Christian Braun’s parents reflect on breakout season, look ahead to NCAA Tourney

FORT WORTH, Texas (WIBW) - The month of March comes with an extra layer of excitement for Lisa and Dr. Don Braun.

“It’s exciting, it’s exhausting and we’re ready to roll,” Don said. “Ready to roll. Ready for March Madness.”

Basketball is in the Braun family’s blood.

Don played at St. Louis University, and Lisa is in the Mizzou Hall of Fame. Their oldest son, Parker, is at Santa Clara. The youngest, Landon, plays for Blue Valley Northwest, and Christian is at KU.

”We got three of them going three different directions,” Lisa said. “So it’s exhausting is what it is, but I will never curse the blessing and we try to be everywhere we can. It’s exciting. I’m gonna enjoy and soak up every minute that I can.”

The couple says Christian takes after his mom.

“I think anybody who saw her play back in the day knows that toughness is how he was raised,” Don said. “I don’t think anybody who plays for Bill Self is not on the floor unless they’re tough.”

Watching Christian in the crimson and blue has been a dream come true for Don.

”Playing at Kansas was a dream of mine and obviously never came to fruition. So obviously seeing your son do it is amazing,” Don said. “He could be the number-one rated player in the country, but to see him doing it for me, it has a little bit of personal note for me.”

”When he scored his first 30-point game, he goes, ‘I can’t believe my kids’s got 30 points at Kansas,’” Lisa said. “And I’m like, ‘Really? I always know he would. I know my kid.’”

Now, they’ll hope for one more feather in his cap: a national championship.

“I’m ecstatic at the fact that he continues to grow and improve,” Lisa said. “This is what you always want for your kid or any athlete. And I think that the team as a whole have done that. I think that he has done his job and his diligence to make a difference in the team and to improve at his skill level.”

”You want your kids to do the best, and you want them to do the best on the biggest scene,” Don said. “It’s great to see them out there. So to me, that’s been the excitement. I’ve taken our basketball experience out of it. We’re parents and we want the best for our kids and love to see them do it.”

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