A summer Saturday afternoon instantly turned into one of the best days of Brandon Eddlestone’s life. The 6-foot-8 senior forward received a scholarship for the 2016-2017 season from LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones and his staff via conference call.
“I was at home when it happened,” Eddlestone said. “He told me how much he loved me and then gave me the news. I was very overwhelmed, and I’m not even exactly sure what I said at the time because I was so mind-boggled and surprised.”
Eddlestone spent the last three years as a walk-on with the team, playing in 17 games along with three during LSU’s summer 2015 exhibition trip to Australia.
One of the first people he shared the news with was a friend that went through a similar experience last season. Henry Shortess received his scholarship as a walk-on to the team just before the 2016 spring semester. Shortess has since graduated and decided to forgo his senior season.
“He gave me a call since he’s been there and he’s been through it,” Eddlestone said. “I’m just glad that we were both able to get a taste of what it feels like to be on scholarship.”
The family environment that Jones brings to the program, including trips to Jones’ house for Christmas and multiple meetings with the rest of the coaching staff, made all the difference for Eddlestone.
“Him and all of the coaches make us feel like we’re a part of a big family,” Eddlestone said. “That’s what it’s supposed to be like.”
Eddlestone, an accounting major, plans to graduate in the spring of 2017, and hopes to pursue a master of science in analytics.
A Slidell native, he attended Northshore High School, where he was named first team All-District, District MVP and earned an All-State Honorable Mention selection from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
“Being on the team is special enough to me because it’s always been a dream of mine to represent the state’s flagship school,” he said. “Being on scholarship just makes it that much sweeter.”