A LONG ROAD TO SALT LAKE: BRANSON OVERCOMES ODDS TO PLAY IN NCAA TOURNEY

SALT LAKE CITY -- Mike Branson has come a long way to get to Salt Lake City.

A junior in high school, Branson -- Southeast Missouri State's starting small forward -- didn't even start at Lafayette High School.

"When I was a junior in high school I saw limited time," said Branson from a bus heading to his team's hotel. "I couldn't play a lick of defense and all I could do is shoot."

Branson, though, grew four inches between his junior and senior years of high school, hit the weights a little more, and saw success at the prep level.

But even that improvement, Branson still had a long way to get to Salt Lake City.

Admittedly, Branson was neither mentally nor physically ready to play college ball at a major university.

Instead, Branson attended a small junior college -- Meramec Community College in St. Louis, a Division II juco.

"Basketball was a dream of mine and also I learned the value of grades," Branson said, adding he didn't meet the academic standards to go to an NCAA institution.

But even if he had, he knew the junior college route was the right one for him.

"There, I developed mentally and physically and Southeast scooped me up."

Branson started receiving attention from Southeast and a host of other large schools the summer after his freshman year at Meramec.

"I saw him play in the summer before his sophomore year," said Southeast coach Gary Garner. "I really liked his athleticism. We started recruiting him right then and we kept on him."

But Branson still had a long way to get to Salt Lake City.

Branson saw some playing time as a junior but blossomed into Southeast's third-leading scorer at 12.1 points per game this year. He made the Ohio Valley Conference all-tournament team and was a third-team all-OVC selection.

Branson stepped it up when his team needed him the most, scoring a team-high 21 points against Murray State in the championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference. He made four of his five 3-point attempts in that game and lifted his team offensively.

"He has really worked hard," said Garner. "Since he's been here he's gotten bigger and stronger and really hit the weight room hard. He's improved immensely. He's put on maybe 15 or 20 pounds."

Branson is loving basketball at the Division I level, a far cry from his days in junior college.

Coming from his basketball background, he probably appreciates the fanfare more than any player on the team.

"That's probably the biggest difference," said Branson. "You go to a game like the Murray game where it's sold out. I live for those kind of games. But there's a lot of self motivation to play hard because there's only 30 or 40 fans tops because we weren't a very prestigious junior college."

Branson is one of many junior-college transfers on the team. Five alone signed with Southeast this year.

"Anybody that thinks they can do better than who they are being recruited by, I suggest the junior college route," said Branson. "It made my dreams come true. I was fortunate to have good coaches everywhere I've been even in high school. My coaches stuck with me even when I wasn't good enough back then."

So now Branson has made the long way to Salt Lake City and he can't wait to play.

"It's a once in a lifetime experience for me and I'm just going to live it to the fullest. I'm going to come out and play with all the heart I can give."

And if his long road is any indication, Branson has a lot of that to give.