At the young age of 10, Aiden Brunel was mesmerized at what Lebron James could do on the basketball court.
As one of the greatest players to ever play the game, James is a reason why so many young boys and girls decide to play basketball and that is the exact case for the Ste. Rose grade 10 athlete
"Just to see all of those guys develop their games and get better, it's awesome to see," said Brunel. "As soon as I started watching a game on TV, I had to get involved."
Now years later, Brunel continues to take big steps on the court with each season that passes. This season was the young man's best on the court. With the Ste. Rose Celtics junior varsity team, Aiden helped the Celtics win the Carman tournament and they also won the Zone 8 championships which was followed up with an impressive interzone victory over Hamiota which earned them a berth to the provincial championships.
"There was a lot of improvement throughout the year for our group," said Brunel. "Our coach Nathan Zadorozny did a great job at pushing us and helping us improve. We had some guys that had never played the game, so we grew a lot throughout the year, it was a really fun year."
Aiden dominated his opponents this year averaging 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists per game.
"I thought my game improved drastically over the year, I just started to click," offered Brunel. "It was a really fun team to be a part of and I wouldn't have improved my statistics without my teammates pushing me and being right by my side every single step of the way."
Led by Brunel, the team was in Winnipeg over the weekend to wrap up their season at the provincials. While they came up short against Green Valley and Margaret Barbour, it was an experience that Aiden will never forget. After all, it was the first time that a basketball team from Ste. Rose had qualified for the provincials.
"It was awesome, one of the best events that I had ever been to before," said Brunel. "We wanted to make a name for Ste. Rose and show what we could do. We tried to hold our own and set an example for Ste. Rose and what the future has to come."
Now that the high school season has come to an end, Brunel will focus on other high school sports that he will take part in including badminton. With that said, Brunel will always make sure there is a basketball close, and when the snow is off the ground, he will continue to work on his game at the new outdoor court in Ste. Rose. This is on top of spending plenty of time putting up shots in the school's gym.
"It's awesome to have our new outdoor court, I will be training a lot and it will keep everyone warmed up," offered Brunel. "It's great for the community and it will help our basketball team for years to come."
Brunel's days as a member of the junior varsity team also ended with a bang as the grade 10 student-athlete was named a Dairy Farmers Athlete of the Week. Aiden was shocked to find out he was a winner of the province-wide award.
"I was honoured and so surprised that I had won, there are so many great players around the province that are eligible to win," ended Brunel. "It's a great feeling to know that all of the hardwork that I have and continue to put in is paying off."
On top of being an elite athlete, Aiden also puts great focus into his studies with an academic average of 84%.
