Somewhat bulked-up Broekhuis hopes to be able to shoulder more AFA scoring load

Taylor Broekhuis still looks skinny.

The Air Force center has put on about 20 pounds of much-needed weight this offseason. He looks stronger, even though he still won’t physically intimidate the forwards of the Mountain West. His extra bulk should help him be effective through the season.

“It was a lot of just eating and lifting,” Broekhuis said.

Last season, Broekhuis wore down after a fantastic start. Broekhuis averaged 9.4 points in nonconference games. Once the Mountain West started, his scoring dipped to just 4.8 points per game in conference play.

There were a few reasons for the decline. One of them was he wasn’t physically prepared for the rigors of playing 732 minutes last season. He was 200 pounds, and at 6-foot-10, that made him rail thin.

“I was a little tired towards the end of the year,” Broekhuis said. “Everyone is though.”

Broekhuis’ weight wasn’t the only reason. As a sophomore, when the competition picked up and his slump started, he started second-guessing himself.

“I think partially it was mental,” Broekhuis said. “I wasn’t confident with myself a lot. And the Mountain West is a tough conference. I wasn’t getting as easy looks as I was early in the year.”

Being better physically will help in many ways. This summer, Broekhuis was stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California. He used a lot of his free time to eat. He had four-to-five meals a day, all rich in protein and carbohydrates. And he turned those calories into muscle, with a lot of hang cleans, snatches, squats and dumbbell work.

“I can definitely feel a difference,” Broekhuis said. “I feel a little more stable and can take contact better, and push through a little more.”

Broekhuis is the Falcons’ second-leading returning scorer, behind Michael Lyons. Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds is hoping Broekhuis emerges this season, because the team needs a reliable scorer aside from Lyons.

“He’s had a very good offseason,” Reynolds said. “He’s gotten bigger, stronger and is shooting the ball better. He’s matured. He’s been through the rigors of this league for two years. This is his third year, and I think this will be his best year.”

Broekhuis said this offseason he has worked on his outside shooting and his offense in the post, to become a more versatile scorer. He understands that at least some of the scoring Air Force lost when Derek Brooks, Tom Fow and Evan Washington graduated will fall on his shoulders.

“We’re all going to have to pick it up,” Broekhuis said. “Someone is going to have to pick those up for us to win. If we can all spread that out a little bit, the responsibility won’t be so heavy on each player’s shoulders.”

The work Broekhuis did this offseason should prepare him to play well through the whole season. Broekhuis won’t push players around yet, but the extra strength should make him a better player.

“I feel stronger and feel better right now,” Broekhuis said. “Hopefully it’ll correlate to the season when it gets to that time everyone is starting to wear down a little bit. Hopefully you’ll have a little extra juice.”

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