(Photo by Matt Rothstein)
By MATT ROTHSTEIN
With 6 minutes and 4 seconds left in the fourth quarter, senior Brandon Weiss scored his 1,000th career point in Jericho High School’s Sam Springer Gym. Weiss joined 12 other male and female players to reach 1,000 career points, becoming the first since 2013.
Since kindergarten, Weiss put in hours of hard work and took thousands of jumpers to perfect his craft.
“It feels really good to have all the hard work and dedication be recognized,” he said. “I play my hardest during games and practices.” His work ethic is something his teammates admire and respect about him.
“He’s an exceptional player; you can easily tell he is the one who puts in the most work,” senior teammate Jack M. said.
Weiss has been dynamic all season: rarely coming off the court, averaging 26 points through nine games and leading Jericho to an undefeated record.
His teammates understand how historic his career has been.
“Weiss is insane,” senior power forward Phil P. said. “He is the best point guard to ever play for Jericho basketball.”
Weiss credits those that supported him for helping him reach this milestone.
“My teammates and coaches have helped me throughout my entire career,” Weiss said. “My dad always comes with me to the gym to get shots up and pushes me to be the best I can be.”
Senior Jason D. felt that the energy the crowd showed throughout the game was incredible.
“It was an insane atmosphere throughout Brandon’s game,” he said. “We knew the thousandth point was coming soon, and the stands were buzzing as he was getting closer to the milestone. Once I saw the ball go through the basket, I heard an eruption of cheers.”
However, Weiss was not as focused on the milestone as the crowd was.
“It was in the back of my mind but I tried not to think about it until the right moment came,” Weiss said.
Now that his goal has been reached, Weiss is focused on leading Jericho to a deep playoff run and hopefully, continue his success playing in college.
Matt Rothstein is a student-journalist for Jericho High School’s JerEcho publication.
