Not much has changed for Lowell senior Braydon Cox.
Red Devils coach Joe Delgado recalled the glimpses of ability the 5-foot-10 point guard flashed as a freshman.
“He would come in and score right away, and the place would go crazy,” Delgado said. “That little guy just running around, scrappy. That’s what he does. Even now when he scores, when he makes a simple basket, it’s like an explosion for our team.”
Then again, indeed a lot has changed for Cox and the Red Devils (6-4), who already have eclipsed their total victories from last season and need two more wins to surpass their total from the previous three seasons combined.
“He finally has the experience and everything that he brings for the rest of the group,” Delgado said of Cox. “He’s our floor general. He used to be a kid who would get down on himself if he missed a shot or something, and now he’s the kid who lifts everybody up. If he sees somebody else is down, he’s the first one picking them up and telling them, ‘Good job.’
“That’s the culture piece that everybody talks about, and that’s where he really raises the culture of our team and the energy he brings.”
Cox is in his second season as a starter, and he leads the team in scoring with 11.5 points. He’s also averaging 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals, tied for the team lead, entering Lowell’s game at West Side on Thursday.
“He’s the glue of our team,” Delgado said. “When he gets going, he brings the energy for our whole team. He works hard. He’s tough.
“Not only is he our point guard, not only is he our leading scorer, but he also leads the team in charges taken. So when a guy like that is willing to sacrifice his body, the rest of the kids see that, and it raises the level for our entire team. That’s what he does for the rest of our group.”
Cox averaged 10.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season. But he’s become more comfortable in his role this season.
“I’ve gotten way more aggressive this year,” Cox said. “I’m definitely handling the ball better against other teams and how they’re all guarding us and all the pressure because I’m more used to it.
“At the beginning of last year, I was definitely pretty nervous. I felt like I was a big part of the team since I was the point guard. I definitely had a lot of nerves. But it all broke down after a couple of games. My teammates helped me keep my confidence up.”
Cox is one of the players who has taken on that responsibility this season.
“I’ve just been taking practicing seriously and practicing hard,” he said. “I make sure that I’m keeping my teammates up and confident. I try to just help my teammates and lead my team.”
Cox is one of six seniors on the Red Devils’ roster. Delgado said “they want to go out and leave it all out there every night.” Senior guard Ezra Elenbaum recognizes Cox’s importance to them.
“As one of our seniors, he’s a great leader,” Elenbaum said. “He’s definitely one of the more vocal leaders of the team.
“From a basketball standpoint, we rely on him a lot as our main ball handler and the leader of our offense and our team.”
This senior class has grown together and been building toward this season. Cox and his classmates have visions of the Red Devils competing for a Northwest Crossroads Conference title, despite a 63-59 overtime loss to Hobart on Dec. 20, and a sectional title as they move down to Class 3A.
Lowell last won a conference game in 2021 and a sectional game in 2019. Its last sectional championship came in 1993.
But Cox and the Red Devils have been undeterred. Their 46-45 victory against Munster, which has won seven straight NCC titles, at LaPorte’s Steiner Homes Holiday Tournament on Dec. 28 boosted their confidence. That win ended Lowell’s streak of 10 straight losses to the Mustangs, including two in sectionals, dating to 2016.
“We came into the season pretty confident,” Cox said. “We play every game with no fear. We always try to hit everyone back and play our own game.
“Our other couple of years have been a little rough, so we want to show what our team can do and prove to a lot of people how we can play.”
As Lowell pursues its goal, Cox figures to be a key component.
“He’s a quiet kid who’s come into his own as he’s gotten older,” Delgado said. “He’s a kid who we’ll definitely miss when he graduates. He does a lot for us on the court, and he’s a good leader for our team. We’re just lucky to have him.”
