By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - There were a couple of stops along the way. But Brandon Adelman is happy his college path eventually led him to Saint John's University.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound junior guard out of New London-Spicer High School transferred to SJU at the semester break last season. The late start meant he saw action in just two games down the stretch.

But with a full offseason behind him, he's now emerged as a key part of the Johnnies' rotation off the bench. Adelman has seen action in 12 of his team's 13 games, averaging 13.4 minutes of action per contest.

"It really feels like I can build something here," he said. "I've found a home. I've found a family."

After a prep career at NL-S in which he averaged 20.5 points per game as a junior, Adelman committed to play at Division II St. Cloud State – in part, he said, because of his relationship with fellow NL-S graduate Jayme Moten, then an assistant with the Huskies.

He saw action in 13 games during the 2019-20 season, scoring 12 points. From there, he transferred to Bryant & Stratton, a junior college in Milwaukee where he averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game during the COVID-abbreviated 2020-21 season.

But SJU always remained on his radar, and he said his relationship with the Johnnies' coaching staff and a desire to return closer to home led to his decision to transfer.

"(Then assistant coach Connor) O'Brien really recruited me hard and (head coach) Pat (McKenzie) and I talked a lot," said Adelman, who was also a standout high school quarterback. "I really felt like they cared and they wanted me here. They'd ask me how I was doing not just in basketball, but in life. That mattered a lot to me.

"I also wanted to be closer to home. After being away for a while, it's really nice to be able to have my family at all of my games."

McKenzie was certainly glad to add him aboard.

"Coming in at the semester break is hard, especially when you're joining an established team like we were last season," said McKenzie, whose team (9-4, 6-2 MIAC) is tied with Carleton (11-2, 6-2 MIAC) for first place in the MIAC standings heading into a pair of home matchups – against Bethel (4-10, 2-7 MIAC) at 1 p.m. Saturday, then against the co-leading Knights at 7 p.m. Monday. 

"So it took a little while to work him into the rotation and for him to get comfortable with what we're doing. But this year, he's been here since the start and you can just see him getting more and more comfortable every day."

That was demonstrated when SJU traveled to Spokane, Wash., for a pair of games just before the holiday break. Adelman reached double figures in both matchups, scoring 11 in a loss to Whitworth (Wash.) on Dec. 20 and 10 in a 70-55 win over Linfield (Ore.) the following night.

"I think the biggest difference between this season and last is that I've been here since the beginning of the year and I've been able to connect with my teammates from the start," said Adelman, who is averaging 5 points and 3 rebounds per game.

"I've played pickup games with them in open gym and I've gotten to know everyone a lot better. I feel more established as part of the team. I'm a lot more confident because I know what's expected of me and what I'm supposed to be doing."

Adelman is a global business leadership major who remains unsure exactly what career path he intends to pursue when he graduates in May of 2024. He'd like to one day run his own business, perhaps in the sports management field.

But, for now, he's happy to be making a contribution at SJU.

"The biggest thing I've noticed about this team is that there aren't any egos," he said. "Everybody is very welcoming. When a guy comes in the middle of the season the way I did last year, there can sometimes be tension. But there wasn't any of that. Everyone welcomed me and made me feel right at home.

"It's such a tight-knit community here and I'm just glad to be part of it."