Meet Brandon John – Student, Athlete and Recruiting Director of ARS
Brandon John is the recruiting director of ARS (Athlete Recruiting Service). Brandon is currently a business finance student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, presently in his senior year. Brandon is also a former D1 athlete. Coach Mom invited Brandon to be a part of the ARS project in February of 2021. Coach Mom provided Brandon with recruitment guidance through his years at prep school and is one of Coach Mom’s biggest success stories. Brandon’s prior athletic and recruitment experience made him a perfect candidate for the position and he was eager to help other student-athletes on their basketball journey.
As an athlete, Brandon began his sports career at the age of 10, playing basketball and ball hockey. This was when he developed a passion for basketball. Brandon loved basketball because it taught him how to be a leader and how to be self-disciplined. He also adored how he could travel across North America, doing what he loves. Brandon knew if he succeeded in basketball he could ease the financial burden on his parents, in hopes of achieving a scholarship. Brandon created many relationships while playing basketball and still remains friends with some players from his earliest basketball days.
Brandon started taking his basketball career seriously in grade 8. His height made him stand out from his opponents and helped to get the attention from on-looking coaches and scouts. In grade 8 Brandon started playing on CIA Bounce and was then pushed up to the A-team in grade 9. CIA Bounce was one of the top teams in North America for 4 years. In grade 10 Brandon won the gold-medal with Team Ontario in the provincial championship. He was also an alternate on Team Canada. Before his freshman year of university, he also attended the Signature All-Canadian Showcase.
In grade 11, Brandon was finally placed into a prep school and between all of his years at prep school and AAU, Brandon gained 12 full D1 scholarship offers. In Brandon’s post grad year, he went to dunk on a member of the opposing team and landed incorrectly, severely injuring his hip and putting him out for the rest of the season. During his time out, he committed to the University of Illinois at Chicago. While preparing for his college debut he injured his knee. This resulted in two surgeries and Brandon received the unimaginable news that his playing career was over. Brandon knew basketball had to take a backseat in his life, which was a devastating realization that he learned to overcome and change for the better.
Despite this setback, Brandon still succeeded in his studies and helped train student-athletes. Brandon joined the Portfolio Management Team (PMT) and was sector leader in his junior year. Each summer when he returned from school he trained young student-athletes to improve their basketball skills. After his first year back, Brandon helped coach his younger brother Dawson, helping him land both D1 and Junior College basketball offers. Brandon trained Dawson to improve his playing skills and overall strength and after a summer of hard work, Dawson accepted his offer to a college in Texas. Brandon also likes to train local players to improve their shooting accuracy, cardio level and overall basketball abilities. ARS became an amazing opportunity for Brandon because he knew he could take his passion for basketball and use it to guide other student-athletes, just like he has done before.
Written by: Katie Marchut
