Anders Broman settling in at Winthrop

Anders Broman likes to start his day with a bowl of oatmeal and a protein shake, and of course some 3-pointers.

The Winthrop redshirt junior guard came to the school in the summer of 2016 with a long distance assassin’s reputation. That profile didn’t stem from his two years at South Dakota State where he hit just 19 triples in limited action before deciding to transfer, but rather from his high school days. He’s the all-time leading scorer in Minnesota high school hoops history but didn’t resemble that in his first five games for Winthrop. Broman started each of those games but made just 5 of 21 from beyond the arc.

“You have that sit-out year it’s just not the same as playing under those bright lights. It just takes a while to adjust,” said Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey. “But he’s definitely coming on. Good things happen to those that work the hardest. I don’t think I’ve ever been around a player that’s as driven and works as hard and puts in the hours that he does.”

Broman didn’t forget how to shoot. In his first performance coming off the bench he banked in a 3 to beat Furman in overtime, and in the 17 games since he’s been a snappy passer and 44 percent 3-point shooter.

“The coaches just said they wanted to give me a different look because I wasn’t shooting the ball the best then,” said Broman. “I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win, and keep winning and get on a roll here headed into March.”

Broman is an exercise science major and would like to phase into skill development training after his playing days wrap up. Like any good shooter, he’s a technician and he and his younger brother, Winthrop sophomore Bjorn, are already training high school kids back in Duluth during the summers.

The elder Broman is also a diligent worker outside of practice, constantly meeting with assistant coaches and team managers at the Coliseum or West Center to hone his shooting craft. That might mean 30 minutes of repetitive 3-pointers, or an hour shooting off screens. Every Monday he shoots with assistant coach Marty McGillan at 7:30 a.m. before class.

“I like to get my workouts done in the morning. Get it done, get a great start to your day,” Broman said.

The Broman brothers’ reputation as two of Minnesota’s greatest prep basketball scorers is a valuable commodity in establishing a future clientele to train, but in college basketball their video game numbers at Lakeview Christian Academy have often created unrealistic expectations.

“That’s one of the misconceptions about Bjorn,” said Anders, who played with his brother for two years in high school. “We played for such a small school that for us to have any success we needed to score a lot. But growing up, he never really was a scorer. But he was good on defense and could set up others. People kind of forget about that because they look at his high school numbers.”

Anders Broman came to Winthrop initially as a walk-on, picking up a scholarship when Joseph Lopez decided to transfer. A year and a half later, he’s been a valuable piece for a Winthrop team trying to replace some of the scoring and long distance shooting that left with Jimmy Gavin. In somewhat of a surprise, both Bromans have been exceptionally solid on defense.

“They’re not gonna wow anybody at a 40-yard dash meet or with their vertical leap,” said Kelsey. “Those cats give their heart and soul on every possession.”

But shooting is still the meat of Anders Broman’s game. He’s 11 for 20 from 3-point range in his last five games and has a 122.4 offensive rating in conference play, seventh-best in the Big South. He’s comfortable at Winthrop, which was evident during Friday’s practice when he fed post players for dunks and flicked in 3-pointers that made the net exhale like a freshly opened soft drink.

“I feel good, back to normal,” Broman said while lacing up his shoes before practice.

This story was originally published February 3, 2017 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Anders Broman settling in at Winthrop."