Lockhart controls Panthers’ tempo

Brandon Lockhart saves most of his words for the court. The junior point guard for the Panthers is taking a bigger leadership role on a team that boasts only one senior, Dennon Mitchell. The Panthers lost a few key leaders from last season's team, including Andrew Taylor and JaJuan Maxwell. Therefore, Lockhart and fellow junior, Alex Hall, have helped to lead the new-look Panthers to a 5-3 start. But Brandon Lockhart is not your average leader.

Lockhart is not boastful, whether it is on or off the court. He simply plays hard and teammates gravitate toward him because he leads by example. However, on-court Brandon is a bit different than off-court Brandon.

Off the court, Lockhart rarely talks. He's polite, but saves words for important times. On the court, Lockhart has embraced this new phenomenon: talking.

"I've had a few people come up to me and tell me that I'm more expressive during the games and then they see me off the court and I could probably go a whole day without saying a word," Lockhart says.

His teammates agree. Sophomore Ian Carter, who is now Lockhart's roommate, knows that Lockhart is a man of few words, especially people with whom he is not yet familiar.

"With the guys in the locker room he'll joke around sometimes and we'll hear him talk, but if you don't know him at first, you're not going to get him to talk."

However, Lockhart uses as many words as needed on the court, acting as the floor general and running the offense. The point guard position is crucial to keeping the team on the same page on the floor.

"Point guards have to be vocal, they lead the team and it starts with them—every play on the court, defense or offense," Carter says. "[Lockhart]'s accepting the role and taking it head on."

Lockhart currently averages 10.4 points per game, good for the third-best on the team, while leading the team in assists and steals, averaging 3.8 and 2.4 per game, respectively.

This leadership by example, coupled with his increase of verbal leadership, will help the team be successful this season. Whether he talks or not, Lockhart plays an important role for the Panthers.

"He's one of the most important pieces [of the team] because of his ability. If he reaches the high end of what he can do, he makes us really good." Ja Havens, assistant coach, says. "He gives us a chance to do the things you set out to do—go to the postseason, win division titles, win a conference championship, and go to the NCAA tournament."