From the bench to the basket
After his final season of high school basketball, Brendan Casper didn’t have any offers from Division I colleges or universities. Sure, he had offers from Division II colleges in the Philadelphia area, but something was telling him that he should attend a Division I school.
Casper, now a senior, had applied to Saint Joseph’s University his sophomore year of high school and received an academic scholarship. Casper weighed his options on which school to attend, and he got a little help from St. Joe’s men’s basketball Head Coach Phil Martelli.
Martelli had coached Casper’s father, Rob Casper, at Bishop Kenrick Catholic High School.
“I’ve stayed in touch with Rob Casper for a long time, and wanted to be as transparent and honest with them as we could be,” Martelli said. “We explained to them what the role of a walk-on would be compared to going to a Division II school, or a Division III school and scoring a lot of points.”
Casper fell in love when he visited St. Joe’s, so hearing that he could walk on the team made his decision an easy one.
“I got a nice academic scholarship here and it was a nice opportunity, and when Coach told me I could walk on, I jumped all over it,” Casper said. “I loved the school here—I love being close to home, I love the tradition they have here. I grew up watching the Big 5 and wanted to be a part of it, so it was a no-brainer for me once I had the opportunity to come.”
Because Casper was a preferred walkon, he got to meet the rest of the team during his first day on campus. He became acquainted with the team fairly quickly, although he said it was still an adjustment period for him.
The team during Casper’s freshman year had strong senior leadership, including current New Orleans Pelicans guard Langston Galloway, ’14 and Turkish Basketball Super League forward Ronald Roberts, Jr., ’14.
“Freshman year, coming into senior leadership, a senior leader team, we won a championship, went to the NCAA Tournament,” Casper said. “That was just an unbelievable experience. For me, that was my first time doing it all, so I was just in awe of everything.”
Casper saw a considerable increase in playing time his sophomore year: He had played in eight games for a total of 15 minutes his first year, and played in 23 games for a total of 108 minutes in the 2014-15 season.
Casper scored 31 points that season, grabbed 33 rebounds, and added five assists and six steals. Casper said he enjoyed being able to play in so many games his sophomore season. His hard work and dedication had an effect on the rest of the team as well.
Mike Booth, currently a junior, had joined the team as a walk-on that season, and believes that Casper’s role on the team was inspirational for all of the players.
“He showed that if you work hard, you can earn minutes and find a spot,” Booth said. “You’re labeled as a walk-on, but you’re a basketball player and if you go out and play, there’s a spot for you out there. He really gives everyone on the team hope that if you work hard you can get out there, make a difference.”
Casper didn’t play as much last season as he had the season before, but he still had an important impact on the team. He was granted an athletic scholarship for the spring semester.
“Last semester, [the scholarship] was a shock to me,” Casper said. “It was right after a team dinner on the road in early January and the team was really happy for me. That was a really, really cool moment for me and my family. I was just happy for my parents because they sacrificed a lot for me to come here. For me to pay them back with that was just tremendous.”
Casper also received an athletic scholarship for the entire 2016-17 academic year. Although he had an idea he might receive the scholarship, he was still grateful, more so for his parents than for himself.
Casper also excels academically, and has been named to the St. Joe’s Athletic Director’s Honor Roll multiple times. He was also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court last year.
“Academics always come first,” Casper said. “At the end of the day here, my basketball career will end in March, but my life won’t, and I’ve got to get a degree and move on and get a job; I’ve accepted that [fact] my whole four years here and I wanted to excel in the classroom. That’s always been my first priority.”
On Sept. 30, SJU Athletics announced that Casper, graduate student Javon Baumann, and sophomore Lamarr Kimble were voted team captains by their teammates. Casper was honored to be voted a captain. Booth was proud of Casper.
“Brendan, he’s one of my best friends,” Booth said. “As a teammate, he’s one of the most hard working guys I know, and he’s earned the position he’s got to as a captain, as a guy that gets minutes in the rotation… He deserves it. He’s a good guy, a good teammate, and he’s a good player too. I was proud of him.”
Booth believes that one of the other reasons his teammates voted Casper a captain was because of his positive attitude and willingness to help others.
“He’s a great guy, he’s a great teammate, and he’s always there for you if you need anything,” Booth said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why we made him captain. You can talk to him, and you know that he’ll talk to Coach effectively and get your message across.”
Martelli had high praise for Casper and hopes that his teammates will be able to learn from the example Casper sets.
“Brendan has a very, very high IQ,” Martelli said. “He has a great work ethic. He’s been banged up in his knee, and he has slowly started to recover and be a guy that you’re not just putting him out there to fill a spot, you’re expecting positive things.”
Martelli sees something special in Casper.
“He’s a basketball player,” Martelli said. “He’s not a walk-on, he’s not a freshman, he’s not a senior, he’s not a captain, he’s a basketball player. And basketball players play.”
From a senior at Methacton High School trying to figure out his future to a senior at Saint Joseph’s University shining in the classroom and leading a Division I basketball team, Casper knows he made the right decision.
“People always told me I could have gone to a smaller school… But, honestly, what I’ve accomplished here in my years and the connections I’ve made and the people I’ve met, I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Casper said.
