Big dreams, big impact: Meet Brodie Marchant, team captain

When it comes to sports, there’s something about consistency that just can’t be measured by stats. Brodie Marchant has been a model of consistency this year, and is one of the captains on Linn-Benton’s men’s basketball team. He’s one of four returning players and plays center due to his 6’7” frame. He graduated in 2015 from Philomath High School where, on top of playing basketball, he played baseball and football.

“What drew me to playing for Linn-Benton was that it was close to home,” said Marchant. “I had a job and a house from home lined up which made it appealing to stay close for two years.”

Another factor that drew Marchant in was the opportunity to play with his older brother, Jesse.

“Playing with my brother has easily been the best part of my basketball career so far,” said Marchant. “I’ve always wanted to be able to be teammates with him. It’s been very special, to not just me but also my mom who has been striving to see us play together since we were little.”

Marchant believes his personal role as a captain on the team is to be a vocal leader.

“I try to have everyone level-headed at practice to get things accomplished. The biggest thing is just for me to set a good example of how things should and need to be done for the younger guys,” said Marchant.

Marchant’s current major at Linn-Benton is an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree with a focus in Criminal Justice. He says his bachelor’s degree is still undecided but he does have a goal for his next few basketball years.

“I’m trying to fulfill the dream of moving south to the warm beaches and playing for a smaller college somewhere in California,” said Marchant. “I hope my profession afterwards leads me in a path to stay involved with kids, hopefully counseling and getting into coaching.”

Marchant said his goal as being a part of the team is to be able to make it to the Northwest Athletic Conference playoffs, since the team hasn’t made it there in some years. There’s been some ups and downs this season but there’s still time to turn things around.

“The team and I could improve on coming with a better mind set and chip on our shoulder to every practice and game,” said Marchant. “Be able to get things accomplished and start winning more games like we did in the beginning of the year.”

Story by Nick Fields

Photo by Elliot Pond