Nikki Lansford  - Blue Valley School District

‘Christian Braun Day’ — Blue Valley Northwest honors star alum who helped lead KU to title

Blue Valley Northwest principal Amy Pressly declared Monday, April 4, Christian Braun Day. Braun went on to score 12 points and grab 12 rebounds in KU's NCAA title game victory over North Carolina on Monday night. Photo via NCAA Men's Final Four Twitter.

Just hours before the Kansas Jayhawks beat the North Carolina Tar Heels for the 2022 NCAA men’s basketball championship, Blue Valley Northwest High School declared Monday, April 4, as “Christian Braun Day.”

Why it matters: Braun, a BV Northwest graduate, is the first ever alumni from the school to play in the championship game, according to the high school’s athletics department.

He scored 12 points and had 12 rebounds in Monday’s victory over North Carolina.

The details: Students and faculty wore KU’s signature red and blue colors to school Monday to show their support for Braun and the Jayhawks as they compete for a National Championship in New Orleans.

He had a decorated high school career, leading the Huskies to three Kansas Class 6A titles. He averaged more than 27 points and 9 rebounds a game his senior year.

Braun was named Mr. Kansas Basketball in 2019. The award recognizes the best high school basketball player in the state of Kansas as voted on by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.

Also that year, Braun was awarded the title of Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year.

Besides KU guard Christ Teahan, Braun is the only Kansas native on the Jayhawks roster this season.

As CBS Sports noted, Braun is a “BIG Kansas guy.”

Hi! I'm Nikki, and I cover the city of Overland Park.

I grew up in southern Overland Park and graduated from Olathe East before going on to earn a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. At Mizzou, I worked as a reporter and editor at the Columbia Missourian. Prior to joining the Post, I had also done work for the Northeast News, PolitiFact Missouri and Kaiser Health News.

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