Mike Kraft/MDN Our Redeemer’s senior guard Kadyn Braun (center) signs her letter of intent to play women’s college basketball at Bismarck State College beginning next year during a press conference at Our Redeemer’s Christian School on Tuesday, Nov. 25, sitting alongside her parents Shayla (left) and Michael (right).

It’s been quite the busy, exciting and bit nerve-racking week for Our Redeemer’s senior athlete Kadyn Braun.

It started Thursday, Nov. 20, on the volleyball court in Bismarck, as Braun the Knights took part in the Class B state tournament. The outside hitter finished with 33 kills, 35 digs and two aces to help Our Redeemer’s to a fourth-place finish.

On Tuesday, Nov. 25, Braun was in the Our Redeemer’s gym surrounded by friends, family and teammates as she signed her letter of intent, committing to play college basketball at Bismarck State College beginning next year.

“It’s one to another straight away and it’s kind of overwhelming, but I’m just excited to get a change of pace in sports and a lot more conditioning for sure,” Braun said.

Along with volleyball and basketball, Braun also competes in track and field during the spring. Braun said she had offers from Division II and Division III schools for track, but ultimately turned them down because basketball was her true love and playing college basketball had always been the goal.

“I’ve been playing basketball since kindergarten and I’ve always had a passion and love for it. It’s been my goal to go further than high school with it,” Braun said. “I grew more love for it than the other sports. Granted, I love the other sports, too.”

Braun and Bismarck State have been in communications for more than a year leading up to Tuesday’s signing. She toured the campus in June and has been watching their games as the college makes the transition from a two-year to a four-year institution. The transition also comes with upgraded facilities, all of which only made BSC more enticing to Braun. The proximity to home also played a factor, as Braun said she wasn’t looking to move out of the state. She intends to major in elementary education.

The Our Redeemer’s connection to Bismarck State is a strong one. Former high school teammate Maya Vibeto played for the Mystics before transferring to Minot State. Her current head coach, Hart Andes, played for the BSC men’s team. Andes has coached Braun since she was a freshman and has seen the growth in both her game and her maturity.

“We talk about skills all the time, but even her progression as a person, she’s becoming a great team leader, especially as a senior this year,” Andes said. “Skillwise, lethal shooter and can really handle the ball. She does a great job of running the offense as a point guard. She’s so quick and she has a really high basketball IQ. At the next level she’s going to do a great job and the Mystics are lucky to have her.”

The 5-foot-3 point guard has been a member of the Our Redeemer’s varsity team since eighth grade and has experienced it all. The Knights went to the state tournament during her sophomore year, placing sixth. The Knights made it to regionals her freshman and eighth-grade years, but they lost in the championship game her freshman year and in the opening round the year prior. Last year, Our Redeemer’s didn’t make it out of the district tournament.

In her first four years with the varsity program, the Knights are 69-32. As a junior, Braun averaged 15 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 37 percent from the field.

During her senior season, Braun intends to focus on preparing herself and her game for the college level and continuing to improve her skills.

“Getting in the gym and keep putting shots up,” Braun said. “I’m working on the mentality that it’s totally different between high school and college, the level and the competitiveness. So I’m mentally and physically preparing myself.”

Andes has no doubt that Braun will be prepared for the next level, as preparation and attention to detail are traits that stand out in his mind about his point guard.

“Her preparation level, she does a great job of preparing herself, but she also does a great job of preparing the team, making sure we’re all on the same page,” Andes said. “Growing into that leadership spot, she’s doing a great job of rallying the troops. The amount of effort she puts in off the court probably isn’t seen, but she’s very meticulous in everything she does to get ready.”

Before Braun puts on the green, brown and white uniforms in college, she still has another year in Our Redeemer’s blue and white. The Knights tip off their season on Dec. 9 against Stanley in the Nedrose Tournament.