Brett Buscher attends Chesterton High in northern Indiana near the
lake. Brett is coached by his father, Bob Buscher, who moved the family
to the Chesterton schools in 1997 after coaching Brett's freshman season at
Whiting High where Brett was also an honor roll student.
Buscher has been called an "ideal power forward". He can score
with his back to the basket as well facing the basket up to 3-point
range. His range is more in the 15' to 18' range, but has plenty of time
to develop his perimeter skills. He runs the floor very well and finishes
strong. Defensively, he works hard to maintain position, and he has great
anticipation skills in chasing down entry passes. A good leaper and
rebounder that isn't afraid to take a hard charge. He can guard out to
the perimeter, but it remains to be seen how well he does against the
quicker small forwards. He is frequently double and triple teamed in the
post.
Buscher verbally committed to Purdue on September 28, 1998.
1-8-00...Wrapping up the weekend for Chesterton and Brett...On Friday, Buscher
was nearly perfect from the field, scoring 29 points in a 59-47 win over Lake
Central. He was 13-of-16 from the field and 1-of-1 from the perimeter, also
making a three-quarter court shot at the buzzer that was waved off. What is a
good sign of his potential durability, Brett was also suffering from a 102-degree
temperature. On Saturday, Chesterton was too much for Hobart, winning 74-36.
Buscher had a game high 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting, but it was Chesterton
guard Luke Miller who led the team in rebounds (8), steals (5) and assists
(5). After this weekend's games, Buscher is now averaging 19.4 points per game
for the season. (stats below)
12-29-99...Chesterton won the championship game of the Merrillville Invitational,
beating Crown Point 71-44. Crown Point came into the game with a plan to contain
Buscher on the inside and Wellsand on the outside. Normally that plan would have
been successful, as Crown Point switched and doubled up on both players holding
the to 10 and 9 points respectively. However, it was the rest of the Trojan team
that took up the slack, especially Jason Gropp who was 5-of-7 from the perimeter.
Gropp led Chesterton with 17 points, followed by Adam Turner with 12 and Michael
Claudio with 10. (stats below)
A short game summary from the Crown Point game..."Game was 43-16 at half, based
on Chesterton's 10-15 shooting from three point range (none by Buscher). Crown
Point concentrated on containing Buscher (10 points, 9 rebounds) and Zack
Wellsand (9 points on 3 of 5 three pointers), which freed it up for the other
players. This morning's Times reported that Buscher's highlights were a pair of
dunks in the second quarter after the outside shooting loosened things up. During
the time I watched, he had only a pair of free throws for 2 points. Interesting
comment by the TV announcers (WYIN out of Merrillville) concerning Buscher's
play versus Zack Randolph at basketball camp. They mentioned the reports that
Brett had outplayed Zack, then added Bob Buscher's comment that his son held
his own with Randolph." (game summary by Mike B.)
12-28-99...Chesterton stunned Merrillville in the first round of the Merrillville
Invitational, winning 63-47. Merrillville came into the game ranked 4th in the
state in Class 4A. Brett led all with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Chesterton shot
an unconscious 69-percent from the field and outrebounded Merrillville 24-7.
(stats below)
12-22-99...In the end, it was Chesterton's inability to handle LaPorte's
outside game and LaPorte's inability to stop Brett Buscher that led to a 75-62
LaPorte victory over Chesterton in the Marsh Holiday Classic in the Conseco
Fieldhouse. The game was closer that the final score would suggest, within
four with a couple minutes remaining, but LaPorte's waiting game forced
Chesterton to send the Slicers to the line. LaPorte extended its lead at the
freethrow line despite a last minute three pointer from Buscher. Brett led
Chesterton with another career-type game, hitting 17 of 25 from the floor
for 40 points. Brett also made his only perimeter shot, plus went 5-of-5
from the freethrow line. It could have been a much different result if LaPorte
would have succeeded in fouling Buscher out of the game. Brett got two fouls
within the first couple of minutes, ending the half with three. Most of the
fouls were aggressive fouls as both teams went at each other hard. The constant
foul trouble limited Brett to 25 of the game's 32 minutes. (complete
stats below)
12-12-99...Chesterton took a big step Friday when they faced, and
defeated the Gary Westside Cougars, 78-64. Two keys, one offensive and
one defensive, set the pace for the win. First, the inside-outside combination
of Brett Buscher and Zach Wellsand kept the Cougar defense spread out.
Buscher had a career night, according to coach Bob Buscher, scoring 26 points
and grabbing 11 rebounds. From the outside, Wellsand nailed four shots from
the perimeter to finish with 18 for the game. The second key was the
defensive pressure applied by Chesterton. No doubting that Westside is the
more athletic team. But Chesterton constantly switched defenses to keep the
Cougars confused, holding leading scorer Brandon Cameron to just 11 points
on 4-of-17 shooting. Buscher led all scorers. "I think you saw a lot of what
Purdue likes in him," Bob Buscher said to the Times. "I thought he played a
great game. It was the best game he's ever played in high school. I'm really
proud of how hard he played." (stats below)
Here's a scouting report on the big Chesterton/Westside game...
"I went to watch the Chesterton - Gary West Side game tonight, to see Brett
Buscher in action. I came back very impressed. Chesterton won 78-64 and was
in control the entire game. The lead pushed 20 at points until West Side
stepped up the pressure in the 4th quarter and at one point got it down to
8 points. Buscher had 26 points. I'd heard comparisons to Brian Cardinal,
but Buscher is much more athletic. Noticeably quicker and has some jumping
ability. Kind of like Brian might be with spring to his step. Gets up and
down the court very quickly for his size - reminded me of a deer bounding
up and down the court. Very aggressive - I'd almost rather say assertive
than aggressive. I'd put him at 6'7" to 6'8", 215 lbs. He's very solid
looking, like Wetzel in that respect. All of his weight is lean weight.
He has some noticeable muscular definition to his shoulders. Given that
Chesterton is reputed to be a one man team, I figured he'd put the ball up
every time he touched it but that was not the case. He's quite willing to
pass the ball, and made several nice feeds to teammates under the baskets.
I didn't keep score, but I think he had about 4 assists. He seems very much
a team player. Plays smart and totally within the framework of the offense.
I guess you have to when your dad is the coach. FYI, dad Bob Buscher is a
pretty good sized guy himself - maybe 6'5". I don't recall him hitting any
three pointers, although he hit them easily in warmups, but he did hit a
few shots from just inside the line. He also looked very good on his free
throws. He's a very confident looking shooter with a quick release and nice
form. Also goes very quick to the basket. Made a couple of very nice
baseline moves for scores. Handled the ball well in the open court, but
had a little trouble handling in traffic. Played nice defense also. Helped
his teammates out numerous times by coming over to double team West Side
players and cause turnovers. Anticipates very well. Definitely a coach's
son. He also had a couple of nice blocks, including one on West Side's
6'9 or 6'10 sophomore center Chris Hunter where both were above the rim.
On another block attempt he got called for goal tending when he pinned the
ball against the back board on a West Side fast break as he came from
behind the West Side player. Didn't do all that much rebounding until
late in the game, when he seemed to take charge. He also got the obligatory
technical foul for 'hanging on the rim' on his one dunk. The refs could
easily have not called it, but they called technicals on both of the dunks
in the game. The other was by Chris Hunter. Buscher's dunk was in the first
half, while Hunter's was late in the game when West Side was trying to make
a run at Chesterton. Once play was resumed after Hunter's technical,
Buscher came over to pat him on the behind as if to say, 'I know how you
feel." Hunter looks like a player to watch. He's woefully thin, but has a
lot of potential. Nice touch out to about 10 feet. Very agile for his
height. Hunter had 15 points for West Side. He's somewhere between one and
two inches taller than Buscher. Brandon Cameron didn't have an especially
noticeable game for West Side. Scored only 9 points. Hit one three pointer,
but subsequently shot an air ball on another three attempt during West
Side's belated comeback try when Buscher jumped out at him as he was
shooting. Listed 6'1, but looks a little under 6'0. Chesterton's Zach
Wellsand also had a nice game with 18 points and four three-pointers, and
also made a big steal during West Side's comeback try after West Side cut
the lead to 12 and had regained possession by stealing the inbounds pass.
He was Chesterton's equivalent to Todd Foster in this game - he's got a
Foster build and is a standout wide receiver (all area as a junior)."
(scouting report by Mike B.)
12-05-99...Buscher's 25 points was not enough to overcome Cathedral
in the Region Roundball Rumble Saturday. Cathedral, the 4th rated team in
Class 3A, got a game high 26 points and two clutch freethrows from Otis
Shannon to beat Chesterton 63-60. And what is beginning to be a trademark
for Buscher, he got yet another technical called on him for hanging on the
rim after a dunk. He got called for one in the first game against River
Forest, and when we saw him play this summer at the Nike Camp he was slapped
with a three minute bench penalty for hanging on the rim and smacking the
backboard before coming crashing back down from orbit. (stats below)
11-29-99...A great article in today's NW Times on Chesterton's need
for leadership from Buscher this season.
Chesterton will also be a part of the inaugural Region Roundball Rumble,
a two day showcase featuring 8 of the state's top teams. Chesteron will
play Indianapolis Cathedral at 5:30pm on Saturday, December 4th. Tickets
could be scarce, as the Hammond Civic Center only holds 4,700. All proceeds
from the two-day event will benefit the Good Neighbor Christmas Cheer fund.
Chesterton opened the season last Tuesday with a 72-34 win over River Forest.
Brett scores 28 points and six boards, and was also assessed a technical
foul for hanging on the rim.
11-13-99...Purdue has inked what some publications are calling the
"ideal power forward". 6'8 Chesterton forward Brett Buscher is the cream of
Keady's incoming 00-01 class, rated a consensus top 50 player on the
national level. "Brett is one of those power forwards that can shoot the
ball, run the floor and bring some toughness to the team," Keady said. "He’s
been well-coached and has a good understanding of the game, so we’re really
anxious to see what he can do when he gets here next year." For more quotes
on other men's signees, follow this link to the Official Purdue Athletics
page.
7-31-99...Brett continues to impress on the summer circuit, this
time at the AAU National Tournament in Orlando. Buscher was named to the
15-man all-tournament second team that also included Illinois all-stater
TJ Cummings, the U of I committed Brett Melton, and nationally rated top
ten center Alton Ford (probably Houston bound).
7-15-99...It's hard for us to contradict Mike DeCourcy's impression
of Brett Buscher during the Nike Camp this past week. DeCourcy said in
his article "Last time we saw somebody who played as hard at camp as
Purdue-bound Brett Buscher of Chesteron, Ind., it was Kevin Garnett.
OK. A better comparison might be Jess Settles, who was not widely
coveted when he arrived at Nike before his senior season but commanded
attention through sheer force of will. Buscher, who also attended Nike,
will be a valuable addition to the Boilers because of his toughness and
intensity, and he's also fairly skilled." Fairly skilled indeed. Brett
is strong enough to bang a little in the post, but is an open-court
burner. His mid-range jumper is sweet, but still needs work on the
perimeter. Not yet a catch-and-shoot kind of perimeter player, but his
fundamentals are there to allow him to develop that part of his game.
Definitely an aggressive slasher, who will help the Boilers rebound.
Although shy looking, he will make some showtime plays and his
explosiveness can surprise opponents. He got a three minute benching
for smacking the center of the backboard after a dunk on Saturday
afternoon. The kind of player that sneaks up on you, then makes it
known he is there. If you are looking for the mixture of athleticism,
skills, character and intelligence, Brett's the man.
6-25-99...The Indiana Senior Stars swept the 1999 series with the
Junior All-Stars on Wednesday with a 130-117 victory. Brett had another
solid all-around game, hitting 60-percent from the floor for 15 points and
three steals. (stats below)
6-18-99...Brett was a running and dunking machine during Wednesday's
Junior All-Star scrimmage against the senior All-Star team. The Senior team
came out on top, 127-113, but the Juniors dominated the paint. Of the team's
112 points, 70 of them were scored in the paint, compared to 60 of 127 for
the Senior team. Buscher came out on fire with a breakaway dunk, followed
by an aggressive block on the defensive end. He finished with only two
boards, but shot 67-percent from the floor and was perfect from the line
for 14 points in the game. Buscher started at center for the junior squad,
but is better suited at forward. Comparisons to Brian Cardinal are already
being thrown around. While Buscher can't match Cardinal's perimeter skills,
he is much more athletic, runs the break better and dunks at every
opportunity. The Junior All-Star team will again play the Seniors next
Wednesday at Connersville High. (stats below)
6-3-99...While SYF teammate Steve Drabyn was named the official
MVP of the Jerry Watson tournament, Brett was named the MVP by Prep
Spotlight and Midwest Hoops. SYF Players won the championship, landing
Buscher, Drabyn and 6'2 East Chicago guard Corey Stokes on the 17-under
all-tournament team. This was the same tournament that Bloomington's
Jon Holmes was named MVP at last summer.
4-28-99...Buscher will be playing this weekend for SYF Players AAU
at the Spiece tournament at Purdue. Following is a list of SYF Players' games during
pool play.
FRI 7:00pm vs. Cincinnati AAU #1 (Co-Rec #12)
SAT 8:00am vs. Gateway Basketball (Co-Rec #13)
SAT 12:30pm vs. Howard Pulley - Blue (Co-Rec #12)
4-3-99...Some postseason awards are starting to float in for
Buscher. Earlier this week, Brett was chosen as one of 6 players that
will form the core of the 1999 Junior All-Star team. The Junior All-Stars
will scrimmage with the Senior All-Stars in two exhibition games in
June. Brett was also named to the Times All-Area first team along with
senior and fellow Purdue recruit Kenny Lowe. John Davis, the 6'5 brother
of former Boiler Jamaal Davis, had this to say about Buscher..."He's a
very determined player, inside and out. It was hard to stop him inside
because he was so strong. And hard to stop him on the perimeter because
he could shoot over the top. He just had a larger wingspan. It was hard
to get around him because of the wingspan. It was hard to get over him
because of the wingspan. I knew Brett was a good player. But what makes
him even better is he wants to win. You can see it in his eyes when he
walks on the court. In crucial moments he wanted the ball in his hands."
3-5-99...Buscher's game high 21 points couldn't help Chesterton
avoid a 67-57 loss to LaPorte. Buscher shared game high scoring honors
with LaPorte junior Steve Drabyn, who was a perfect 11 for 11 from the
charity stripe. Chesterton finished their 98-99 season with a record of
16-6.
12-18-98...Chesterton (4-1, 1-0) was forced to use its physical
game to pull out a 47-44 win over Michigan City. A first half elbow to the
head of guard Luke Miller off a hard screen sent the junior to the locker
room for stitches. Chesterton fought hard to break the Michigan City
screens, pulling into the lead slowly over the course of the game after
digging a hole in the first half as a result of 4 of 18 shooting. With
Chesterton up by three with :30 left in the game, Michigan City attempted
two shots to tie the game. The first was at the :20 mark when MC's Doug
Steinke couldn't get a three-pointer to go. Chesterton then failed to
convert two freethrows at the other end, leaving Michigan City one last
shot to tie the game. The shot was just off the mark. Brett finished
with a game-high 20 points, adding 9 boards and 10-14 shooting from the
line. Senior Joe Ringger added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
12-11-98...It was a trapping, matchup, halfcourt zone that spelled
disaster for Chesterton as they fell to Gary West 62-34. The Westside
Cougars scored 25 of the games final 28 points with Vincent Hart leading
all scorers with 18 points. The Cougars held Buscher to 12 points, placing
both Buscher and Westside's Kenny Lowe in foul trouble. Chesterton enjoys
the rest of the weekend off then faces road games next weekend against
Winamac and Michigan City.
10-19-98...Brett was among the visitors this year to Mackey Magic,
along with his father Bob Buscher. We have reports that the Chesterton
team bus was involved in an accident after Mackey Magic let out. No one
on the bus was injured, but two people in the station wagon also
involved in the accident were rushed to St. Elizabeth Medical Center after
being pulled from the vehicle with the jaws of life. As of Sunday, the two
Tipton teenagers were listed in critical condition.
9-30-98...Some more info on the Buscher verbal from Jeff Washburn of
the Journal and Courier, and Brian Neubert from the A HREF=http://www.purdueexponent.org/archives/Sept29_98/sports/basketball.html>Purdue Exponent.
From a northern Indiana view of the commitment, check out this story from
the Michigan City News Dispatch (article may not be available for long).
9-28-98...Purdue has received its first verbal for the high school
class of 2000 from Chesterton's Brett Buscher.
9-22-98...Buscher followed up his visits to Notre Dame and Indiana
with one to Purdue this past weekend, touring the campus and taking in the
Central Florida football game.
9-13-98...College coaches are not allowed to make contact with
prospects before July 1st between their junior and senior year, but that
doesn't stop prospects from making as much contact as they wish to make
before that time. Brett and his father/coach have been making a few
unofficial visits lately. Buscher reportedly visited Notre Dame during the
weekend of the Michigan game, and followed it up the next weekend with a
visit to Indiana to meet with Coach Knight. Purdue is said to be getting
a visit soon.
1-20-98...Brett was in charge of keeping River Forest's leading
scorer in check, helping to hold him to just 2-16 shooting for the game.
Buscher finished with 17 points of his own and 12 rebounds in the victory.
Called one of Chesterton's best defensive players by his coach, he had one
major lapse in judgement when he got called for a technical for hanging on a
rim after a missed dunk. Coach Buscher referred to it as an "aggressive
mistake".
1-03-98...TimesOnline sports writer Al Hamnik called Buscher...
"a can't-miss, big-time prospect...He's got the size and the game...Oh, to
have this kid's future."
1-02-98...It has taken 10 years for Chesterton to beat Merrillville.
And what a time for Brett Buscher to start playing to his potential. Buscher
finished with 21 points (12 in the fourth) off the bench in his first game as
a non-starter. "He had been upset with himself the first five games," said
Coach Bob Buscher. "This was the first time he didn't start, and that might've
helped take away some of the pressure. The pressure he had, he put on himself.
I try not to say anything about it, but he should have never been preseason
all-area (as voted by the Times)." In the first five games of the season,
Brett scored a total of 24 points. In more ways than one, tonight's 21 was
a season high.
12-29-97...A look at the team from the TimesOnline.
11-03-97...Already solidly in the race for Buscher is Notre Dame,
who received an unofficial visit from him last week. Buscher was said to be
impressed by the facilities and coaching staff. Other very early candidates
include Purdue and Indiana. Brett is friends with Andrean sophomore forward
Shane Power, who is also being closely watched. We'll have to see if they
influence each other's opinions down the road.
1-26-97...Whiting dropped another game tonight to Bishop Noll. Brett
had a career high 27 points and got a compliment from Noll coach Charlie Pall.
"Brett is an excellent player," said Coach Pall, "and he will only get
better."
1-25-97...A 3-pointer launched with 3 seconds remaining made David
Verta the hero in a 49-48 win over North Knox. The win ended a 38 game losing
streak for Whiting.
99-00 season All-State First Team (Hoosier Basketball)
98-99 season All-State Second Team (Hoosier Basketball)
All-Area First Team (NW Times)
Junior All-Star Team Core Selection
Jerry Watson Tourney All-Tournament Team
Jerry Watson Tourney MVP (Prep Spotlight and Midwest Hoops)
AAU Nationals Second Team
97-98 season Preseason All-State Third Team (Hoosier Basketball)
Underclassman All-State Honorable Mention (IBCA)
Date Day Time Opponent
---- --- ---- --------------------
11/23/99 TUE 6:00P W River Forest
12/04/99 SAT 5:30P L Indy Cathedral (@ Hammond Civic Center)
12/10/99 FRI 6:00P W Gary West
12/17/99 FRI 6:00P L @ Valparaiso
12/18/99 SAT 6:00P W @ Munster
12/22/99 WED 6:00P L LaPorte (@ Indianapolis)
12/28/99 TUE 8:00P W @ Merrillville Invitational
12/29/99 WED TBA W @ Merrillville Invitational
01/07/00 FRI 7:30P W Lake Central
01/08/00 SAT 6:00P W Hobart
01/11/00 TUE 6:00P L Highland
01/14/00 FRI 6:00P @ Michigan City
01/22/00 SAT 7:30P W Portage
01/28/00 FRI 6:00P @ Crown Point
02/04/00 FRI 6:00P Merrillville
02/05/00 SAT 6:00P @ South Bend Riley
02/12/00 SAT 6:00P @ Wheeler
02/22/00 TUE 5:30P @ South Bend Clay
02/25/00 FRI 6:00P @ Calumet
03/02/00 THR 6:00P @ Andrean
03/07/00 TUE 6:00P Sectional
03/10/00 FRI 6:00P Sectional
03/11/00 SAT 6:00P Sectional
03/14/00 TUE 7:30P Regional
03/18/00 SAT 10:30A Semi-State
03/25/00 SAT 12:00P State (@ Conseco Fieldhouse)
* Times subject to change *
* To confirm game time call Chesterton HS *
As news organizations move their stories to an archive, some of the links listed above may become inactive
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