KSC Men’s Basketball Captain Octavio Brito was awarded the Basketball Writers Association national division three player of the week on November 26 in the early Owls season.
Keene State’s men’s basketball team is off to another successful start following their trip to the sweet 16 in the previous season. Their only loss this season is against the sixteenth round Tufts University with the majority of the season yet to play.
A major piece of that success is credited to senior guard Octavio Brito. The senior is currently fifth in the Little East Conference (LEC) in scoring, and leads the pack in assists. Throughout the week that Brito received the award, he averaged 28.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, a double-double. Head Coach Steven Enright said he understands that Brito’s success does not come easily, or with any help from a luck standpoint.
“He’s [Brito] different from your regular guy in the sense that he’s a talented guy, but he’s not the only talented guy out there. He’s got a different level of work rate than your ordinary guy, in the gym constantly, watching films constantly and is talking to me about our team and schemes constantly. All of that makes him deserving of an award like this,” Enright said.
Brito leads the conference in assists, which means his teammates are making those shots. The senior said he understands what his team has means to his success, and is quick to recognize their efforts when receiving a national award.
“I need to give credit to the team because this doesn’t happen without them and the support of the coaches,” Brito said. “It is definitely a team award because this couldn’t have happened without their help.”
The season is still quite young with a majority of the Owls’ games still to be played. For some, though, the early recognition may create a complacent attitude following such success. Enright said he feels that Brito will not encounter this problem and will instead keep striving for future goals.
“He’s a driven guy, and there are a lot of things he has accomplished along with many things he is looking forward to accomplish,” Enright said. “He has goals to win player of the year, first-team All-American, and has an opportunity to break records here. He has a desire to play basketball professionally beyond here, and I think all of those things are attainable for him.”
The Owls will continue their season with all eyes on arriving at the national championship game in March. The squad has been knocked out at the sweet 16 level for the last two years, with Brito playing in both years. Brito says that he will accept the award, but that he and his teammates have bigger plans for the season.
“We can’t let it get to our heads. We have to stay focused because that’s not the goal we want, we want the national championship. We will take the award while on our way to our actual goal and just keep staying consistent in what we are doing,” Brito said.
Brito and Keene State Men’s Basketball will travel to Southern Maine University on December 14 to play their conference opponent. The USBWA releases the division three player of the week on their website every Tuesday.
Jacob Enscoe can be contacted at
jenscoe@kscequinox.com
