Built by basketball: How Brandon Wilson found strength in the game

“Job’s not finished.”

Kobe Bryant’s post-game statement during the Los Angeles Lakers’ run in the 2009 NBA Finals has motivated athletes around the world.

For the senior basketball player, who wears Bryant’s #24 for the Newman Jets, the famous player’s statement and his number are sources of inspiration.

Brandon Wilson is a forward for the Newman men’s basketball team and a recent transfer student. He is originally from Los Angeles, where Wilson’s inspiration played for 20 years.

“Kobe inspired my pro dreams,” Wilson said. “Watching him be a pro every day … he’s among the best. Him and LeBron waking up every day and actively deciding to be the best of the best is inspiring.”

While Wilson eventually hopes to play at the pro level, his basketball journey started long before he put on a Newman uniform.

Built by basketball

Wilson has played basketball all his life, and his mindset and love for the sport run in the family.

“My mom and dad played varsity basketball in high school,” Wilson said. “My dad also played at Williams Baptist, where he was an All-American. His jersey is retired over there.”

At a young age, Wilson spent hours in the gym while his father played pick-up games with friends. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, he took the opportunity to hone his skills.

“While he was playing, I would constantly practice dribbling and shooting,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s infatuation with basketball eventually became more than just a passion for the sport — it became his distraction when he needed it most.

When Wilson was an underclassman in high school in California, his family experienced homelessness.

“Being homeless is a very hard thing to deal with,” Wilson said. “We had to keep our heads up. What helped get me through was being able to go to the gym and play basketball for hours on end.”

‘Last Chance U‘

Wilson’s dedication to basketball has carried him far — even onto the Netflix documentary series, “Last Chance U,” which tells the story of athletes in smaller athletic programs trying to make it to the next level.

The show featured Wilson’s East Los Angeles College (ELAC) during his years playing with the team. After his time there, Wilson was offered a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at Oklahoma City University (OCU), the school where he planned to finish his collegiate athletic career.

Unfortunately for Wilson, his OCU coach took a coaching job in Portland, Oregon, and couldn’t take Wilson with him.

“He was offered a better situation,” Wilson said. “That’s how business goes, and he has to do what’s best for him.”

Why he chose Newman

Fortunately for Newman, when Wilson was researching which schools he could potentially play for, he found himself relating to head basketball coach R.J. Allen’s coaching style and philosophy.

“Him and Coach Mosley (the coach featured in Last Chance U) have very, very similar personalties,” Wilson said. “The hard-nose, blue collar, ‘nothing’s given, everything’s earned,’ mentality.'”

“Coach Allen kept it real with me,” Wilson said about his recruitment visit. “I understand everybody’s going to sell you the dream on recruitment, but Coach Allen set expectations for me.”

Allen told Wilson, “We expect you to come in here and do these things. You aren’t just going to get it, you have to earn it.”

Hearing that, Wilson couldn’t pass up the opportunity to transfer to Newman. He appreciated the philosophy that everyone seemed to be on equal footing.

“In my personal life, I’ve always had to work for everything I got,” Wilson said. “Nothing was handed to me.”

Wilson attributes God and his own diligence in preparation for achieving all that he has so far. To Wilson, it’s all about getting in the right mindset.

Feeling the game

Since high school, Wilson has gotten himself in the “basketball mindset” before every game by watching and supporting the women’s team — a routine he learned from his father in middle school.

“As an eighth grader, I pulled up to a game wearing slides and had my earphones in. I had a bad game that day,” Wilson said. “My dad asked me if I knew what the problem was.”

The problem was that Wilson wasn’t showing up prepared to play basketball, according to his father.

“This is something you take seriously,” Wilson’s father said. “You didn’t show up prepared. Hear the sounds, hear the whistles, the shoes squeak, the net swish, the cheers. Feel the game.”

“Ever since then,” Wilson said, “you’ll rarely catch me wearing slides before my games. I put on my sneakers and try to keep listening to music to a minimum.”

Season aspirations

Locked in with eyes on the prize this season, Wilson is ready to help the Jets make it to the MIAA tournament — a feat last year’s squad narrowly missed due to tiebreakers.

“I want to bring some hardware back and put myself in Newman’s history books,” Wilson said. “I think the MIAA is more wide open this year than it’s ever been.”

Having had success with ELAC and OCU, Wilson knows having a cohesive team is the key to success, and he believes the current Jets roster has some all-conference level talent to help get them there.

“Being an all-conference team comes at the expense of winning,” Wilson said. “My first priority is to make sure we are a winning squad.”

A successful team has reliable teammates and coaches you can trust, which is exactly what Wilson knows he can be.

“I want to be a person that my coach can rely on down the stretch,” Wilson said. “If he says, ‘I need this guy to play 40 minutes, I need him on the floor,’ I want to be that guy.”

Etched in ink

Navigating life’s hurdles hasn’t been easy for Wilson, but his life experiences so far have turned him into the person and athlete he is today — a reminder that Wilson has etched onto his left shoulder.

The tattoo reads: “In life we all suffer, but I will find my way through the darkness.”

“All of these hurdles were possibly things that could make or break a person,” Wilson said. “I was blessed with a gift to endure all these struggles. This piece is connected to a part of me that got through some dark times.”

On the inside of the bicep of the same arm, he also has a tattoo of a Wilson basketball — referring to both his love for basketball and his own last name.