Ross juggles four sports at Charleston, even golf

Brayden Ross grew up in a sports family, so it was inevitable he'd play at least one varsity sport by the time he reached Charleston High School.

But which one? Ross couldn't choose, so he decided to squeeze in four sports with the Tigers.

Ross' favorite sport is baseball and he'll return to the mound this spring after posting a 7-1 record as a junior. He's an all-around athlete who plays baseball, football, basketball and even golf at Charleston, a decision that bucks the trend of many high school athletes who attempt to excel in one sport in an effort to garner attention from college recruiters. But this Charleston senior is a refreshing throw-back to the days when athletes played the sport that was in season.

"My favorite sport is baseball then basketball," Ross said. "But I like playing all four sports because it keeps me competitive all year-round."

Ross plays basketball for his father, B.J. Ross, who needed someone at guard after the Tigers lost four starters from a team that finished 19-8 last season. Brayden Ross went from forward to the backcourt despite the fact he's 6-foot-3 and over 240 pounds.

His ability to maneuver inside was on display Friday when Charleston lost at Elkins to finish in a three-way for the championship in the 3A-1 Conference with the Elkins and Waldron. Ross finished with 21 points after a slow start, but Elkins won the game 62-51 behind 24 points from Paxton Barnett and 14 from Kain Johnson.

"Brayden Ross is a beast," Elkins coach Jared Porter said. "I have so much respect for his game. Paxton and Brayden went at it. They both carried their teams and it was awesome watching it."

Ross was selected Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette boys Player of the Week after he scored 32 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in an 83-52 win over Waldron. He's averaged 24.6 points and 14.7 rebounds over the past 10 games for Charleston, which will carry a 15-7 overall record into the conference tournament at Waldron this week.

"(Ross) is as tough a matchup as any player in our conference," West Fork coach Kelby Brennan said. "Obviously, with Payton Brown and Paxton Barnett in our conference, that says a lot. But Brayden, he's 6-3, he's wide and he's strong at (242) pounds. He can shoot the three as good as anybody. If you put a guard on him, he'll go inside and post up. If you put a big (player) on him, he'll just step out and score. That makes him really, really hard to guard."

Like most sports families, Brayden Ross is constantly on the go this time of year with his parents and siblings. The family includes his sister, Rylee, a sophomore with the Lady Tigers, and his brother, Ryan, 9, who puts on a headband and joins the Tigers in the layup line before games.

"They ride the bus with us wherever we go" B.J. Ross said. "We're in the gym on Tuesdays and Friday nights and, on Wednesday, I take my little one to Fort Smith where he plays for a 9-year-old team. On Thursdays, he plays on a travel team out of Greenwood, so Brayden takes him to travel basketball practice. Brayden referees little league basketball on Saturdays and my daughter works the concession stand. On Sunday, we go to church and Brayden plays Sunday night with the old-timers in pick-up games at Charleston."

That's a sports family, for sure.

B.J. Ross is a veteran coach and former administrator who has coached boys and girls basketball at Charleston. But he credits his wife for developing an interest in sports for Brayden at a young age.

"I've got to give his mom, Marsha, credit for that," B.J. said. "I was gone a lot while coaching, but when he was 2- or 3-years-old, she'd take him out in the yard and pitch to hit. He'd hit it with his little plastic bat and, I mean, really hit it. Baseball was his first love before any sport and it's kind of grown from that."

Brayden Ross remains focused on basketball now, especially with postseason play approaching. But he looks forward to baseball and continuing his athletic career at Rich Mountain Community College in Mena, where Lance Spigner was hired to start-up a baseball program. Spigner won five state championships at Horacio since 1997 and Brayden Ross hopes a year or two at Rich Mountain will help him move onto a Division I program or even professional baseball.

"I've had a relationship with coach Spigner for quite a while now," Ross said. "I love baseball and I think he's the best coach to help me become a better player."

Preps Sports on 02/16/2020