ORONO – It’s hard to imagine the Connecticut High School Player of the Year and star player on a three-time state championship basketball team falling through the cracks.

But then, it’s fairly easy to fall through the cracks when you’re a “‘tweener,” that reviled label applied by college recruiters and talent evaluators meaning you’re not a pure guard, true forward, or certified center.

“The thing with me is I’m undersized for my position, so a lot of big schools wouldn’t go for someone my size,” said University of Maine senior guard-turned-forward Chris Bruff. “Also, a lot of schools recruiting me my junior year backed out or signed other guys.”

Four years later, it’s fair to assume some of those schools are regretting their decision to pass on the 6-foot-4, 216-pound Bruff, who’s Maine’s second-leading scorer (10.7 points per game) and rebounder (5.8 rpg).

The “undersized” Bruff has come a long way since arriving on the Orono campus as a 17-year-old 6-3, 195-pound guard from West Hartford, Conn.

“We knew he’d have a good senior season, but he’s really taken it up to another level. It’s a very pleasant surprise to me,” said Maine coach Ted Woodward. “You can fall into a trap of trying to put players into positions, but Chris is a player and players find a way to play.

Moving forward

Bruff has always been explosive with his vertical lift and solid physique, but this year he’s dedicated himself to being an inside presence for the Black Bears and a leaping matchup problem for Maine’s opponents.

“He can post you up inside and he can shoot,” said University of Maryland Baltimore County coach Randy Monroe, whose Retrievers play Maine in an America East quarterfinal game Saturday afternoon. “To me, he’s the most improved player from last year on that team, and they have some very good players. He’s a tough guy to match up on.”

Bruff has turned his ‘tweener’ drawback into an advantage.

“He’s able to elevate to go up with the big guys, but also has the ballhandling to get around them,” Woodward said. “That’s what makes him such a hard guard. Bigger guys struggle with his quickness and smaller guys struggle because he can go over them.

“Plus he’s an incredibly smart player. His savvy has allowed him to achieve a lot, given his size and the position he’s playing.”

After seeing action in seven games his freshman season, averaging 2.9 points and 0.9 rebounds, Bruff played 28 games as a sophomore and started two, averaging 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds.. Still listed as a guard, Bruff started four of 28 games last season, averaging 21.5 minutes, 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds.

This year, Bruff decided to make some offseason changes.

“I realized at the end of the season last year, I started breaking down because my body was tired, so I tried to rest up as much as possible, but at the same time push myself,” he said. “I wanted my strength to be when everyone else is tired. So now at the end of games, I still seem to be playing with that same gear.”

Bruff has started 25 of 29 games and led the 12-17 Black Bears in points six times and rebounds 10 times.

“It’s a little strange. You come in thinking you know what you’ll be doing and I was hoping to play more on the wing and drive outside more, but when I came in here, it was kind of like high school where you do what you’ve got to do to play,” Bruff said. “If that means I have to be a tweener, then that’s what I’ll do.”

He admits he’s come to enjoy the challenge of playing inside. It’s given him a new appreciation for play in the paint.

“Playing down low as a forward helps you realize how much every possession counts,” he explained. “As a guard, you always have the ball, but down low, you have to fight for your position. It’s tough and it’s a battle. It really makes you value the ball.”

Looking back on his evolution as a basketball player, Bruff can see how he got here.

“It’s what I’m good at, so that’s probably a good place for me to be,” he said. “Playing down low, it feels like home. I have an older brother who beat on me all the time when we played. I was the smallest kid in my neighborhood even though I was the biggest kid in my grade and I think that helped make me a tougher player.”

Family affair

Bruff’s older brother Joshua, who played football at Hamilton College in New York, isn’t the only relative to have an effect on him. Younger sister Allison is at Yale University.

“My mom used to run track, but my dad never really played sports,” said Bruff, who has dual citizenship (American and Jamaican) because parents Leroy and Hope are Jamaican.

Bruff is very much a product of a close-knit family that infused confidence in him.

“I come from a very strong-willed family,” he explained. “Everyone in my family is either ‘You do it or you don’t’ and everyone thinks their way of doing things is best.

“That’s the way I feel too, so when I’m out on the court, I feel what I’m doing is best.”