College coaches will be able to start directly contacting players in the 2027 class in just a couple of days. Don't be surprised if one of the first names you hear that Hubert Davis and his coaching staff reach out to is Bruce Branch.
The 6-foot-7 guard from the Phoenix area was already a high level player as his No. 24 ranking would indicate, but his recent play at the Adidas Eurocamp last weekend has absolutely ramped up his profile.
He was one of the younger players to travel to Italy for the event, but that gave him an even greater opportunity to shine. He was named one of the two "Rising Stars" along with Mathias Vazquez of Brazil.
Branch played with the all-star team that represented the Adidas 3SSB circuit. It featured such well known players in the 2026 group as Caleb Holt, Anthony Thompson, Taylen Kinney, and Deron Rippey Jr. just to name a few. He averaged seven points, three rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Branch also shot 42.1% from the field, and 33.3% from three-point range.
The rising high school junior may not have had the most impressive stat line, but keep in mind that he was playing against talented competitors up to 22 years of age.
Besides, it is Branch's God given gifts that leave scouts drooling about his upside, potential, and future. He is very long and lengthy, and is fluid and agile as a bigger shooting guard. Branch has nice handles, so apply that to his size and you have a bigger ball handler who can get to the rack. He also has a nice mid-range game, and a pull-up that he finishes over smaller defenders. He fares nicely with his outside shot as well. He is a versatile defender on the other side of the ball who can lock down multiple spots.
Branch plays up a grade with the Compton Magic 17U team on the 3SSB circuit. They went 6-2 this spring in league play. Branch still put up nice numbers on a talented roster. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He had a 17.2 point scoring average going into the last game, but an eight-point outing brought that down.
He made 51 of 97 shots for a 52.6% clip. Branch made 35 of 57 two-pointers for an impressive 61.4% rate, and 16 of 40 three's for 40%. Take away one of his games in which he only hit one three-pointer in ten tries, and that number leapfrogs to a very gaudy 50% rate.
Branch's two best games were 25 and 23 point barrages. He made five of eight three-pointers in the first outing, and went 11 of 14 overall in the latter.
His first two high school seasons were played at Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. One of his teammates was five-star Koa Peat, who will be a freshman at the University of Arizona in 2025-26. The Pumas have won four straight state titles in their classification, and three in a row in the 32-team Open Division. He averaged 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.
However, Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic reported Thursday afternoon that Branch may be transferring after a coaching change at Perry. Obert said a prep school seems like the viable option, although it isn't clear where that could be. AZ Compass Prep, Hillcrest Prep, and Dream City Christian are all local for him, and are three of the top programs in the country.
Branch is represented by Klutch Sports, and he has already signed an NIL deal with Adidas. He is one of eight players to do that along with Holt, Kinney, Thompson, Adam Oumiddoch, Oliviyah Edwards, Kate Harpring, and Kaleena Thompson.
He was offered in 2024 by Fresno State, Xavier, Kansas State, LSU, Arizona State, West Virginia and UCLA. Tennessee Cal, USC, Stanford, and Virginia offered in January and February. Since the AAU season began in the spring he has received new invites from Houston, Oklahoma State, Indiana, Louisville, and Arizona.
Rest assured that many more will be coming his way probably very soon once his phone starts blowing up from college coaches.
