George Brammeier has always stood out from the crowd.
Part of this can be attributed to his 6-feet-10-inch stature, but also, Brammeier does not fit the mold of a typical college athlete. The senior doubles as a forward for the basketball team and as a philosophy student at Lipscomb.
Brammeier said his passion for philosophy even came as a surprise to him, as he started college thinking he would go into the medical field.
“I did not expect to start out as a philosophy major,” Brammeier said. “I had no idea what philosophy was as a freshman, and I didn’t know much about the discipline.”
As challenging as the major can be, Brammeier said he thinks he made the right decision, although he admitted that some of the concepts will “blow your brains out.”
Brammeier added that even though he doesn’t see a job in philosophy as ideal, he believes the degree will help him in his professional career. The Florida native plans to get a Masters in conflict management, which he will start working toward next spring.
Brammeier said that finding a balance between academics and basketball can be difficult, but that he wants to put forth the effort in order to make college a beneficial experience.
“Just like anything else, you get out what you put in,” Brammeier said. “I could’ve been in the easiest major here – whatever that may be – but I wanted to put in enough that I could get something out of it.”
According to Brammeier, time management and discipline have been crucial to finding this balance. His “ambitious, cerebral and logical” personality – as he described himself – has aided in balancing his two endeavors.
In terms of his athletic endeavors, Brammeier has always excelled in basketball, being named a 3-star prospect and top-100 player in high school. He was also earned Hillsborough County All-Star honors and was named East MVP for his performance in the Hillsborough East-West game.
At Lipscomb, he has been an ASUN Conference Scholar each year. His sophomore year, he played in all 33 games including making 20 starts in the post. Last season, he saw action in 26 contests and led the team with a .689 field goal percentage.
His playing time has varied from year to year, but Brammeier said that coach Casey Alexander has clear expectations for him — no matter his role.
“He wants me to be a no-mistake guy.” Brammeier said. “All he wants out of me is production with no mistakes.”
While Brammeier said he does not expect to lead the team in points, he noted that he enjoys being a player that everyone can rely on.
“A bad game for me isn’t one where I’m not the most productive player on the team,” Brammeier said. “A bad game for me is when I make mistakes that hurt the team.”
Brammeier is known among his teammates for helping the other team members with their needs, whether it be homework, advice or just being altruistic in general.
“I try to help my teammates,” he said, addressing this reputation he has on the team. “I try to be there for them. If they need anything, I hope that they can come to me. My goal on this campus is to be completely genuine.”
Whether it be about academics or faith, Brammeier said he always tries to use his philosophical knowledge and strengths to help others.
“That deep philosophical stuff that I’ve studied, those are questions that a lot of people ask in college, and I’ve just tried to make it obvious that if they need a guy to talk to, I will not judge them,” he said.
Brammeier added that he was clinically diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) last spring, which has been debilitating for him at times. However, he said that this has led to a lot of discussions on the team about how to cope with such an issue in a positive way.
“The biggest thing that I tell everyone is to just define themselves with God and then move on from there,” Brammeier said. “Even if a person seems like they have a lot together, on the inside, they can be struggling, and that’s worth talking about.”
Additional reporting by Kasey Main