Head men’s basketball coach Dave Balza has added two graduate assistants to his staff for the 2017-18 basketball season, as Evan Sizemore and Matt Brunjes will join the Sailfish this fall.
Sizemore graduated cum laude with honors from The Ohio State University in the spring of 2017, earning a bachelor’s of science in education. During his time at Ohio State, Sizemore worked with the women’s basketball team, which advanced to the Sweet 16 each of the past two seasons. He was also an event management intern at OSU as well as with the Columbus Blue Jackets and has served as a locker room assistant with the Green Bay Packers.
Sizemore has spent the past four summers working the basketball camps at Palm Beach Atlantic for Coach Balza and was a three-sport varsity athlete in high school in his home state of Wisconsin. Sizemore’s brother Justin also works at PBA, serving as an assistant coach for the baseball program. Evan will be working on his master’s degree from PBA in leadership while serving with the basketball program, where he will work primarily with skill development of the team’s post players and assist with academics, scouting, out-of-state recruiting, video coordination and camps. Coach Balza had this to say about his newest addition, “I met Evan four years ago, shortly after I arrived at PBA. He has been an invaluable member of our summer camp coaching staff every year. His ability to cultivate and maintain relationships will serve us well in recruiting and team building.”
Matt Brunjes joins the PBA staff after serving as a graduate assistant at Webber International University this past spring. He played collegiately at Covenant College for Coach Kyle Taylor, and scored a career-high 20 points against Ave Maria University. Brunjes is a native Floridian and was a two-time Palm Beach County Honorable Mention selection at Jupiter Christian High School, where he averaged 14.4 points and 3.5 assists per game as a senior in 2010-11 under Coach Tim Holland.
Brunjes graduated from Covenant College in 2015 with a bachelor’s of arts in business administration and management and a minor in sports management. Brunjes then served as middle school head basketball coach at The Pine School, leading them to their first conference championship in school history. He also was an assistant coach at the high school level and as a personal trainer. Brunjes will be obtaining his master’s degree from PBA in leadership while serving with the basketball program, where he will work primarily with skill development of the team’s perimeter players, academics, scouting, in-state recruiting, marketing of the program, statistics and community service. “I got to know Matt through one of our players,” noted Balza. “He is a good, young energetic coach that I am excited to bring on board here at PBA.”
The pair joins recently announced assistant coach Lawrence Reed on Balza’s staff for the 2017-18 season. Balza is entering his fifth year leading the Sailfish after posting the best record in the program’s Division II era last year at 16-13.
http://pbasailfish.com/news/2017/8/18/brunjes-sizemore-added-to-mens-basketball-staff.aspx
