Boys’ basketball: The journey of former Loyola forward Brendan Boken leads to All-America team

Brendan Boken is going to be used as the example of how a high school basketball player’s perseverance and correct choice of college can lead to success.

Four years ago, the 6-foot-6 Boken was the sixth man on a very good Loyola High team that lost twice to eventual state champion Santa Ana Mater Dei in the playoffs. Among the Cubs’ players were Thomas Welsh (UCLA), Julian Harrell (Pennsylvania), Parker Jackson-Cartwright (Arizona), Trey Mason (Arizona), Jacob Hazzard (Arizona) and Max Hazzard (UC Irvine).

Boken chose to attend the University of Scranton, an NCAA Division III school. And he became a star. He helped Scranton make the NCAA tournament three times and scored a school-record 1,911 points over four seasons as a starter.

He was named the Landmark Conference player of the year this season, averaging 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds. This week, he was named on the D3hoops All-America team.

Not bad for someone who scored fewer than 150 points in his Loyola varsity career. He’s set to graduate with a degree in finance.

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