During the Pine View boys basketball team’s 37-32 loss to Brookside Middle School Feb. 19, eighth-grader Bryce Carpenter broke the boy’s career scoring mark by recording 221 points for Pine View. He displaced previous record holder and alumnus Christopher Hann by four points.
At the close of the game, Pine View coach Scott Wolfinger told Carpenter that he had broken the record, but Carpenter’s enthusiasm was dampened by the loss. “I wasn’t too focused on the scoring record after the game,” he said.
After trailing behind Brookside Middle School early in the game, Pine View took the lead, but fell behind during the final minutes. Carpenter contributed 14 points to his team’s effort. “I felt I played a lot better in the second half than in the first,” he said.
This year, Carpenter led the team as captain. “He is a team-first player, very unselfish and a quiet leader,” Wolfinger said. “His basketball IQ is off the charts.”
Carpenter enjoyed playing with his teammates under Wolfinger this year. “My teammates are great,” he said. “He [Wolfinger] is one of my favorite coaches that I’ve ever had.”
Carpenter first began playing basketball at the age of six in the Suncoast Basketball league. During his fifth-grade year, he started playing Amateur Athletic Union basketball. He believes this experience was crucial in his development as a player. “I really learned to play the game well,” Carpenter said.
In seventh grade, Carpenter tried out for and made Pine View’s basketball squad. He was an integral member of the team during his first year, even becoming a starting player. “It was pretty cool because most teams don’t start seventh graders,” he said.
Hann, who went on to score over 1,000 points for Venice High School, congratulated Carpenter on his successful career and the breaking of his record. “I think it’s good that Bryce is accomplishing all that,” he said.
Carpenter plans on playing basketball next year for Riverview High School. “I’m going to keep playing basketball and work hard,” he said. “Basketball is something I love to do.”