Bio
Ben Bryson is back for his senior season at UVA Wise as the lead returning scorer from a year ago. Just behind all conference selections Bradley Dean and Luke Lawson, Byrson averaged 8.4 PPG while adding 4.2 RPG, and 1.1 SPG. Of the 20 times in his career in which Bryson has reach double figures in points, 16 occurred last season for the Cavs. This included a stretch from Nov. 11, 2022 to February 1, 2023 in which Bryson scored in double figures in 16 of 19 games. He averaged 10 PPG on 51.1% 3FG in the stretch and set his career high with 16 points during it at Tusculum on Dec. 7. Bryson has grown into a multi-level scorer and progressed in each season during his time at UVA Wise. In total, it was a career shooting season for Bryson as a junior, setting career-best marks in both FG and 3FG shooting at 48.7% FG and 42.9% 3FG. He's also proven to be proficient in rebounding, tallying games with 5+ rebounds 22 times over his career, including 15 times a season ago.
As a sophomore, Bryson saw the floor in 21 games and started all of them. He was a precise three point shooter, knocking down a triple on 37.6% of his attempts while having his best rebounding season at 4.5 RPG which included a career-high 12 boards against Catawba on Feb. 26, 2022.
As a freshman, he was a viable option off the bench for Mellinger, seeing the floor in 18 games at an average of 17.2 MPG. He added some valuable defense for a freshman with 15 steals that season while averaging 4.4 PPG.
Bryson's value to the team goes beyond the box score as well, as he's been a team captain for the Cavs in all 3 of his years with the program.
He came to UVA Wise out of West Henderson High School in Hendersonville, N.C. Bryson was a three-time conference Player of the Year for the Falcons, finishing his career as the program's all-time leader in points (1,996), assists (542), and steals (328). He holds the competitive advantage over his father, Joey, who's 1995 scoring record at West Henderson was broken by his son in 2020.
Athleticism runs in the Bryson family. Bryson's aforementioned father, Joey, went on to play Division I basketball Western Carolina University after his prolific high school career, while Bryson's mom, April, played D1 volleyball at Appalachian State University. His brother, Jake, threw shot and discuss at Gardner Webb University and his younger sister, Emma, is currently committed to play volleyball for the University of Georgia Bulldogs.
In the classroom Bryson has been named to the Dean's List at UVA Wise four times in his academic career. He chose UVA Wise for a multitude of reasons, namely stating he "felt this was the best fit for me because of how close it was to home, the facilities, and I felt that the coaches believed in what I was capable of achieving."
His favorite athletes are Memphis Grizzlies point Guard Derrick Rose and New England Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliot. Away from the floor, Bryson enjoys weightlifting, fishing, hunting, and watching movies and has even been quoted as saying, "no one on the team can out-bench me., enough said."
Awards and Accolades
High School
- 3x Conference Player of the Year (2018, 2019, 2020)
