Rayson uses killer instinct to fuel offensive game
When senior Braylon Rayson steps onto the basketball court, his opponents become his enemies.
"My mindset going into any game is really to respect all of my opponents, but to kill them at the same time," Rayson said. "I feel like everybody that we play against are in my way. They are in my way to my money."
The 5-foot-9 guard shows off a relentless scoring attack each time he touches the floor.
Rayson is ranked No. 2 in the Mid-American Conference in scoring, averaging a career-best 21.2 points per game, second only to his teammate, Marcus Keene.
Although Keene has been the one who has garnered most of the attention this season, Rayson has quietly been one of the most consistent players in the country.
Rayson scored a career-high 34 points Saturday against Ball State. It was his 13th consecutive game of scoring 20 or more points.
Rayson ranks third in CMU history with 1,779 points scored and is one 3-pointer away from tying his former teammate John Simons for most 3-pointers made with 256.
"He is so consistent because of his talent and because of the time he's put in," said head coach Keno Davis. "He was always an explosive scorer. But, because of his work ethic and being able to put in time, now you are seeing a player that is a consistent scorer and a guy that is going to be able to play professionally next year."
During non-conference play, Rayson had two games where he failed to score in double digits against Little Rock and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Because of those games, Rayson said he got off to a slow start this season. Things have been different in MAC play.
"I knew when conference play came it was like starting over," Rayson said. "I decided to go on and get with it."
Rayson has had 17 20-point games this season, including his performance against Ball State. Keene and Rayson combined for 74 points in the game against the Cardinals but fell 109-100 in overtime.
Rayson said he and Keene's chemistry on the court has also helped him during his streak.
"If (Keene) scores first, I am going to make sure he gets another shot," Rayson said. "If I score first, he is going to make sure that I get another shot. We are just feeding the hot hand. If neither one of us are hot, we are going to make sure someone else like Josh (Kozinski) or David (DiLeo) gets another shot."
Davis said he was glad Rayson and Keene went under the radar coming out of high school because of their size.
"In recruiting we had undervalued and overlooked recruits," Davis said. "Fortunately for us, both Rayson and Keene didn't go to a level much higher than ours because of people looking for a prototypical 6'3" or 6'4" point guard, but their loss is our gain."
Rayson said his consistent play comes from him being himself on the court.
"I'm just going out there and doing what I do," the Dallas native said. "My teammates believe in me and let me go out there and play my game."
Scoring is not the only role on the team for Rayson. He is ranked second on the team in assists per game with 3.3. He also leads the MAC in minutes played. Rayson has logged 1,001 minutes this season.
When asked if he can keep the scoring streak alive, Rayson said "definitely, because that is one of my roles on the team."
The Chippewas are 16-11 and 6-8 in MAC play and sit in second place in the MAC West behind Ball State. They have four games left in the regular season with the MAC Tournament taking place March 6-11.
Rayson and the Chippewas will try to break their three-game losing streak when they take on Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. Tuesday at McGuirk Arena.
