FORT SMITH, Ark. – Like father, like son.
Blake Branham grew up playing basketball for his father, longtime Hackett coach Tim Branham, and this week followed in his legendary dad’s footsteps when he signed to play basketball for the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions.
It was the third signing of the spring recruiting season for fifth-year Lions coach Josh Newman, who also signed University of Arkansas-Little Rock transfer Kelson Stewart, a 6-4 junior guard from Forrest City, Ark., this past week. Branham and Stewart join incoming freshman Jake Toupal, a 6-3 shooting guard from Broken Arrow (Okla.) High School.
Blake Branham, a 6-1 point guard, was a three-year starter for the Class 2A Hornets and averaged 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3 steals and 4.5 assists per game while playing most of the postseason with broken hand. He earned All-Conference, All-State and All-State Tournament Team honors and was named to the AHSCA West All-Star Basketball Team.
He led the Hornets to the 2A-4 Conference regular-season championship, the conference tournament championship and the 2A-West Region tournament championship. The Hornets advanced to the Class 2A state tournament championship game, losing to the Hughes Blue Devils 52-49.
“Blake is a proven winner and an unbelievable competitor,” Newman said. “He is a solid point guard who makes good decisions with the basketball, and he also brings a scoring threat to the floor with his 3-point shooting and ability to attack the rim.”
Blake Branham, whose dad played for legendary Lions basketball coach Gayle Kaundart, received VYPE Magazine’s Tough Guy Award and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee – one of only nine nominees from Arkansas. He was the Times Record Arkansas All-Area Player of the Year after being named the newspaper’s Arkansas All-Area Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore.
“Blake will bring a toughness and unselfishness that you don’t find very often in freshmen, and we look forward to him making his mark on our program throughout the course of his career,” Newman said.
Stewart is the Lions’ third NCAA Division I transfer and fourth player from eastern Arkansas. He averaged 4.4 points per game and shot 45.7 percent from 3-point range last season (16-of-35) for the Trojans. He scored a season-high 15 points on two occasions – the last of which came against Florida International.
“Kelson is a great addition to our basketball program,” Newman said. “His size, strength and experience will have an immediate impact. After spending three years in a quality program, we look forward to Kelson’s leadership, work ethic and maturity on both ends of the floor.”
As a senior at Forrest City High, Stewart was named the 6A-East Conference Player of the Year after leading the Mustangs to a 26-4 record and a state championship game appearance. He averaged 19 points and 5 rebounds per game on a team that featured fellow Division I signees Marcus Britt (Arkansas) and Stephon Weaver (Arkansas State).
Stewart was two-time All-State and was named to the AHSCA East All-Star Team.
