March 29, 2024

Former Mustang Myers to be inducted into IHSAA hoops HOF

Former PCM Mustang Brandon Myers spent eight seasons in the National Football League. But he may have been a better basketball player in high school.

“I think he was the best player in the entire state his senior year,” PCM boys’ basketball coach Fred Lorensen said. “He was really good at football, but I think he was better at basketball in high school.”

Myers was a standout tight end for the University of Iowa. And his eight NFL seasons were spent in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers, in New York with the Giants and in Oakland with the Raiders.

But he left PCM as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Myers guided the Mustangs to the school’s only state basketball championship and played in four state tournaments.

For his efforts, he will be inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Basketball Hall of Fame this week. The induction will take place during halftime of the Class 3A state championship game on Friday night.

“I hadn’t thought about it really, but I am obviously grateful,” Myers said. “It was unexpected, but it’s exciting. It’s a good phone call to get.”

He scored 2,198 points and grabbed 850 rebounds at PCM, which both still sit No. 1 in school history.

The Mustangs were 27-0 during Myers’ senior season and they won the Class 2A state championship in 2004 after a 58-57 overtime win over Fort Dodge St. Edmond. Myers scored 90 points and grabbed 42 rebounds in the three state tournament games and was named the captain of the all-tournament team.

“We were so close to winning it all the previous three seasons,” Myers said. “Everyone on the team had a role and we knew our roles. We really gelled that season.”

Coach Lorensen nominated Myers for the Hall of Fame. The IHSAA announced last week that Myers’ Hall of Fame class also includes Matt Gatens, Glen Worley, Kerwin Dunham, Jordan Eglseder, Casey Harriman, Cortez McGhee and Jake Wenig.

The coaches going into the IHSAA Hall of Fame include Bobby Sandquist, Russ Banzhaf, Tim Bell, Mark Bigler and Dan Correy.

“I was very grateful to have had Coach Lorensen in my life,” Myers said, “He saw something in me. The coaching staff pushed me to the next level.”

Career scoring and career rebounding are not the only school records Myers still owns today. His 710 points and 248 rebounds are both single-season school records. He also has single-season school records in dunks (43), made field goals (268) and free throws attempted (175) in one season.

Myers averaged 26.3 points per game during his senior season. He hit eight 3-pointers in one game, which is still tied with Todd Lorensen for most in a single game.

Todd Lorensen was one of his best friends, which meant Myers spent a lot of time with his high school basketball coach outside of practice and games.

“Coach Lorensen means a lot to me,” Myers said. “Todd and I were really close. Coach drove us to camps all the time. Whenever we were together, it was all basketball.”

Fred Lorensen echoed Myers’ feelings off the court. And Myers and Todd weren’t the only two members of their families who were close. Their sisters were close friends, too.

“We were around each other a lot,” Fred Lorensen said. “I had a real nice relationship with him.”

Myers was a four-year starter who played on four state tournament teams. The Mustangs were fourth in 2001 and 2002 and lost in the first round on a last-second shot in 2003.

The Mustangs were 91-17 during Myers’ four-year career. PCM finished under .500 the season before Myers arrived.

He earned all-state second team honors by the Iowa Newspaper Association and the Des Moines Register as a sophomore. He was a first-team all-state selection by the INA as a junior and a senior and was a first-team selection by the Register as a senior.

The Des Moines Register picked him as a second-team all-state pick as a junior.

“He was a lot of fun to watch,” Coach Lorensen said. “He started right away for us. He was a really good combo player.”

The decision to choose football over basketball after high school was difficult for Myers.

Basketball was his first love but football offered him a better opportunity to play professionally.

“I grew up on a farm, and I could practice basketball whenever I wanted to,” Myers said. “I played on a lot of travel teams with Martin Brothers. I went to a Nike Camp in Indianapolis and attempted to guard Chris Paul. My roommate was Adam Morrison and Lebron James played there, too. I kind of figured out there that I wouldn’t be good enough to play beyond college.”

Lorensen said the Steve Alford-led Iowa Hawkeyes had interest in Myers starting in his freshman season. Myers said he also had interest from Cal-Poly, Hawaii and North Dakota.

“Steve Alford’s dad was recruiting him with Iowa and he told me he thought Brandon was the best player in his class as a freshman,” Lorensen said. “Then they backed off and the football offers started to come.”

Myers will make his way back to Iowa for the Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday. The 3A title game is scheduled to tip off at 6:35 p.m.

Myers currently resides in Arizona. He’s been married to his wife Ashlee for five years. The couple will be joined on the court at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines by their 2-year-old son Carson.