You might not know Brendan Gaines’ name yet but he’s confident you soon will
2023 Berks basketball coverage presented by
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Brendan Gaines knocked down six 3-pointers and scored 29 points in Daniel Boone’s season-opener this season. He drilled five more 3’s the next time out.
After that he noticed opposing defenders creeping up on him, trying to take the 3-point line away. The 6-3 junior wing switched to Plan B, and that’s been working out really well.
“I realized that I had to start getting to the hole more,” said Gaines. “I tried to start getting more aggressive. I knew that (defensive attention) was gonna come after hitting those shots (the first few games). I was working all summer on attacking the basket. I feel that’s really helped me a lot.”
Gaines has used his ability to score at all three levels to challenge for the league scoring title and elevate the Blazers, who struggled mightily his first two seasons. They didn’t win a game his freshman season and ended last season with 17 straight losses.
It’s been a different ballgame this season. He’s averaging 19.9 points per game, second in the league to Reading High’s Yadiel Cruz (20.5), and has helped the Blazers win six of their first 13 games. That’s more wins that the program had over the past three seasons combined.
Gaines scored a game-high 23 points Wednesday as the Blazers held on for a 54-52 non-league win over visiting Wyomissing. He hit a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter that sparked a 9-0 run and gave his team enough of a cushion to hang on for a rare one-possession win.
“This is the first close, close game (we’ve had) like that,” he said. “We held our ground and did what we had to do. Last year we had a rough season. We’ve really been picking it up (this year). We said, let’s stay positive and keep going, and now we’re getting wins. The culture’s definitely changed here since last year.”
Gaines, of course, has been the central figure in that turnaround. He provides the Blazers with a consistent scorer, a strong rebounder – he’s averaging six per game – and some length on the defensive end, where he can alter shots.
He runs the floor well, has court vision and the knack for finding open teammates under the basket.
“Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are,” said Boone coach Craig Tranovich. “He’s starting to understand more about the system and his (basketball) IQ has (increased), and it shows.”
Gaines worked throughout the spring and summer with Tranovich and his father, Michael Gaines, an assistant coach on his PMT Warriors AAU team, on improving his footwork and getting to the basket. It’s paying off.
After hitting 9-of-10 free throws Wednesday he’s shooting 80 percent from the foul line. He leads the league in both free throws (60) and free throw attempts (75).
“My dad always tells me: ‘You’ve gotta get to the line. If your shot’s feeling off and you can get to the line, you can get some rhythm at the free throw line,’ ” Gaines said. “I’ve definitely worked on that with him, and at practice Coach has really been harping on that.”
“I constantly remind him, that’s a 99-100 percent score for you,” Tranovich said of free throws. “That’s gotta be a part of his game, to facilitate the ‘3.’
“His athleticism, his ability to get to the basket, is his biggest attribute. That opens up for his 3, allows him to have more cushion to get that shot off.”
“I knew that was going to be a big part of my game (this season),” Gaines said of attacking the basket. “After my sophomore year, people know me as a shooter. I know I had a reputation for that, so I needed to switch it up and be able to get to the basket more.”
Even with his growing success at the line the three-ball remain Gaines’ favorite shot. With his smooth release and his range, you can understand why.
With the clock winding down in the first half Wednesday he seemed in no rush to get to the 3-point line as he dribbled the seconds down at midcourt. Then, with just under two seconds left, he used a screen from Harrison Delissaint and calmly let fly a 27-footer. It beat the buzzer and sent the Blazers into halftime tied, and with momentum.
“I hit that same shot at BC,” Gaines explained later with a smile, “so I had the confidence to shoot that.”
Gaines hit 46 3-pointers as a freshman and 45 last season. He leads the league this season with 35 in 13 games.
By the end of the season he could own the program record for career 3’s (143, by Duane Barbon, from 1988-92); he already has 126.
He should also top 1,000 career points and will enter next season with a chance to surpass Emil Washkho’s program scoring record of 1,482 points, which has been on the books for more than 40 years. With another 128 points he’ll become Boone’s first 1,000-point in 16 years.
The points Gaines scores are legit. He’s going against Berks Catholic and Exeter twice each season in Berks II play and against Berks I powers Reading High, Wilson, and Muhlenberg once per year in crossover games.
He relishes those opportunities. He was excited to have the chance to go head-to-head the past two seasons with Reading High’s Ruben Rodriguez, a two-time All-State pick.
“It was so amazing,” he said. “I knew that Ruben was a D1 player, so I was like: ‘Oh yeah, I get to go against a D1 player.’ That’s one of my goals, so I know that I have to play guys like that in order to get to that level. It was definitely something I always looked forward to. I was never shy about that opportunity.
“I love it, because I know we’re playing the best of the best. Everybody’s talking about them; you know there’s gonna be people at those games. I know that I really have to work hard (and) keep my teammates positive at all times and really raise the intensity, especially if we start to go down, I’ve got to make sure I get the team back on track and try to lead the best I can.”
Gaines would be a top scorer playing with any of the league’s best teams. His older brother Michael transferred from Boone and played one season at Berks Catholic but Brendan says he’s perfectly content playing at Boone with the guys he grew up with.
“We’ve been talking about this team since seventh grade,” he said. “These guys are like brothers to me. I knew (I was) going to stay here, build with these guys. We have the chemistry. We were really young the last few years, now we’re starting to catch up. I know we’re going to be strong next year and the end of this year.”
Gaines isn’t as well-known as the league’s other top players but he believes that will soon change.
“It’s definitely something that I’ve thought about, but I know all the hard work from this team is going to pay off,” he said, “and if we keep working and keep winning we’re gonna earn that respect from other people. The best way to earn respect is to go out here and beat these big teams and try to get the king of the hill.”
