Schuler Sets a School Three-Pont Shooting Record
By Matt Florjancic ‘07
BEREA, OHIO -– Baldwin-Wallace College sophomore guard Brendan Schuler has always been able to shoot. It is becoming very evident that Schuler knows what to do with the basketball when he gets it in his hands.
Last Saturday (Dec. 10) when B-W defeated Ohio Athletic Conference rival Muskingum College, 98-86, in the Lou Higgins Center in Berea, Schuler made his first three three-pointers. The three triples gave Schuler a B-W school-record with 13 straight over his past three games.
The streak started in a 75-72 loss to eighth-ranked Albion (Mich.) College in the championship game of the Allegheny (Pa.) College Tournament on November 27. After a one-of-three first half from beyong the arc, Schuler canned all six of his second half attempts en route to a career-high 24-point effort, including his final trey to give B-W a short-lived, 72-70 lead.
On December 3 at OAC rival Otterbein College, Schuler canned all eight of his shots from the floor, including all four of his three’s, en route to scoring 22 markers in a 102-77 victory. That gave him 10 in a row. Schuler then made his first three attempts in last Saturday’s win versus Muskingum to give him the record of 13 in a row. The streak ended when Schuler had to launch a triple late in the first half when he got the ball with three seconds left on the shot clock and had to launch it.
Schuler, an 19-year-old native of Fairview Park, has been playing the game since he can remember.
“My parents tell me when I was a baby, I always had a ball in my hands,” said Schuler, who has led the 18th-ranked Yellow Jackets to a 6-1 record prior to playing at Ohio Northern University on December 14. “It was just something I did at an early age. Then I started playing in leagues in the third grade.”
It was in one of these leagues where Schuler met current B-W teammate and senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference shooting guard Keith Aufmuth (Brooklyn).
“Brendan can really shoot it,” said Aufmuth, who enters the ONU game with 813 career points. “We knew when he came into the program last year as a freshman that it would take a little time for him to adjust to the college game. But the end of last year, he was really making a huge contribution.
“Now, this season, Brendan is on fire,” continued Aufmuth. “His shooting ability adds a whole different dimension for our opponents to defend.”
“Brendan has improved a great deal from his freshman to sophomore seasons,” said Head Coach Steve Bankson, the winningest coach in B-W history with 371 wins entering the ONU clash.
“As a freshman, Brendan imroved throughout the season and began playing well in the OAC and NCAA tournaments,” continued Bankson. “He has continued that progress this season, and it is making a difference for our basketball team.”
After seven games, Schuler is second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game, grabs 3.3 rebounds per game and is first with 28 assists. He is shooting 62.7 percent from the floor overall, canning 32-of-51 total shots, and leads the OAC from three-point range by canning 23-of-37 attempts for 62.2 percent. In addition, Schuler has made nine-of-12 foul shots for 75 percent and has three steals and a blocked shot.
Individually, Schuler was named as the Most Valuable Player in the season-opening Westminster (Pa.) College Tournament, was tabbed to the all-tournament team at Allegheny and was the OAC Player of the Week for his efforts in the win versus Otterbein.
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Prior to coming to B-W, Schuler was a standout at Fairview High School of the Southwestern Conference. While in the Scarlet & Gray of the Warriors, Schuler was a two-sport athlete. He participated in basketball and football for Fairview and earned three varsity letters in each sport. Along with earning school honors, Schuler put up some amazing statistics.
As a senior, Schuler poured in 20.2 points and handed out 5.6 assists per game. He netted a career-high 39 points in one game. Also, he connected on a team-high and school-record nine triples in one contest.
These statistics were enough to garner the 5’11’’ Schuler several awards.
During his junior year of basketball, Schuler was tabbed as a first-team All-SWC and All-District player. He was also an honorable mention All-Ohio selection. As a senior, Schuler was once again named to the first-team All-SWC and All-District squads and earned third-team All-Ohio accolades.
As a member of the football team, Schuler was second-team All-Conference and Fairview’s Most Valuable Player. He received these honors as a junior and again as a senior.
Schuler was happy with the awards he received, but was happier with the success of the team.
“I didn’t really focus on the awards too much,” said Schuler. “I was glad with what the team accomplished.”
Schuler’s Fairview basketball career ended with a long playoff run.
“My basketball career ended on a high note when my team went the farthest we have ever gone,” Schuler stated. “We lost in the District Championship to Warrensville Heights, but the whole city was there. We [the members of the team] got our pictures on the Wall of Fame.”
Schuler’s athletic prowess caught the attention of the Baldwin-Wallace College coaching staff.
“We recruited Brendan as a junior and senior,” said Bankson. “We saw him play a lot in the Southwestern Conference and we knew he was a good player.”
When choosing a college, Schuler decided to go to B-W, which is near his own backyard.
“When I was looking at going to college and visited a few places, B-W just seemed like the right fit for me,” said Schuler, who is an education major who would like to teach and coach basketball following graduation.. “B-W is pretty close to my house and when I came to visit, I liked the campus.”
When Schuler began to play basketball at B-W, he noticed a vast difference between the high school and college levels.
“It’s a lot quicker in college, so you have to limit your turnovers,” Schuler said. “It’s a lot more physical and faster than the high school game.”
The first time he wore the Brown a& Gold of the Yellow Jackets, he had the freshman jitters.
“I was really nervous because I did not know what to expect,” said Schuler, who averaged 3.7 points per game, including a career-high 12 points in a win against Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University. “I found out very quickly that every team in the OAC is good and that every player competes at a high level.
“I learned a great deal last year, and it is making a big difference in the way I play this year,” continued Schuler, who helped B-W finish 20-9 overall a year ago, win the OA Tournament title with another victory against JCU and advance to the 2005 NCAA Division III Tournament.
“I still love the game of basketball as much as when I was young and first had the ball in my hands.”
He’s also learned what to do with the basketball once it gets in his hands.
Following its game at ONU on Dec. 14, B-W will host OAC rival Capital University in Berea on Dec. 17 and then is idle until Dec. 29 when it travels to Wooster, Ohio to play second-ranked The College of Wooster in the first round of the Mosr Hole Classic at 7:30 p.m.
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