WEATHERFORD, Okla. - SWOSU junior guard Chris Braggs, Jr. has played basketball at SWOSU for the past three seasons and wants people to know he Bleeds Blue.
 
"I love being at SWOSU," Braggs said. "I am a Bulldog and always will be a Bulldog. It is so much fun playing basketball and being out here playing for head coach Terry Evans. I love the community here and we have such great fans."
 
Braggs said he has known Coach Evans since high school and that Evans has helped him both on and off the court.
 
"He really cares about his players and will get the job done anywhere he coaches," Braggs said. "He always is going to win and will bring great players onto his team, which I love."
 
Braggs said when he is not playing basketball, he loves to fish, listen to music, hang out with friends and recently has started drawing pictures. He also said his favorite color is pink.
 
"I started drawing recently, but am not the best at it," Braggs said. "I also love to fish, listen to music and hang with my friends. I like pink and have always been different. As a kid, I got picked on for liking pink, but I feel like pink always looks good on me. My grandma's favorite color is pink and it has always been my favorite color."
 
Braggs is originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and he moved to Oklahoma with his Grandmother.
 
"I moved to Oklahoma with my Grandmother," Braggs said. "I moved to Oklahoma to get a fresh start. Alabama is okay and it is cool, but Oklahoma is way better. The atmosphere is quiet, not too fast and not too much going on, which I like. I call Oklahoma home because it made me a man. I call Alabama home too, but Oklahoma is what really made me a man."
 
Braggs said his favorite restaurant is a BBQ restaurant called Dreamland in Tuscaloosa and his great grandad used to own it.
 
"Man their ribs are so good and they fall off the bone," Braggs said. "I used to go eat there after every game I played as a kid and I took pictures in the restaurant. Those pictures are still there. When I go back home to Alabama, the first place I go is to Dreamland and get some ribs."
 
Braggs played high school basketball at Putnam City North and during his senior year, they won a state championship, which was the first in school history. They defeated Edmond Santa Fe, 65-58.
 
"The crazy thing is two players on SWOSU were from Edmond Santa Fe in that game," Braggs said. "Kamden Gipson and Tauriawn Knight played for Edmond Santa Fe. I am not going to lie, winning state was one of the best things to ever happen to me. Winning state for the first time in school history was a very big deal. It was so emotional."
 
Braggs said he was at Putnam City North his entire high school career and never switched schools.
 
"I was there when we were not very good and I was there when we got good," Braggs said. "It was such an awesome feeling playing under those big bright lights and a big shoutout to everyone at Putnam City North. Winning state taught me how to win, how to be a leader and how to play basketball the right way."
 
It was a different story for Braggs once he arrived at SWOSU. He played a lot as a freshman, but SWOSU struggled, only winning five total games two seasons ago.
 
Since then, SWOSU has seen strides of turning the program around. During Braggs sophomore season, he helped the Bulldogs win 13 games and nearly made the Great American Conference Tournament last season.
 
SWOSU currently has a winning record of 6-5 and is in contention for the GAC's Western Division. Braggs said the Bulldogs are beginning to turn the corner and the main thing they all do is focus.
 
"We are all focused," Braggs said. "We also are very close to one another and we only lost one senior last season in Marquis Johnson. Kamden, Phill Baker and I are the only ones who have been in the program the last three seasons so we must continue to step up and be good leaders."
 
Braggs said it also is important for everyone to be the same on and off the court and it has helped them be better.
 
"I care for my teammates on and off the court," Braggs said. "We are all brothers and once we all got closer, we got better." 
 
Braggs said he also advises freshmen to stay focused at all times, work hard and to stay in the classroom.
 
"A freshman student-athlete cannot have a bad start and must do well in school," Braggs said. "Some freshmen come in and play right away, while others do not get to play much. Kamden and I were blessed to play as freshmen, but we had to work hard for it. There were times after games, where Kamden and I would shoot thousands of shots and free in the gym. The harder you work, the better you get."
 
Braggs said his favorite athlete is Lamelo Ball because of how much he cares about people who are less fortunate.
 
"Lamelo really has been doubted all his life," Braggs said. "He also is very involved in the community and gives back to those less fortunate. Last week, he gave 500 blankets to the homeless shelter. I think about all he has done when I am walking to class through the cold, I think how there are less fortunate people than me. I want to give back like Lamelo does and he does not let anything distract him."