HALL OF FAME FEATURE: Charles Bryant '17

Playing basketball was always the easy part for Charles Bryant ’17. When it came time for him step up as the team leader during his senior season, it felt like an unnatural situation. And after the Averett University men’s basketball team got off to a rocky start that year, Bryant began to question himself. 

But much like his ability to rebound, Bryant’s tenacity and relentlessness wouldn’t allow him or his team to fail for long. Bryant evolved into the leader his team needed him to be, the Cougars bounced back to win the regular season title and Bryant was crowned as the USA South Conference’s Player of the Year as he went on to set the Cougars’ program record for career rebounds. Now, Bryant finds himself set to be one of the newest members of the Averett Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 14.

For current men’s basketball head coach David Doino, he hasn’t seen with his own eyes anyone better than Bryant don an Averett basketball uniform in the 17 years he has followed Averett basketball — first as an opposing assistant coach in the same conference and now as head coach entering his 10th season at Averett.

“For what Charles did every single day and what he brought not only as a player but as a person on and off the floor to go along with the stats … it’s hard to put anybody ahead of him,” Doino said. “That’s a credit to him. … As far as the all-around like basketball, leadership, on and off the floor, it would be hard for me in my 17 years of watching Averett basketball to say there’s anyone better at all of those things. I love him to death. Two words that pop out to me when I think of Charles in my lingo and his lingo is ‘absolute dog.’ That’s just who he is and why he’s successful today — which makes me even more proud of the man and father that he’s become.”

Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Sussex, Virginia, Bryant arrived on campus in 2013 as a freshman who joined a talented group of sophomores on then-head coach Matt Parke’s roster. Bryant’s ability to rebound and defend made him a great fit for what the Cougars needed at the time.

“I remember the class ahead of me had six or seven sophomores at the time and all of them were really good and young, so I was trying to figure out who do I have to outplay to try to make sure I could get some playing time,” Bryant recalled.

In open gym, Bryant knew one of the best ways to get better was to guard one of the toughest players. Former Cougar Justin Pierce, who went on to play professionally internationally, had finished his four years of eligibility but was still around campus and playing pickup hoops with members of the team. Bryant made it his job to guard Pierce — a strong scorer — to help aid his development.

Bryant came off the bench in all 26 games as a freshman, but he averaged 9.7 points and 6.2 rebounds that season to give others just a glimpse of his potential. After the season, Parke left and Doino was hired to take over the program. Bryant was certainly nervous initially about a coaching change.

“I did all that work my freshman year trying to find my way onto the court and just the thought of having to do that again with a new coach was tough,” Bryant said. “But to be honest, when Coach D first got there, he welcomed us with open arms and embraced us. He was definitely super high-intensity, but I kind of liked that and it triggered something in me.”

Doino noticed how Bryant’s approach to the game and his competitiveness was similar to his own. The potential was there for something special.

“I thought he was an extremely tough kid,” Doino said. “His freshman year he was really good around the rim but I didn’t quite know if he had the skills to step away from the basket as much. His freshman year he was just all over the glass and was a glue guy. When he was on the floor, they just seemed to play better because he did all the little things really well. I knew (when I took over the program) that from a toughness standpoint, he was going to do a lot of the things I liked or wanted to build in our program. But I didn’t realize the potential he had and the work ethic that he had. Once you’re around him every day, you notice how consistent he is.”

Bryant started 26 of 27 games in 2014-15 as a sophomore while averaging 10.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. The Cougars flourished as a team, winning the 2015 regular season championship in the USA South for the first time since 2009. Bryant was rewarded with USA South All-Conference First Team honors.

Coming off that championship run his sophomore season, Bryant and his teammates had trouble replicating that success as a team the following year. Although Bryant led the USA South with 8.6 rebounds a game while also scoring 10.9 points a contest, he wasn’t rewarded with any all-conference honors. 

“It was always believing that it was just a rut and we were going to get out of it,” Bryant said of his junior season. “To be honest, a lot of games that year were super close and could have gone either way. I always believed we were a good team and were one of the most talented teams in the conference. A lot of things just didn’t turn out the way we wanted, and sometimes that’s just how the coin flips.”

Bryant had flourished in his role during his first three years at Averett. Now, that role was about to change. Averett graduated six seniors — all key players — after Bryant’s junior season. As Bryant entered his senior year, fellow 2023 Averett Athletics Hall of Famer James Contreras Jr. was the only other major contributor left on the roster going into the 2016-17 campaign. Bryant had to be the guy.

Clouds of doubt went through his mind.

“I had to change a lot,” Bryant said. “During my freshman, sophomore and junior years, we had a lot of upperclassmen that played, so I was always like the little brother coming into the situation. I didn’t have too many responsibilities. I could just go have fun and dive on the floor and do anything like all the dirty work. That switched when they weren’t there. I kind of went through a lack of motivation because I almost felt like I belonged with those guys and should have still been with those guys. I actually texted them during our preseason … and they encouraged me and told me that I would figure it out and it would all come together.”

Bryant knew he had to be relatable and approachable.

“We had a lot of freshmen and only like three juniors under me, so everyone was pretty young,” Bryant said. “I had to figure out a way to build a relationship and a bond with the younger guys. That process was one of the biggest challenges for me.”

Early on that season, Averett dealt with the growing pains of an inexperienced roster. The Cougars lost 10 of their first 12 games. However, during those tough times, Bryant realized his leadership had to extend beyond his play on the court. Bryant and Contreras, who were the team leaders that season, had differing styles. Bryant had always led by example with Contreras being more of the vocal type. That began to change after a loss at home to Guilford College right before Thanksgiving. 

“We got into the locker room and I heard some guys,” Bryant said. “They were young, but they were talking about how they were ready to go home for break. I lost it and I remember telling them how I felt in that situation. The coaches came in and were listening to me talk. Once we got back from break, I honestly felt a switch and a change within the team. That moment brought us a lot closer. At that moment, it felt like we started playing for each other and it became bigger than basketball.”

Contreras, who called Bryant the “quietest, best leader I’ve ever had in my entire life,” said the team heard Bryant’s message loud and clear.

“He’s quiet and he does the more ‘I’m going to show you than tell you’ type thing, but when Charles did vocalize it, everyone turned around and listened.”

That was the respect Bryant commanded because of his work ethic and ability to communicate with each of his teammates individually.

“From a leadership standpoint, he’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around because he connected with everybody and when he spoke, it meant something to everybody,” Doino said. “Not everybody has that quality in their leadership style.”

Success didn’t happen overnight, but the Cougars eventually began to play to their potential. With Bryant leading the way, Averett won 10 of its final 13 games on its way to clinching the 2016-17 USA South regular season championship for the second time in three years. Bryant put together a stellar senior season, averaging 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds to earn USA South Player of the Year and USA South First Team accolades, as well as D3hoops.com All-Region First Team and Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State First Team honors. 

As he helped Averett hang another championship banner, Bryant also added his name to the record book as the Cougars’ all-time leader in career rebounds with 882. He also finished his career fifth all-time in scoring at Averett with 1,304 points (he currently ranks sixth in scoring at the time of his induction). Bryant also holds records for offensive rebounds in a season (122) and career (372).

“It means a lot and I think about it a lot — just the fact that I’ve really been able to leave my mark somewhere,” Bryant said of his rebounding records. “The area that I come from, there’s not a lot of people who are able to go to the next level or able to go do anything this big of stature. It definitely means a lot to be in the record book — a collegiate record book. Words can’t really explain.”

Now that he’s six years removed from playing college basketball, Bryant can look back on his career and appreciate all that he accomplished during his time at Averett.

“It means so much more,” he said. “On top of that, the fact that now I have a daughter and the other day she was telling me that it was a sunny day and she wanted to play basketball. Knowing that I was able to do that and she has something to kind of look at — that’s amazing.”

Bryant has continued to find success beyond the basketball court. He’s been a product owner with Anthem since 2017 in the Hampton Roads area. He and his fiancée have a 2-year-old daughter and just welcomed a second daughter to the family in late September 2023.

“We’re just maintaining and elevating,” Bryant said. “We bought our first house, we’re engaged and getting married in 2025.”

In addition to his day job, Bryant and his friends also started a collective group called “Why Not Us.”

“All of us have been getting to do some amazing things,” he said. “One of my friends from the group just went to Los Angeles to sign a record deal. I had another friend who is a part of it who just signed with Pusha T’s record label. It just goes to all of us pushing the same message of ‘Why Not Us’ and giving people from our area something they can look up to. Me being inducted into the Averett Athletics Hall of Fame, those two guys signing multi-million-dollar deals — it gives people a lot of hope.”

Bryant credits Averett with teaching him so much about life.

“The main way Averett helped me in life is that I learned to roll with the punches,” Bryant said. “One thing that Coach D always said was, ‘Next play.’ So whenever something happens in life, you take a few seconds to dwell on it or to feel sad or whatever, but life is going to keep going. That always stuck with me. Also being prompt and being on time. … And togetherness. Being there for each other, whether it’s me and my fiancée or my family or colleagues and just making yourself accessible to people whenever they need something.”