CLARK, NJ- Arthur L. Johnson High School senior Brandon Hund capped off his high school basketball career with a major accomplishment in the second to last regular season game.
Hund secured his 1,000th career varsity point with a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter of a 61-55 loss to Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS Thursday night on the road. With the regular season in the books, Hund has scored 432 points on the season.
He was recognized for his accomplishment after the game for Johnson, with a basketball and a plaque commemorating his hard work over all four years.
“It’s actually funny, I kind of froze,” Hund said. “I didn’t know what to do. I made the shot, it was a two-point game. I just remember the picture of the scoreboard. I didn’t want them to stop the game and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this actually just happened.’ It was a surreal feeling.”
He has been playing basketball since the first grade and began travel basketball in third grade and carried on through eighth grade, which introduced him to the competition of the game. His father, Steve Hund, a Councilman in the Third Ward in Clark, was his first coach. He also played in Kumpf and later transitioned to high school basketball.
Hund saw time on the floor as a freshman, playing in 15 games, knocking down two field goal baskets and a three-point shot. His role changed when he became a starter his sophomore year. He played in 27 games, knocking down 71 shots, 34 three-point shots and 50 free throws. He averaged 11 points per game.
As a junior, Hund picked up right where he left off. He cashed in on 94 shots, 18 three-pointers and connected for 45 free throws. He averaged 11.6 points per game.
Through 23 games his senior year, he’s knocked down 107 shots, 33 three-pointers and 121 free throws, averaging 19.6 points per game.
“When I’m out on the court, I just know when we need a basket or when we’re slacking a little on offense, I just know getting the ball to him [works] and he’ll make something happen,” Johnson sophomore Tino Puentes said. “Whether it’s an assist, get to the basket and get fouled, make some free throws, he’s an all-around player.”
In his earlier years at the school, it was Hund who found himself in the mix of varsity sports during his first full season on the basketball team during the 2016-17 season where things started to kick off for him. It all served as motivation for Hund as he got right to work in every game and practice.
“Just a competitive nature to win,” Hund said. “Even when the season isn’t going as planned, I try to go out there every game and every practice to compete against my opponents. Winning to me is everything and the more I win, the happier I am. I’ve been taught that you learn a lot from losing and that’s going to help you learn more.”
Hund says among those memories includes meeting everyone along the way throughout his four years of high school.
He became a starter on the varsity team in the 2016-17 boys basketball team, the record-breaking year for the program. Johnson went 22-5 that year, including a 9-0 start before their first loss. They would subsequently win eight more games in a row, capturing the UCC-Sky Division title, the second straight for the program.
“Everybody wanted the same thing. We all wanted a ring on our finger,” Hund said. “We wanted to beat everyone and we knew it wasn’t going to be one person. When we played together, everybody looked like they were the best on the team.”
His biggest moment came in the state tournament. In the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 2 First Round and with his team trailing Holmdel 57-54 in the closing seconds, Hund fired a three-pointer from the corner at the buzzer, tying the game and forcing overtime.
Johnson would win the game 64-62 in overtime and reach the sectional finals, the first in program history.
“I just caught it and I shot it. I didn’t look at the clock,” Hund said. “I watch that video twice a month. I think of Coach Hadyka jumping up and running on to the court. After the game, Brendan [Stanzione] said, ‘I knew you were there’ He didn’t see me, he just hit the ball, he knew I was there. That was something special. That really showed how tight we were and how well we gelled.”
Full Story on Johnson Senior Brandon Hund Achieving 1,000 Career Varsity Points Here
