Local Product Jordon Bronnor, A Product Of His Environment, Finds Success At UNH

Jordon Bronner hails from a tight-knit, athletic family which has left their fingerprints on Sleepy Hollow/Westchester-area athletics.

His cousin, Tony Taylor, has evolved into one of the top guards in the Atlantic-10 at George Washington. His other cousin, L.J. Garrant, shouldered the role of defensive stopper under Tony Baxter on Sleepy Hollow's Varsity basketball team this season.

Shaping Bronner, who made an immediate impact as the starting point guard for the injury-depleted Wildcats, was an ultra-athletic older brother (Trent Bronner) and a basketball philosophist father (Carl Bronner) who has preached souped-up, high-horsepower offense and tight end-to-end defense.

If you get invited to a Bronner family barbeque, bringing a Spalding basketball might just get you a freshly-cooked burger.

Basketball absorbs Bronner, who scored 13 points against Boston University and NBA draft hopeful John Holland at the tail end of the 2010-2011 campaign.

"Growing up in Sleepy Hollow was a plus for me," explained Bronner, who had family and former Iona Prep standouts Brian Voelkel and Sleepy Hollow's Sandro Carissimo, pushing his development.

"I had all the sources to become a good basketball player right there in front of me. I say this because I grew up with older brothers and cousins who were always around the game. I remember playing pick up games with them while I was young and my older cousins picking me up on their team. My dad always use to work me, my older brother Trent, and anyone who wanted to come every Saturday morning behind my building.   That's when I really fell in love with the game. I would say my AAU coach, Butch Graves, and my father helped mold me as a player."

Graves, the former NBA player who starred at Yale and coaches the Weschester Hawks AAU program served as Bronner's advisor during the recruitment period his senior year. First, it seemed as if Monmouth of the Northeast Conference would win over Bronner, who garnered America East All-Rookie team honors this season. Then, Prep School came into view as an option. New Hampshire came calling and presented the 6-foot-1 Bronner with the opportunity to play meaningful minutes from the get-go. They were sold on Bronner's ability to make plays, slash, and knock down his patented pull-up jumper. They were also in need of another point guard.

Bronner, operating offense for a UNH squad bitten by a spate of injuries, boasted a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. Bronner set the table for potent scorers. He dished out 32 dimes (with just 12 turnovers) during a nine-game span.

Bronner describes the jump from high school to the Division-I level as an immense leap.

"It was a tougher transition, more so mentally than physically," said Bronner. The only physical (adjustment) for me was just, everyone's bodies were more mature than mine .Picking up the game speed wasn't as hard because I'm use to playing with Brian and Sandro and we're just use to running. I will say, mentally it was hard because you really have to be focused and it's a longer season than high school."

Bronner averaged 12 points and four assists at Iona Prep. He helped lead the team to a 25-win senior his senior year. He won a Catholic State Championship his junior year.

At Prep, Bronner created a three-headed monster with the aforementioned Voelkel and Carissimo. The trio worked out religiously and cohesively pushed each other.

"We made workouts fun," said Bronner. "Waking up at 5 AM everyday before school. Most people won't see waking up at 5 AM fun but we did it because we all were trying to accomplish the same thing, which was a Division-I scholarship. We use to race up The hill by Washington Irving and run down to the Tappan Zee bridge. We all just pushed each other so no one was slacking."