The theme for the Bisons men's basketball team in 2023-24 was evolution.
 
Every returning player's minutes increased, as did their work load. The versatile roster finished with a 13-7 regular season record, the No. 4 seed for the Canada West Playoff Tournament (hosted at IGAC February 21-25) and the No. 8 ranking nationally.
 
Of all those that rose to the occasion, point guard Brandt Lenz stands out.
 
The second-year Chilliwack, BC product's minutes increased from seven to 15 this year, and he finished the season as Canada West's most efficient three-point shooter, draining 47.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc (21 total triples made).
 
As a true point guard, Lenz is the first sub off the bench for multiple-time all-star Mason Kraus. At times this season, specifically against Mount Royal and UBC Okanagan, Lenz was asked to log heavy minutes, playing a combined 42, and 39 minutes in those two weekend sets, respectively.
 
Lenz was up to the task, scoring a total of 18 points over both weekends, including a career-high 21 points against MRU on November 18. In those four games, he hit a total of seven triples and also had ten assists.
 
Taking on a heavy workload is nothing new to Lenz. Since he was young, he's helped out on the family farm in Chilliwack, embracing the grind and doing whatever is needed, much like he does on the court.
 
"There was always work to do. It's hard work, I think you get used to that. When I was back in school, after school we have chickens and eggs. You always had to go run and get the eggs off the belts. There's a lot of maintenance stuff around the yard, weeding and stuff like that, fixing up what's necessary," says the soft-spoken playmaker.
 
"Over the summer I was fixing stuff up. This summer we re-did one of our fences, so I was doing that. We put up a shelter coming off the barn. We have blueberries as well. Once a week we have to fertilize them. They're organic blueberries, so we have to weed all the rows."
 
'It's a big part of my social connections'
Basketball is in the Lenz's blood. Sisters Sienna, Malia and Marin all earned post-secondaery offers, while Brandt's dad Prentice played for the Winnipeg Wesmen from 1992-95, and was a Great Plains Second Team All-Star in 1994-95 as a 6'0" guard.
 
It was at Winnipeg that Prentice played with Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp. That connection ultimately led Brandt to the middle province last season after a year of prep school in Arizona.
 
"Kirby describes [Prentice] as me, but like 30 pounds heavier, and he could shoot," recalls Brandt.
 
"He was a stalky, big guard."
 
For Lenz, fundamental ball-handling was a skill he needed to have as an under-sized guard in his early high school years.  
 
"Shooting-wise, I basically grew up in the gym, so you just learn how to shoot," he says.
 
"A lot of work on ball handling when I was young. I only grew when I was in grade 11. In grade nine I was 5'3" maybe. I had to be a playmaker and be able to handle the ball if I wanted to be on the court and play."
 
Lenz is known for his ability to drive into the lane with confidence, finding open players at will on the perimeter. He can keep his dribble exceptionally well, much like fellow BC native Steve Nash, who was his favourite player growing up.
 
This year, his evolution has been his communication.
 
Knowing he'd be stepping into a larger role, and filling key minutes for Kraus, he embraced an element that's admittedly been a struggle in the past.
 
"I just got out there and play. Especially when Mason's off, one thing that's on my mind is being more of a leader," notes Lenz.
 
"Mason's vocal and he gets the guys together. He's a big part of our chemistry. That's something that I've been focusing on getting better at. It can be a little uncomfortable, but at the end of the day it's something I have to do."
 
Communicating on the court has helped Lenz come out of his shell. He credits the sport of basketball for helping with his confidence and allowing him to meet new friends. As he continues to evolve as a player, that confidence will continue to grow.
 
"I think it's a big part of my social connections. I'm not the most outgoing guy, so being put in a team setting where you get to know guys and grow and become friends with them, that's a big part of it."