HAMILTON, Ohio — Chase Branham’s basketball journey traces back through his family.
He spent his childhood watching his older brother, Jake, go through his career on the court. Chase is eight years younger than Jake, so they were never direct rivals. They rarely played 1-on-1 against each other, because of the age difference and the physical disadvantages that meant for Chase. When they did face off, it would be on a mini hoop, with stealing and blocking not allowed.
Jake went on to play collegiately for NAIA Central Methodist for a year before taking a walk-on spot at Missouri State. The Indiana men’s basketball commit looked up to him as his hoops role model.
“I wanted to be just like him,” Chase told The Daily Hoosier. “That’s how it (his basketball career) started.”
Some of Chase’s earliest basketball memories are with his brother.
The Rogersville, Mo. native watched Jake compete throughout his high school career and at AAU events, idolizing his brother’s abilities on the court. He remembers watching Jake play on the Adidas circuit in his final AAU season, and he visualized himself in those same positions when he got older.
Like a stereotypical little brother, he wanted to go one step — or more — further than Jake.
“I just wanted to be better than him,” Chase told TDH. “I just did what I possibly could. I just wanted to level up his achievements in high school. He scored 1,700 points, got second in state. … Growing up, I just wanted to do whatever I can to beat his legacy and be better than him. I pride myself on that.”
He’s well on his way to achieving that. Branham is rated the No. 27 overall recruit for the class of 2027 by 247Sports. He committed to Indiana in September, over other offers from Iowa, Purdue, Tennessee, Kansas State, Missouri, Creighton, and Austin Peay. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard averaged 21.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists to 1.4 turnovers, and 2.2 steals per game this past season as a junior at Logan-Rogersville High. Branham led the Wildcats to their first state championship since 1982.
His game doesn’t always have the sort of dominance and glamor one might expect from a prominent recruit. During the Under Armour Next event at Spooky Nook, DC Premier threw a 2-3 zone at Branham’s team, KC Run GMC, with particular attention paid to the IU commit. He had to show patience and pick his spots against a disciplined zone defense. But he still finished with 15 points in a 46-45 win.
Branham showed what he’s capable of in a moment early in the fourth quarter, when he drove past multiple defenders for a layup plus a foul. He landed right in front of Indiana head coach Darian DeVries on the baseline and roared.
“I saw him there (at the game),” Branham told TDH. “I didn’t even realize I was right there (by DeVries on the baseline). I just let my emotions get the best of me in that time and let out a little yell.”
Branham studies a number of NBA guards and tries to emulate them in some ways. He mentioned Stephen Curry, Tyler Herro, Devin Booker, Jared McCain, and Austin Reaves among the players he likes watching.
The Missouri native is motivated by his love for the game of basketball, along with an internal drive to be better than anyone standing in his way. Branham wants to be the best, and relishes opportunities to prove himself.
“You’re not supposed to do this, but you kind of look at the rankings. You see a guy, we got to play a kid in school season (who is also a highly-regarded prospect). Looking at that, being like, ‘I need to go out and kill this dude,’” Branham told TDH. “I want to be one of the highest-ranked recruits possible. The ultimate goal is to make the NBA. Just do whatever I can, with my love and my passion, to fuel me and get me to the next level.”
Branham wound up committing to the Hoosiers because of his relationship with DeVries and the coaching staff. He said he and DeVries are aligned in the way he’d fit into Indiana’s system as a potential combo guard who can knock down 3-pointers.
“I can play the wing or the other guard spot, and I can also play the 1. I feel like being versatile will really help me show NBA scouts in the future than I can come in and play multiple roles on any team,” Branham told TDH. “I can take charge of the offense, move people around, be that guy who can be the leader. But also, (Indiana) can bring in another guard, I can come in, be off-ball, and score.”
Beyond anything, Branham wants to win in Bloomington.
He’s intrigued by the program’s past men’s basketball success and wants to help bring it back to glory. He said the Hoosiers are getting a player who will do anything it takes to make that happen.
“I’d just say (they’re getting) a competitor. Someone who just wants to win. I want to win a national championship,” Branham told TDH. “I want to do whatever I can to win and bring Indiana back, along with my teammates. I’d say (they’re getting) a coachable player who’s going to come in and give their all every day, be a knockdown shooter, play smart.”
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