Romello Bruhn has reached the pinnacle.
The Weston Ranch star entered the SJAA semifinal game against Bear Creek Thursday, Feb. 12 needing 17 points to become just the 16th player in California high school boys basketball history to eclipse 3,000 career points.
He scored 24.
“No words can describe this feeling,” Bruhn said. “Since eighth grade, all I ever wanted to do was go to section and win it. I did that, and I want to win another one. But I never thought I’d be in this position with 3,000 points, let alone here in Stockton. The journey has been crazy. It’s amazing what basketball can bring you.”
Bruhn cut from the right corner and slipped backdoor on a pass from Damarcus Cobb Jr. He elevated as if to throw down a two-handed dunk but instead softly laid it in for his 17th point of the night.
With 3:41 left in the third quarter, the basket pushed Weston Ranch’s lead to 54-35. The Cougars went on to win 85-58.
“This moment isn’t about his scoring,” coach Edward Menzel said. “That part is obviously impressive. It’s the work. He never takes a day off. Not a drill. Not a rep. When you have the talent he has, it’s easy to coast. A lot of guys do. He doesn’t. He shows up every day ready to give his best.
“That’s what’s been special to witness. The work ethic is what makes this moment meaningful and special.”
An impromptu ceremony followed near Weston Ranch’s bench.
Behind the celebration, a white sheet of printer paper rose above the crowd with one message written in black Sharpie.
“3,000.”
“I love Weston Ranch,” Bruhn said. “It’s a family. I’ve only been here one year, but it feels like five. It’s amazing. Everyone here feels like family. I love coach Ed. I love my teammates. The culture here is special. I love them.”
That family showed up against Bear Creek. Jerimyah Owens finished with 19 points, Lemar Finney added 16 and Lyfe Modile chipped in nine.
“When you’re that nice at basketball and able to score like that, it was easy to accept him as family,” Fransua Senegal said. “All jokes aside, that’s our guy. Forever. We love him. That’s our brother for life.”
‘This one’s for Woodland, but it’s for Stockton, too’
The path to this moment makes the achievement feel even more storybook.
It began at Woodland Christian. He reached 1,000 career points on Jan. 6, 2024, in 43 games. Thirty-three games later, on Jan. 17, 2025, he crossed 2,000 in a victory over San Juan.
He later delivered the school’s first Sac-Joaquin Section championship, pouring in 49 points in an 87-63 win over Argonaut on Feb. 28, 2025.
“I’m thankful for Woodland for always supporting me and allowing me to overachieve,” Bruhn said. “Like I said, Woodland Christian will forever have a spot in my heart. That’s where I was born and raised. This one’s for Woodland, but it’s for Stockton, too.”
Then came the unexpected.
That summer, an email from Weston Ranch athletic director Michael Hale landed in Menzel’s inbox. It read like dozens of others. The program had gotten a call. A transfer was coming in.
This one was Bruhn.
During his postgame speech, he admitted he was scared at first. He thought adjusting to a new city, school and teammates would be the challenge.
It wasn’t.
Sitting out was.
“You have to realize, after sitting 30 days, in order to reach that milestone, we did the math and he still had to average about 26 points per game based on the guaranteed schedule,” Menzel said. “There are no guarantees in the playoffs. For him to get it done as quickly as he did is surprising, but it’s a testament to how hard he works.”
He came in with 2,472 points.
Nineteen games into this season, he is averaging more than 28 points per game.
And in those 19 games alone, he has passed several notable names on the all-time list, including free agent NBA guard Lonzo Ball, Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan and LiAngelo Ball.
Now he stands at 3,007.
“My goals in high school — I think this one was the pinpoint,” Bruhn said. “This was the final one I really wanted. There’s still one goal left — sections — and that’s next. I’m going to go out and try my hardest to get that. But overall, for my career, this was my pinpoint.”
‘I wanted it to come to me’
As he has all season, Bruhn stayed patient.
Seventeen wasn’t going to come by pressing. It would come within the flow of the game.
“I didn’t want to force anything,” Bruhn said. “I didn’t want to chase the 17. I wanted it to come to me. I just let the game play out and let it feel natural and smooth.”
He took three shots in the opening quarter. A putback layup accounted for his only two points.
In the second quarter, he went 4-for-4 from the field.
By halftime, he had 11 points.
Everyone knew what was next.
“We wanted to get him some easy ones,” Menzel said. “Run something clean, get him a good look. We were all thinking, ‘Let’s just hurry up and get it so we can be happy and celebrate.’”
Thirteen on a bobbled catch and layup.
Fifteen on a baseline jumper.
Then 17. A backdoor cut. Elevation. A layup instead of a dunk.
Bruhn admitted later he wished he had finished it above the rim.
He got his chance soon after, rising for a two-handed slam on a wide-open fast break later in the quarter.
“At the time, I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Bruhn said. “When I finally made it, I was like, ‘Oh shoot, I actually got 3,000 points.'”
When asked what the moment revealed about him, Bruhn paused.
“Hard work pays off,” he said. “Just keep working as hard as you possibly can. It’ll take you places you never thought you could go. For me, that’s my motto. Keep trusting God’s plan, and He’ll get you where you want to be.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: Weston Ranch’s Romello Bruhn joins elite club with 3,000 career points
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record | USA TODAY Network
