{{Short description|American professional basketball coach and former player}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Kenny Brunner | image = | image_size = | caption = | position = | team = | league = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|12|8}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lbs = 185 | high_school = Dominguez (Compton, California) | college = *Georgetown (1997–1998) *Southern Idaho (1999–2000) | draft_year = 2002 | career_start = 2000 | career_end = 2009 | career_position = Point guard | career_number = | coach_start = 2012 | years1 = 2000–2001 | team1 = San Diego Wildfire | years2 = 2000 | team2 = Euro Nokia Roseto | years4 = 2003–2004 | team4 = Ca'eros Gilded Navolato | years5 = 2004 | team5 = Fastlink | years6 = 2004–2005 | team6 = Ca'eros de Navolato | years7 = 2005–2006 | team7 = SoCal Legends | years8 = 2006 | team8 = BG Karlsruhe | years9 = 2007 | team9 = Maywood Buzz | years10 = 2007 | team10 = Buffalo Silverbacks | years11 = 2008–2009 | team11 = Sacramento Heatwave | cyears1 = 2014–2017 | cteam1 = Western Port Steelers | highlights = * ABA All Star-Game (2006) * Third-team ''Parade'' All-American (1997) }} '''Kenneth Dwayne Brunner II''' (born December 8, 1978) is an American professional basketball coach and former player.<ref name=gh>{{cite web |title=Player Bio: Kenny Brunner (1997–1998) |url=https://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/k_brunner.htm |website=Georgetown Basketball History Project |accessdate=August 16, 2020}}</ref> Brunner played college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas and the Southern Idaho Golden Eagles.
==Early life== Bruner was born on December 8, 1978, in Los Angeles California.<ref name=gh /><ref name=pe>{{cite web |last1=McCullough |first1=Cameron |title=Kenny Brunner – straight outta Compton |url=https://peninsulaessence.com.au/kenny-brunner-straight-outta-compton/ |website=Peninsula Essence |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=February 2, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kenneth Dwayne Brunner, Born 12/08/1978 in California |url=https://californiabirthindex.org/birth/kenneth_dwayne_brunner_born_1978_13547916 |website=CaliforniaBirthIndex.org |access-date=16 September 2025}}</ref> His father was an alcoholic and his mother was a drug addict so Bruner was raised primarily by his grandmother in Inglewood, California.<ref name=pe /> He first played football but transitioned to basketball at the encouragement of his grandmother.<ref name=pe /> To further develop his potential, Brunner was encouraged to attend Dominguez High School in Compton, California – an hour-long bus ride away from his home but where he created a reputation by playing streetball.<ref name=gh /><ref name=pe />
Bruner was considered the nation's top point guard during his senior season.<ref name=gh /> He committed to play college basketball for the Fresno State Bulldogs but rescinded his offer when the Bulldogs received point shaving allegations in March 1997.<ref name=gh />
==College career== Brunner began his college career at Georgetown University during the 1997–98 season.<ref name=NBA>{{cite web|title=Kenny Brunner |url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/players/kenny_brunner.html |publisher=NBA Development League |accessdate=11 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109232454/http://www.nba.com/dleague/players/kenny_brunner.html |archivedate= 9 January 2011 }}</ref> He started all 19 games he played for the Hoyas and averaged 11.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 7.3 assists;<ref name=NBA /> his assist count would have ranked seventh nationally if had played in enough games to qualify.<ref>{{cite news|first=Matt|last=Caputo|title= The Boys of Summer|date=March 18, 2007|work=Slam|url= https://www.slamonline.com/streetball/the-boys-of-summer/|accessdate=August 16, 2020}}</ref> He still holds the Hoyas' career assist average record.<ref name=gh /> In early February 1998, Brunner was held out of the line-up for "personal reasons".<ref name=gh /> On February 8, 1998, Brunner met with Hoyas head coach John Thompson and quit the team.<ref name=gh />
Brunner flew to Fresno State University and enrolled on the last day of registration for the spring semester.<ref name=gh /> Five weeks after his registration, he was sitting out the semester as a transfer when he and teammate Avondre Jones were indefinitely suspended from the team for the robbery and assault of a Fresno State student with the use of a samurai sword.<ref name=gh /><ref name=pe /> Brunner denied he was involved; a judge dismissed the charges as an escalation of "horsing around".<ref name=pe />
On May 24, 1998, Brunner was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery when he allegedly held up Los Angeles City College basketball coach Mike Miller at gunpoint inside the school's gymnasium.<ref name=gh /><ref name=pe /> Brunner was held in the LA County Jail for four months until the charges were dropped two days before the trial.<ref name=pe /> He enrolled at Santa Monica Junior College but left without playing a game.<ref name=gh />
Brunner transferred to play for the Southern Idaho Golden Eagles for the 1999–2000 season, where he averaged 14.2 points a game.<ref name=gh /> He signed a letter of intent to play for the Georgia Bulldogs under coach Jim Harrick, but his scholarship offer was overruled by the school's president when his official academic transcripts were not submitted by the deadline.<ref name=gh /><ref>{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Schlabach|title=Brunner denied admission|date=August 24, 2000|page=F1|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57448089/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=August 16, 2020}}</ref> Brunner instead enrolled at Salem International University for the 2000–01 season but did not play and left to pursue a professional career.<ref name=NBA />
==Professional career== Brunner began his professional career with the San Diego Wildfire of the American Basketball Association and averaged 15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.<ref name=NBA /> He broke his leg and injured his knee which led to him playing exhibition basketball while he recovered.<ref name=pe /> Brunner toured with the AND1 Live Tour across Europe and Asia in 2003 and 2004 as he earned the nicknames "Bad Santa" and "The Bad One".<ref name=pe />
Brunner played professionally in Europe, Mexico and Australia.<ref name=pe /> His final stint was in Australia in 2009 when he tore a ligament in his bone and forced his retirement.<ref name=pe />
==Coaching career== Brunner served as the Director of Coaching for the Western Port Steelers from 2011 to 2013. He left the team due to family reasons in 2013 but returned as head coach on a three-year deal in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kenny Brunner will return to Western Port after signing on as Head Coach of the D2M for the next 3 years… |url=https://bigv.com.au/kenny-brunner-comes-home-to-steelerdome/ |website=Big V Basketball |accessdate=August 16, 2020 |date=October 28, 2014}}</ref>
Brunner has run coaching clinics for children in Melbourne, Victoria and in Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.<ref name=pe /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-25/kenny-brunner-basketball-program-in-fitzroy-crossing/100308860|title=Basketballer Kenny Brunner uses his troubled past to help kids in the outback|work=ABC News|date=July 25, 2021|first=Erin|last=Parke|access-date=July 25, 2021}}</ref>
==Personal life== Brunner has four sons.<ref name=pe />
==Awards and achievements== *2009 Las Vegas PRO-AM Champions (Spice1) *2008 Eurobasket Summer League Champions (Sevilla) *2007 Southern California NBA Summer Pro League Champions and All-League Selection (Play2Win Delta Jammers) *2006 Southern California NBA Summer Pro League Champions and All-League Selection (Delta Jammers-Play2Win) * 2006 ABA Western Conference All-Star Team (SoCal Legends) * 2005 Southern California NBA Summer Pro League Champions – MVP (Play2Win-Delta Jammers) * 2005 Mexican CIBACOPA All-Star game (Cañeros de Navolato) * 2004 NBA Southern California SPL All-Star team * 2002 Drafted by NBDL Asheville Altitude (14th round 3rd pick) * 2000 NJCAA National Tournament * 2000 Region XVIII tournament finalists (Southern Idaho) * 2000 Second Team Scenic West Conference All-Region (Southern Idaho)
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunner, Kenny}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:American men's basketball coaches Category:American men's basketball players Category:ABA All-Star Game players Category:Basketball players from Compton, California Category:BG Karlsruhe players Category:Buffalo Sharks players Category:Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball players Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Point guards Category:Salem Tigers men's basketball players Category:Santa Monica College alumni Category:Southern Idaho Golden Eagles men's basketball players Category:Manuel Dominguez High School alumni