Former Florida A&M Rattler Brandon Bryant is playing professionally for the Velbert Baskets basketball team in Bonn, Germany.
Bryant said he was invited to play for the team after he completed pro camp this summer in Germany. Once the coaches saw his skills, he was asked to play for the team. He has been in Germany for a month and a half.
The 6-foot-3, 185 pound guard transferred from Snead State Community College.
While at Snead State, Bryant led the Parsons in scoring, averaging more than 14 points a game. In the conference play, he averaged 16 points per game.
His former teammate and best friend, Gerald January, is a professional basketball player in Norway. The players met while taking summer classes at Snead State in 2008. He said Bryant was always a hard-worker.
"I remember one morning he woke up at 4:30 a.m. to practice on his handles and we had practice at 6 a.m.," January said. "I got my work ethic and motivation from him."
In 2008, Bryant was one of eight selected for recruitment by FAMU. Among the eight players were Isaac Brown and Dale Hughes.
Brown, a third-year guard from Miami, said he was a true leader and fun to be around.
"Brandon was a comedian, but on the court he was all about business," Brown said. "Brandon was the only senior, so he took the leadership role and made sure everyone did the right thing."
Chris Walker, a fourth-year guard for FAMU, said Bryant brought leadership and was good at isolating players one on one.
Bryant graduated FAMU with an associate's degree in economics and a concentration in human resource management. He said he didn't know what to expect when he arrived in Germany.
"When I got off the plane, I was a little nervous about getting lost in the airport and more anxious to see the team and where I was going to live," Bryant said. "I just wanted to make a good impression."
He is still adjusting to the style of basketball and living overseas. Since Germany's time zone is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, he has to communicate with family and friends via Facebook or Skype to avoid long distance fees.
Bryant said there is a different style between European and American basketball.
"The hardest thing about playing European ball is definitely the style of play," Bryant said. "It's a different type of game here at home in the NBA, it's more flashy, but in Europe its more physical and team oriented, kind of like a chess match."
Bryant prepares for a game by drinking water, watching movies and listening to music. His iPod consists of Tupac, Lil' Wayne, Lil' Boosie, T.I. and Drake.
His favorite city to play in is his hometown Tuscaloosa, Ala.
"That's my hometown and that is where I grew up, and all my friends and family come out and support so that will always be my favorite city to play in," Bryant said.
He said his inspiration is his mom.
"She raised me and my sister as a single parent and she has been there from day one," Bryant said.