon and Marc Trasolini.

Rahon, according to Scouts Inc., is "regarded as the most prolific jump shooter in the west by most scouting pundits."

Rahon will be the last to tell you that though. He said he is just a team player and can make the adjustments from being the star of his high school team to not knowing what role he is going to play for the Broncos this season.

"With me being the young guy on the team, I'm just doing whatever it takes to get the win," Rahon said. "I'm not really trying to do too much. Just trying to do whatever coach wants me to do and whatever can help us out the most to get the win, whether it's playing defense, whether it's hitting a big shot or whether it's setting a screen."

When asked about the impact of the freshmen class, Bryant said, "They're going to make us or break us. We need them."

"We got a big fellow, Marc, who's coming in and he's going to be big in the post and he's been playing international ball so he kind of knows about the physicalness of the game," Bryant said.

"He's got some experience, and the other three of them are just knockdown shooters, and that's what we need to open up the post and have an all-around attack," he said.

The freshmen are going to have to come up big in order for the team to accomplish its goal of taking home the West Coast Conferences title.

The WCC preseason poll ranks Santa Clara fourth.

Standing in the Broncos' way are the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are projected to be among the top 10 teams in the nation and have advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of the past ten years.

Santa Clara opens its 2008-2009 season at the Leavey Center on Friday, Nov. 7 against Cal State Monterey Bay.

Contact Justin Phan at jphan1@scu.edu.