It has been a busy Monday for one of the WPIAL’s top boys basketball players.
“It’s been hectic. A lot of people have been asking me where I’m going to school, even before I made my announcement,” said Bradyn Foster, a 6-foot-8 senior forward at Highlands.
Just after noon, the big man was ready to share his big news.
He’ll be continuing his career at the University of Pennsylvania.
That’s right, Foster has an Ivy League future. Foster committed to Penn, which offered him a spot on the team in July. Foster said his decision ultimately came down between Penn and Lehigh, which offered him just last week. He made official visits to both schools, along with Fairfield and Central Arkansas. Toledo was the first school to offer Foster back in May.
“When I was there, it really felt like the place I wanted to play. I think I fit in well. And, of course, it’s a great academic school,” Foster said of the visit to Penn, which took place Aug. 25-26.
Foster, who wears a size 15 shoe, said he has always been tall — he was 6-5 his freshman year — but his emergence on the court didn’t come until his junior season when he averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks a game for Highlands, which went 22-6 and reached the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. Foster improved his ball handling and developed a nice stroke from the outside, as he shot 37% from behind the arc. Foster had averaged 12 points a game his sophomore season.
“I think I’ve come very far,” said Foster, who followed up his big high school season with a strong AAU season with Caveman. “My coaches, parents … they didn’t think I would get to this level. I’ve worked very hard.”
Foster’s father, Michael, played at Highlands and then collegiately at Mount Union. Michael is 6 feet 6.
Under the direction of coach Steve Donahue, Penn went 17-13 overall and 9-5 in Ivy League play last season. The Quakers most recently qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2018.
Foster said his Plan A is to play professional basketball. But if that doesn’t work out, he knows that getting a degree from one of the most prestigious colleges in the world should set him up nicely for whatever field he pursues. Foster has a 4.1 GPA and is thinking about studying business.
Said Foster, “It’s important because I know that it’s also good to have a Plan B.”
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.