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Rockhurst University Athletics

Brannon Lewis
Reggie Thomas, San Antonio Spurs

Men's Basketball

Former Rockhurst players enjoying life in the NBA

Curtis Lewis, left, and Josh Brannon work behind the scenes in San Antonio
Going from Rockhurst University to a career in the National Basketball Association could only have been a dream scenario for Josh Brannon back in 2016.

Brannon played three seasons on the Rockhurst men's basketball team from 2013-16 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business communications. Three year later, he was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as a video room intern.

"My cousin (DeMarcus Brannon) was the director of camps for the Spurs. He helped me get my foot in the door. I spent a lot of my summers growing up working at the Spurs' camps," said Brannon, who was a high school coach in the Kansas City area and served as a camp director for the Spurs Sports Academy from 2016 to 2019.

Josh Brannon
Josh Brannon talks to Spurs' head coach Gregg Popovich

Now in his sixth season with the Spurs, Brannon was promoted to player development last year after being San Antonio's head video coordinator for one season. He was the assistant video coordinator from 2021-22 after spending two seasons as a quality assurance assistant.

"This is a very demanding position, but it's something not everybody gets. You have to earn your stripes," said Brannon, who grew up in Houston and attended two junior colleges before transferring to Rockhurst in 2013.

Brannon started traveling to every away game last year and developing plans on how their players were progressing. He was also the point person for the Spurs' scouts.

The Rockhurst connection in San Antonio did not end with Brannon. Former Hawks' point guard Curtis Lewis made a similar path to the Spurs after his college career ended in 2022.

"I helped get Curtis an overnight gig in the video room in a last-minute situation. He then became a video intern and is now a video assistant," Brannon said.

Lewis was a three-time All-Conference honoree and was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2017. He finished his college career at Flagler College in 2022 and started working at a bank in Jacksonville, Florida.

"Josh sent me a text and asked me if I had any plans. He told me about working in the Spurs' video room. I didn't know what I was walking into. I was guarding some of the players in practice and was elevated to a scout team player," said Lewis, who grew up in Kansas City and attended Pembroke Hill High School.

Curtis Lewis
Curtis Lewis, right, spends time on the practice floor.

In his role as the video assistant, Lewis scouts other NBA teams for the Spurs' coaches. He breaks down the game films and pulls clips for the coaches.

"It's a long process working behind the scenes. You want to be consistent from game one to game 82. I've loved my experience so far. There are a lot more pros than cons with this job," Lewis said.

Lewis spent one month on the road last season when the Spurs went on a long road trip during the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

"There are a lot of early mornings and last nights. I get to work in the best facilities, stay in the nicest hotels and they feed us really well. This is amazing. I'm very fortunate and blessed," Lewis added.
 
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