Salvation Army’s Rookie Basketball alum scores big (video)
The Salvation Army Rookie Basketball program has had thousands of graduates over the years, but a couple of the most notable are brothers Anders and Bjorn Broman.
“I remember little plays here and there,” said Bjorn (pictured above), Rookie Basketball alumnus. “We had a connection growing up, I knew where he was going to be, which helped for the big games.”
The pair first learned how to play in their driveway, but at age five and six they started to play in the Duluth Salvation Army’s Rookie Basketball League.
Initially, the family sport was skiing which made sense growing up in Duluth, Minn. Kids under seven skied for free at nearby Spirit Mountain, but as you can imagine the sport gets expensive pretty quickly once a sibling hits that seventh birthday.
“We chose warmer and cheaper,” smiled Jill Broman, the boys’ mother. “You just need a pair of basketball shoes.”
Now a senior at Lakeview Christian Academy, Bjorn averages 50 points per game, more than any other high school basketball scorers in the state.
“People say, ‘are you worried about scoring,’” smiled Bjorn. “Honestly, I’m not. I just want to win games. On this team I’m more of a scorer.”
Bjorn’s scoring prowess doesn’t come without a lot of hard work.
“Usually at lunch time or after work, we’ll head to the gym and his goal is to make 400 shots a workout,” explained his dad, John Broman. “I’m just there rebounding and we use three balls. It’s great father and son time.”
The workouts started years ago with older brother Anders, who coincidentally holds the state record for most points scored during a high school career with 5,119.
“I never thought it would get to this level,” explained John. “You know we as parents just wanted to play with our kids whatever they did, we made it a family event and they took off on basketball.”
Scholarships and Giving Back
Anders earned a four year scholarship and is currently playing for South Dakota State. Once Bjorn graduates in 2015, he’ll play at Winthrop where he earned a four year scholarship as well.
“They’re paying for my education, playing the game that I love, and I’m so excited,” said Bjorn.
While the Broman’s may have moved on from playing at The Salvation Army gym, they haven’t forgotten their roots and periodically return to their childhood court to introduce new “rookies” to basketball’s opportunities and possibilities.
“We’ve gone back because they’ve helped a ton,” said Bjorn. “That’s where we grew up, that’s where we started, and to see the others grow up that’s where they started so it’s the smallest thing we can do is go back and help them with what we know.”
“There were people in their lives that were role models in the basketball program, so now they need to give back,” said John. “It was a wonderful program for the kids, we recommend The Salvation Army program to everybody.”
Video