Ben Brodina takes a shot in Devils Lake’s season-opening win against Grand Forks Red River. (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
DEVILS LAKE — While Ben Brodina was in eighth grade, his dad, two older brothers and older sister all won state basketball championships.
At the time, Brodina was patiently waiting his turn on junior varsity. The type of stuff kids dream about in their backyards came true — at least, for the older Brodina kids.
“I never want them to do better than me,” Brodina said. “They push me every day. When we’re in the driveway, in the gym, every day they push me. And I want to be better than them. That’s what it comes down to.”
Brodina got his first taste of varsity last year, as a freshman. He was an end-of-the-bench option while starting on JV. He helped Devils Lake JV win the Ramsey County Tournament for the first time in recent history.
Since then, a strong class of Devils Lake seniors has departed — including the 2024-25 Class A Senior Athlete of the Year, Parker Brodina. The younger Brodina has been preparing for a more significant role on this year’s varsity team.
Brodina said he’s prioritizing defense.
“My dad preaches it a lot,” he said. “Got to get quicker. Doesn’t matter who you are, you’ve got to be quicker. That’s what I’ve been working on all summer. It’s getting quicker and getting stronger in the weight room.”
Brodina has noticeably grown, now standing at 6-foot-2 as a sophomore.
He started Friday’s season opener as his dad, Dustin Brodina, began his fifth year coaching the Devils Lake boys’ basketball team. Dustin has coached his two older sons, Beau and Parker, while simultaneously watching his daughter, Tylie, now a junior, on the girls’ team.
Ben’s defensive work showed. He helped limit Grand Forks Red River’s top scorer, Josh Schindler, to just seven points.
“I feel great about it,” Dustin said. “I told him before the game, I didn’t care if you scored a point. Your job tonight is to stop the other guy that’s averaging 30 points on the other side. And I thought he did a really good job of forcing him into some tough shots. Stayed in front.”
Brodina also scored 20 points to help support Mason Palmer’s huge performance in a 19-point win. He really got going in the third quarter with two triples, after hitting one early in the first quarter. He also made four deuces and went 3-for-5 from the free throw line.
“But also, yeah, he got downhill and hit some shots,” Dustin said, “which, that’s always good to do, too.”
It was reminiscent of some of his best performances on the JV team last year. But he seemed to translate it to an AA opponent without much issue.
“There’s nerves,” Ben said. “But you play it off right away. I hit that first three, and that calmed me down a little bit.”
Losing so many seniors from last year, the Firebirds are piecing things together the best they can. Mason Palmer, who scored 37 points on Friday, is the only returning starter. Max Palmer, Bryar Exner and Kade Fee add some senior leadership and stability. That makes four of the five starters seniors.
“And then we’ve got Benny as well,” Mason Palmer said. “He plays great defense. He can score the ball.”
It’s now the youngest Brodina’s turn to help anchor a Devils Lake basketball team.
“My brother was there last year, and it was the first year I filled in,” Brodina said. “So it’s really nice to step up and be one of the top guys.”
