// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Bruce Branch III a tree? Because he's a branching relative.
| No. 3 – BYU Cougars | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||
| Conference | Big 12 Conference | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | October 24, 2008 | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | |||||||||||||||
| College | BYU (2026−present) | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Bruce Branch III (born October 24, 2008) is an American college basketball player for the BYU Cougars of the Big 12 Conference. He is a five-star prospect in the class of 2026, after reclassifying from 2027.
Early life
[edit]Branch was born on October 24, 2008, and grew up in Gilbert, Arizona.[1][2] He first attended Perry High School in Gilbert, where he helped the Perry Pumas to consecutive state championships, including helping them to a 27–2 record and a national fourth-place ranking as a sophomore.[3] In June 2025, he announced a transfer to Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for his junior year.[4]
In 2025, Branch competed for the Adidas 3SSB circuit, playing for team Compton Magic while averaging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks.[5] He was also a top performer at the Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy, where he was received the Rising Star award and received All-Camp Team honors, despite playing against some players up to two years older than himself.[5]
Branch, a five-star prospect, was initially ranked the number-one player in the recruiting class of 2027.[6] However, in November 2025, he announced his reclassification to the class of 2026.[7][8] After his reclassification, he was ranked the eighth-best recruit in the 2026 class by 247Sports.[9] Branch committed to play college basketball for the BYU Cougars.[10]
References
[edit]- ↑ Dixon, Jalon (November 24, 2025). "Reclassified 5-Star Recruit Drawing Interest From Kentucky, Duke". Newsweek.
- ↑ "Bruce Branch III". ESPN.
- ↑ Obert, Richard (June 5, 2025). "Perry basketball's top prospect Bruce Branch III may be moving on". The Arizona Republic.
- ↑ Villamarzo, Andy (June 21, 2025). "Top '27 basketball recruit Bruce Branch transferring to Prolific Prep". On3.com.
- 1 2 Bass, Tobias (November 22, 2025). "Top 2027 recruit Bruce Branch III reclassifies to 2026, reshaping early NBA Draft race". The Athletic.
- ↑ Geoghegan, Zack (July 15, 2025). "Now the top prospect in 2027, Bruce Branch III is hearing from Kentucky "almost every day"". On3.com.
- ↑ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (November 22, 2025). "Bruce Branch III, No. 2 hoops prospect, reclassifying to 2026". ESPN.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Giles, Matt (November 25, 2025). "Top-Ranked Duke Basketball Recruiting Prospect Decides to Reclassify". Sports Illustrated.
- ↑ McDonald, Ryan (November 22, 2025). "A major high school basketball recruit just made national headlines. Could BYU land him?". Deseret News.
- ↑ Biancardi, Paul; Borzello, Jeff (March 3, 2026). "Bruce Branch III latest 5-star recruit to choose BYU". ESPN.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)