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The 6-foot-5 junior, a graduate of Pleasantville High School, felt he was too one-dimensional and, as a result, easy to guard.
Bramswig has raised his game to a higher level this year. He leads the Valiants in scoring, at 17.6 points per game, and rebounding, at 11.1 per game. More important, Bramswig is the leader for a young Manhattanville team that is 8-9 on the season.
Bramswig was a starter his first two years, but he felt that he was relying too much on his athleticism and not developing as a player.
“Last year I would be on the perimeter and guys would give me a 5-foot cushion, and that would clog up everything,” said Bramswig, a double major in elementary education and history. “I definitely wanted to become more versatile.”
Bramswig spent countless hours working on his perimeter game as well as hitting the weights. He has added about 15 pounds since last year. That has made it even more difficult for opponents to guard him down low and box him out on rebounds.
“In high school, I think I made two 3-pointers and was 0 for 1 in my first two years here,” said Bramswig, a former all-section player for Pleasantville. “This year I’ve made 14. I wanted people to respect my jump and I also wanted to penetrate off the dribble. I’ve also developed a post game.”
Through his off-season work, Bramswig almost doubled his scoring average from last year, when he scored 9.2 points a game. He has 10 double-doubles, including a career-high 41 points and 17 rebounds against D’Youville College in Buffalo.
Putting his statistics aside, Bramswig has focused on his leadership this season. He said the team graduated eight seniors, leaving Bramswig and two other returning players who saw playing time last year. There are no seniors on the current team.
“I have the most experience on the team, so I feel that I have to outwork everyone on the team,” Bramswig said. “By working hard, this sets the tone for the team and in a game.”
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