EDWARDSVILLE - Senior basketball forward Brennan Weller is off to a fantastic start for the boys basketball team at Edwardsville High School.
In his first two games, Weller scored 46 points, a 26-point effort in the season opener Feb. 6 at Belleville West, and a 20-point game in the home opener Feb. 9 against O'Fallon, helping the Tigers to win their opening games.
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For his efforts on the court, including a very successful junior season, Weller has been named the school's Riverbender.com male Athlete of the Month for February, 2021.
Weller, who plays for head coach Dustin Battas, felt good after the game against the Panthers, and overall, feels good just to be back on the floor with his teammates for the season, which was very much in doubt up until recently, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Yeah, definitely, it feels good," Weller said in a post-game interview that followed the win over O'Fallon. "it already feels good just to be back on the court with all my best friends here, and the fact that we're winning makes it feel that much better."
Weller, as one of the senior on the team, kept his teammate's spirits up during the long delay, although it wasn't very easy at times.
"It was a rough couple of months," Weller said. "Me being one of the seniors this year, I tried to keep everyone hopeful, keep everyone positive just in case we did get that chance, and I'm glad that we did."
Once the resumption of basketball began and the season started, Weller is very grateful to be back playing for the Tigers.
"Yes, sir, I'm real grateful that we have an opportunity to play," Weller said, "especially when things weren't looking too good for a while. We're just trying to make the most out of everything."
The Tigers had great team efforts in both of their wins, and Weller pointed to the team's work ethic in practice, being ready to go every day.
"Yeah, definitely," Weller said. "We come to work hard every single day, no days off. We enjoy playing with each other, we enjoy being around each other, and we just want to continue to grow."
The season is a very limited one this year, with no IHSA state tournament series, but there's still plenty to accomplish this year, and Weller and his teammates will be set to go.
"Really, we're just trying to take it one day at a time," Weller said, "get better each day, get better team chemistry with all the guys and have fun."
The Tigers are determined to keep things going in the right direction and enjoy much success in the 2021 basketball campaign.
"Right, we're just going to keep it rolling," Weller said, "and keep finding success."
Riverbender.com's Athlete of the Month program is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors and the cooperation of our area high schools. This is a great honor and one to be very proud of. Please join us in congratulating the young athlete. We at Riverbender.com wish you continued success in your future!
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