“It’s completely different from last year… It’s something special, I don’t think anyone on the team really knows what it is, but… it’s crazy” Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball guard Sydni Brandon said.
This season has been nothing short of special for the Mavericks and Brandon is a testament to that. Growing up in Grand Junction, Brandon has been playing basketball since she was five years old, and it shows on the court, especially this season. The junior guard graduated from Grand Junction High School and during her time as a GJHS Tiger, she was awarded Academic All-State, broke and still holds the record for career steals.
This season for CMU, she leads the team in steals and is second in the Rocky Mountian Athletic Conference. She is also second in the entire nation for turnovers to steals ratio.
After high school, Brandon played for the Skyhawks at Fort Lewis College her freshman year. Since transferring to Colorado Mesa University, she has continued improving her game to become one of the elite players in the starting five.
During the 2017-2018 season, Brandon was on the bench for the majority of the year, but as time progressed she was on the court more and more each game. This year, however, is a completely different story. The 5’7” player is the starting point guard. Her dedication to the game and to practice made her a shoo-in for the position.
“In pre-season… leading up to that first week of our first game I said I’m just going to go with Sydni,” Head Coach Taylor Wagner said. “In practice, she was more consistent than anybody, and I wanted to get out and push the ball this year and that is something she does really well and all the other intangible things she does as well.”
On the team, Brandon’s nickname is the ‘Energizer Bunny’. She constantly brings so much energy and fun, not only in games but also in practice. The energy transfers from the locker room to the bench and all the way onto the court.
“I’m just bouncing off the walls, even when I’m not in practice, no matter where I’m at,” Brandon said. “I just feel like no matter the situation, you’ve got to have fun, even if you’re not having the best day. You can drag it on and kind of be down, but that’s not who I am. No matter what I’m going through I’m always crazy.”
Bringing that energy and spirit to the team not only makes her a better player, but it also makes her a valuable teammate. Brandon brings that spirit to each game, and the energy is infectious. Mix that with the rambunctious cheering crowds at Brownson and it’s the perfect combination a winning recipe.
“Sydni’s not just the motor for herself, but she’s the motor for the team and I think she gets other people to play hard. She plays hard all the time. She has one speed and leaves it all out there.” Wagner said.
So far this year, Brandon is averaging 6.7 points per game and leads the team in rebounds per game (7.0) and steals per game (2.5).
CMU currently has three more regular season games at Brownson before the RMAC Tournament which they are looking to host. The Mavericks have not won the RMAC regular season or RMAC Tournament Championship since 2014.
