UF's Bruns, Edmonds have bond on and off the court

As they move on to the next chapter of their lives, Nathan Bruns and Joey Edmonds made sure to leave it all on the floor in the University of Findlay's season finale two-point loss to Ashland. Oiler fans are used to that, though. Now two of the most prolific players to don UF's colors, Bruns and Edmonds have been linked since the beginning of their storied careers. Roommates since 2019 as freshmen, the two have grown into perhaps the best one-two punch in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. "Me and Joey have always had a great relationship," Bruns said. "We've roomed together since we were freshmen, lived in the dorms. Even that, before in high school we had known each other, just on recruiting visits and different things like that. So, we had already built a little bit of a relationship before we got here. Once we got here, it just grew even more. We both grew as players, we both learned from each other, we both have respect for each other. We just played for each other, because we knew we had each other's backs. I think we pushed each other, and challenged ourselves every day." "Me and Nate came in together and were roommates freshman year," Edmonds added. "He's always been an ultra-competitive guy, he's probably the most competitive guy I've ever been around. All he wants to do is win. Every day in practice, he's going 100 percent. If guys aren't going 100 percent, he's gonna let you know. "He's been our leading scorer for five years. He came into the G-MAC and instantly made an impact, and he's just gotten better every single year. I think the thing that he's improved the most on is his 3-point shooting, which makes him even tougher to guard on the block. I think it's his competitive fire that he brings each and every day, and just that will to win. We have a guy that we can rely on when we need a bucket. Throw it to him on the right block, and there's not a whole lot of guys that can stop him." Bruns has indeed been hard to stop since his first season as an Oiler. A G-MAC all-conference pick all five seasons at Findlay, he finished his career fourth all-time in scoring, second all-time in both rebounds and field goals made, as well as top-ten in assists. Bruns is one of just five active Div. II players to score 1800 points and have 700 rebounds. "It's crazy," Bruns said. "Obviously, you have goals, but you don't know what goals you're gonna achieve. You don't know what's gonna happen in your career. I'm blessed, super fortunate that God put me in a great position here. Just to do what I did, I'm super grateful. I couldn't have done it without any of my coaches, any of my teammates, past teammates. I couldn't do it without them." "It was one heck of a career, man," Bruns continued. "I wouldn't change it for the world. The coaching staff, to the fans, to the athletic department, to everybody here. I love my time here; I enjoyed it here. In our younger careers, we were pretty successful. That was a lot of fun. Even these last two years, even with not winning as much, still being with the guys, just being around them it's great. You really come in as a young adult, and you leave as a man. That's really the main important thing. I'll always cherish the moments here and I wouldn't change anything." Edmonds has his fair share of high marks as well. Edmonds sits alongside Bruns in the 1000-point club, as well as landing at fifth all-time in assists, totaling 333. "It's awesome," Edmonds said with a smile. "It shows me that all the work is paying off. You put hours and hours into the game that people don't see, and to see it pay off just gives you a sense of fulfillment." "There's only a small number of people who've come through this program that have won the number of games that we have, that have some of the accolades," Edmonds added. "Having two 1,000-point scorers in your class, that's an amazing accomplishment. Nate's up there on the rebounds list, I just cracked the top five in assists. Not only coming in here and trying to uphold the standard, I think we've lifted it. We have a lot of conversations with coach about taking this program to the next step, the next level. I think that with the things that go on behind closed doors in practice every day, that Nate and I have come in and tried to be consistent. To push guys to want to be great, I think this program's got a lot left in the tank, and (is) gonna have some bright years in the future. We've got a really, really young team. I'd say Nate and I definitely have made our contributions to making the program better than it was when we came in." That improvement has taken place mostly off of the court. Bruns and Edmonds' leadership and camaraderie has rubbed off on the rest of the team, resulting in strong growth from some of the Oilers' younger talents. "I think it's been easy for me," Edmonds said of blossoming into a vocal leader for the Oilers. "I think it's been easy because I'm a coach's kid. My dad was my coach in high school, really my whole family. My grandpa was a long-time basketball coach in Cincinnati, my mom was the head basketball coach at (Cincinnati) Wyoming where I went to high school. I think being a coach's son, you naturally have those leadership abilities. "I always knew that one day I'd be a captain here at Findlay. Even as a freshman, I knew I wasn't the voice of the team, I didn't have that status yet. But I still tried to lead by example in the way I approached every single day." "Hopefully the culture that we built is the same as what it's been throughout," Bruns said. "When we came here as freshmen. Hopefully, that culture is still established, what the Findlay way is. Just showing the younger guys that way, so they can have a successful season next year." Findlay's successful season will be dependent on more improvement from young players, and the ever-reliable coaching of Charlie Ernst. Ernst has been a mainstay of the Oilers program, and has played a key role in the development of Bruns and Edmonds. "Being here at Findlay for five years has given me so much," Edmonds said. "It's all thanks to coach Ernst for taking a chance on me. He's allowed me to live out my dream, which is to play college basketball." "Coach Ernst is a great guy," Bruns said. "Anything you need, he's gonna be there for you. That's another big reason, too, that I came here." One of the biggest things both Bruns and Edmonds will take away from their time on the men's basketball team at UF is the relationships they have been able to build. "We've stuck through a lot," Bruns said. "Me, Joey, Andrew Owens, Keegan Schaub, Michael Kramer, we've really been there since the beginning. I know some of those guys are younger than us, but it's good when you've got commitment. You've got guys who bought in, are loyal, and our friendship is something that will never be broken." "The biggest memories for me are every day after practice, going to the dining hall with the guys," Edmonds said. "Sitting there and talking about anything and everything. We hang out off the court all the time, our families are super close, we go back to each other's houses. I cherish those moments, being able to hang out with the guys off of the court just as much as on the court." Those relationships go far beyond the court, however. Immediately following every single home game in Croy Gymnasium, Findlay fans line the court and all of the players walk through and shake hands, something that has a profound effect on the community feel of the team. "You know, it's a bittersweet moment," Bruns said following Saturday's final Oiler home game. "You look back at all the great memories you have here and go back and think about them. It's bitter because you know it's the last time that you'll ever get to play on this court in front of the fans." "I think the fans mean everything," Edmonds said. "When we go out there and run out in Croy, we see all the fans, it gives us a boost of energy. It's really cool, we go around and shake hands, and pretty much every person knows you by your name. Just having their support, even when we're having a year like we are right now, where you're around that .500 mark, you kinda think, 'Are the fans gonna show up?' We run out in Croy and it's packed every single game. They care about you as people, and they wanna see you succeed. That's really huge for guys on the team." "It's huge," Bruns added. "I think that's a huge recruiting aspect for Findlay, because of the fanbase and how loyal and how great they are. We have great fans every game, no matter what the record is. That's a reason why a lot of people come here, it's a reason I came here. I would come to games, and it would be almost full every game. It was loud, and that's what I wanted to come play in." "My overall experience here has really paid off," Bruns said. "I really couldn't care less about any of the accolades or anything like that. What I care about is the relationships I've built here. I can say I've built some really, really strong relationships here, and that's one of the biggest things I'll take away from my experience." "I think for me it's just growing up," Edmonds said. "You come in in June as a freshman, as still a boy almost. You're leaving as a man. Just being able to go out there every single day for five years, I didn't take one second for granted. It's been really the adventure of a lifetime and I think it's been everything that 14-year old me who set out to play college basketball could imagine that it was gonna be."