Breed hopes to show fans his game

After spending last season in the shadows, Alyn Breed was expected to be in the spotlight this year.

Yet all McNeese State fans have seen a flicker of what could be.

Breed has played just two games for the Cowboys but has made an impression. 

In his 60 minutes of action, the 6-foot 3-inch guard was the best McNeese player on the floor. 

In the season opener against South Dakota State, Breed scored 18 points and had three steals in 28 minutes. A week later, the senior had 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists as McNeese played on the road against then-No. 2 Alabama.

Since then, Breed has been reduced to a spectator as he tries to recover from a knee injury. His return is unknown.

“I don’t know if we will get him back this year,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “We were counting on him a lot.

“He is a great player, a great kid. We would love to have him back, but there comes a point in time where it’s not going to be worth it for him.”

In Breed’s two games, he scored 31 points, hit 12 of 23 shots from the floor, and made all nine free throws. He is 2-for-4 on 3-point attempts.

But he also leads the league in frustration. 

“I feel like I have let everybody down here, my teammates, the coaching staff, the fans,” said Breed. “They know how bad I want to go out there and play, but they want to make sure I’m O.K and that I’m good for the future.

“It is hard because you know what you can do when you are healthy. Even in the games I played, I didn’t play that well. I can play better.”

The knee injury is the latest in a long road back to the court for Breed, who spent three seasons at Providence. In April of 2023, he was arrested on a gun charge and suspended from the team. 

He was later cleared of all charges, but the damage had been done.

“I still can’t believe it actually happened,” said Breed. “I know it might be a weird narrative for me about that, but I don’t let it bother me because everybody who knows me and my character knew that was a lie from a mile away.”

So Breed looked for a new home and found McNeese, who did all the background checking needed before welcoming him into the fold, according to Wade. 

“We made sure everything was done the right way,” Wade said. “We wanted to make sure we knew what kind of a person we were getting, not just basketball player. 

“We checked all the boxes, and the court cleared him.”

Breed made sure he moved on in a positive direction.

“I feel like things like that happen in life for a reason,” Breed said. “God puts you in certain situations to better you, but that situation did throw me off. It was a crazy situation. I still can’t believe it actually happened.”

He got to McNeese after all the dust had settled in January of 2024 and quickly made an impact, even if nobody saw but the team. Breed would light up practices and give the starters real competition. 

“He was the best player,” DJ Richards said. “We all talked about it. We were looking forward to seeing him this year.”

But that hasn’t worked out as planned, thanks to the summer injury and surgery. So Breed became a mystery figure as whispers of his talents leaked out of practice, and fans anticipated seeing him in action. 

“I was just so excited to play,” said Breed. “I was looking forward to helping my teammates and playing in front of these fans who have been great to me. I wish I were playing, but I gotta make the best out of my situation.

“I definitely feel like a mystery cat.” 

Breed hasn’t said what his future holds, though he did say he wants to play in front of the home fans in the Legacy Center. He also admits it can be hard to watch games while being forced to sit. 

“I help with what I can, but you really just want to be healthy and play basketball,” Breed said. 

Whether that happens this year or next, Breed will likely again play his way into the spotlight and out of the shadows when given the chance.

McNeese fans hope they get to witness it as well.