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Wittenberg’s ‘twin towers’ didn’t always get along

Animosity from high school all-star game distant memory now.

Alex Brandt (left) of Wittenberg is guarded by Mike Garabedian of Denison during a Jan. 14 game. Brandt is one of two 6-foot-7 seniors on the team. Clayton Black is the other

Barbara Perenic/Staff Photographer Alex Brandt (left) of Wittenberg is guarded by Mike Garabedian of Denison during a Jan. 14 game. Brandt is one of two 6-foot-7 seniors on the team. Clayton Black is the other "twin tower." STAFF photo BY BARBARA J. PERENIC

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By David Jablonski, Staff Writer 11:15 PM Tuesday, January 24, 2012

SPRINGFIELD — Alex Brandt laughs when he thinks of the first time he met Clayton Black.

The two 6-foot-7 seniors — Wittenberg’s twin towers, as public address announcer Michael Cooper calls them — have started 41 games together over the last two seasons and played key roles in their first two seasons. However, they didn’t always get along.

“It’s a funny story,” said Brandt, a graduate of Lewis Center High School in Olentangy. “We met at a high school all-star game. We were seniors in high school, and he told me he was interested in the same two schools I was (Wittenberg and Capital). We were trying to make our decisions.

“Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. We joke about it now. I don’t know what it was.”

Maybe it had something to do with what happened in the game.

“He blocked my shot,” Brandt said. “I think I was a little upset about that. I fouled him when he was going up for a dunk.”

That’s a distant memory now. The two are not only teammates, they’re also roommates.

While Lancaster High School graduate Black has more impressive stats — he’s 5 points short of 1,000 entering tonight’s 8 o’clock home game against DePauw — Brandt has been a reliable complement to Black in the post. He has scored 614 points in his career, averaging 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season.

Brandt leads all his teammates in one way. He’s engaged to be married to Christine Nugent on May 19, a week after graduation. Some of his teammates are in the wedding party, though many of them have also given Brandt a hard time about the engagement.

“They tease me a lot, to tell you the truth,” Brandt said.

Before wedding and graduation, there’s a little matter of this basketball season.

The Tigers (13-4) are coming off a 64-51 loss at Hiram on Saturday. They are 7-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference and still own a one-game lead over Wabash and DePauw in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

“We’re really looking forward to getting back on the court and proving we’re a top team in this conference,” Brandt said. “Saturday was tough, but we’re looking forward now.”

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