Graduate student Kevin Bryant is in his fourth year of basketball at Newman University. Last semester he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and he is now in his first semester of the MBA program at Newman.
Bryant was born in Ulm, Germany. His father is a U.S. citizen and his mother is German so he has family in both countries. He came to live in the United States in late summer 2013.
When he was 9 years old, Bryant began playing basketball. “I’ve been playing ball for about 14 years. It’s crazy my body is still holding up,” he said jokingly.
His older brother is the main reason he got into basketball. Bryant said, “Whenever he started something, I wanted to do the same sport.”
He also noted his competitive nature, love for travel and desire to experience different things as reasons that drove him to perfect his basketball game.
When considering which university to play basketball at, he decided on Newman for an important reason; during his time at his high school, Sunrise Christian Academy, he realized he would lose his freshman eligibility to play basketball at a university.
“Newman was the school that gave me the feeling they were really trying to get my year of eligibility back,” explained Bryant. “… Their effort, and feeling they cared about me, is what made me choose Newman. It felt like home.”
He describes the team as his family and loves creating lasting bonds during practice, in class, on road trips and during games.
His short-term goals for this basketball season are to win the Heartland Conference and hopefully the Heartland Conference Tournament.
Bryant was recently named Heartland Player of the Week, an honor he has received twice.
He has helped propel the team to a five-game winning streak in the Heartland Conference.
According to the Jets Men’s Basketball page, Bryant achieved a massive double-double, which means he scored double digits in two statistical categories plus a game-high in scoring.
During Newman’s Feb. 8 homecoming game against St. Mary’s, Bryant scored 23 points, made 17 rebounds and had three steals and two assists. A game against Texas A&M International proved to be yet another high point in Bryant’s year, carrying a game-high 14 points and five rebounds.
Once Bryant graduates with his MBA, he plans to travel back to Germany to play in Germany’s first basketball league and hopefully represent his hometown.
