Junior Keene State Men’s Basketball player Octavio Brito has entered the transfer portal with dreams of making it to the big court.
“[I want] to play for overseas, it’s always been a goal of mine,” Brito said. “And then my senior year is next year so one more year until that and so going to a school where I could be in the best position to do that.”
Former Acting Coach David Hastings said it was common for hard-working athletes such as Brito to want to transfer for more opportunities.
“In Division I and Division II, there’s 1,700 student-athletes in the portal, 600 of those are people that are joining for the second, third and fourth time,” Hastings said. “So when you look at a Division III athlete like Octavio, being one of the best players in the country, it would be a disservice to him and his family if he didn’t put himself in the portal.”
According to Brito, other schools have already shown interest in him and he is in the process of exploring those options.
“I got tons of schools and I’m starting to visit some also, but it’s a long process,” Brito said.
Brito reached various milestones during his time as an Owl such as being Little East Conference (LEC) Rookie of the Year in 2022, being on the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List twice and recently being named an All-American by D3hoops.com and the National Association of Basketball Coaches twice.
According to an article published by the Keene Sentinel, Brito is also sixth on KSC’s all-time scoring list with 1,567 points.
Additionally, Brito said the accomplishment of the team making the LEC conference championships was a prominent achievement to him during his career.
“Going three for three, that was a goal of mine and a goal of the team so I’m just proud to do that, I think that’s my primary goal.”
Another set of games that stood out to Brito corresponds with someone he looks up to.
“The first home game of my sophomore year and the first home game of this year… was on my dad’s birthday, he passed two summers ago,” Brito said.
Hastings said Brito brought passion and hard work to every game he played as an Owl, not just the major ones.
“I think what makes him the most unique, especially with our team is he’s an alpha male, he is the most dominant player on the court,” Hastings said. “It’s not about being the best shooter on the court or the biggest kid on the court or the most athletic on the court. His overall game makes him, which is his mentality and his heart to drive him to success.”
Hastings added, “Octavio is the kind of guy that you love his work ethic but he can put a smile on your face really easily. He’s a very genuine person from the heart and it’s special like that.”
Brito views transferring as a door leading to new opportunities where he can apply the skills he has acquired being an Owl.
“I think it’s a brand new start,” Brito said. “We just had a lot of coaching changes. Cain left and now Hastings is going and I think I completed everything I wanted to do in Keene, so it’s just a fresh start.”
When reflecting on his most memorable moments of playing for Keene State, Brito appreciates the relationships he cultivated with his teammates throughout the seasons.
“The best part has been creating the bond with my teammates,” Brito said. “ I felt like I’ve known them forever since playing here. Those are really my brothers.”
KSC President Melinda Treadwell said she hopes Brito will continue pursuing basketball as an Owl for his final year.
“We’re hopeful that we can see a pathway for Octavio here,” Treadwell said. “… [If he transfers], it’ll be a little harder for us to make an NCAA run. I really hope that Octavio will see the ability to compete here gives him the opportunity to be a national leader.”
Nicole Dumont can be contacted at
ndumont@kscequinox.com
