Randallstown senior Darrell Bryant, a returning second-team All-Metro forward, scored a team-high 31 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had four assists and blocked two shots in leading the four-time 2A state champion Rams to a 98-64 rout of defending 1A state champion Dunbar on Dec. 30. A two-time All-County football defensive end-receiver, Bryant, 6 feet 5 and 215 pounds, has accepted a full football scholarship to play for James Madison University. In the past two football seasons, Bryant has totaled 87 receptions, 1,189 yards and 17 touchdowns, 22 sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Bryant leads the Rams against St. Frances at 8 tomorrow night in the Basketball Academy at Morgan State.
Was it difficult choosing collegiate football over basketball?
Basketball's a hobby; football's a passion. ... For right now, I want to focus on being one of the first people to win three straight state titles at Randallstown. With teammates like Tione Womack, Kim English, Antione Jones, Wesley Bennett and Marcus Jeter, we have that potential.
Did Dunbar bring out the best in you?
Definitely. We had just played to overtime against Owings Mills, which we didn't feel was to our potential. We had to redeem ourselves against a good Dunbar team. We regained the respect we deserve by beating them the way we did.
Can you describe your role on last season's team and the one the season before?
My sophomore year, my role was to come off the bench and provide a spark by being a force defensively and grabbing rebounds at both ends of the court. Last year, I had to step up a little bit more, but we had [two-time All-Metro guard] Johnny Higgins directing the team.
Do you consider yourself to be the leader this season?
Yes. I feel it's my year to step up and play big every game. If I get frustrated, the rest of our players will also. So I have to play with poise and try to keep the team together so we can accomplish our goal.
LEM SATTERFIELD