Air Force freshman Zach Bohannon has appeared unfazed by the leap in competition from high school to Division I college basketball.

That Bohannon ably has handled what can be a jarring transition for direct-entry cadets should come as no surprise, however. The 6-foot-7 forward/center has been taking on elite Division I talent in his backyard in Marion, Iowa, for years.

Bohannon’s older brother, Jason, averages 12.4 points as a starting senior guard for No. 17 Wisconsin. And the two boys’ head-to-head contests often had a Final Four feel.

“One-on-one games were always a battle,” said Zach Bohannon, who also takes on his two basketball-playing younger brothers – Matt, a high school junior, who already has an offer from Air Force; and Jordan, a sixth-grader, who Zach said might end up being the best of the four.

“(The games) always ended up with the ball being chucked into somebody else’s backyard and saying that you weren’t going to go get it even though you were the one who threw it.”

Older brother Jason recalled “either a ball thrown at the other person or sailing over the fence,” and “a lot of fights our parents had to break up.” But he agreed that “having that kind of competitive nature instilled early on corresponds to him going into the Mountain West and being competitive early.”

Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said coaches “slowed (Bohannon’s) development a bit” by moving him from forward to the Falcons’ post position during the season. But Bohannon has emerged of late.

After not playing in five straight games, Bohannon has averaged 15 minutes and 4.7 points in the Falcons’ past three. He has established himself as the first big man off the bench, and Reynolds said he sees Bohannon stepping into senior forward/center Grant Parker’s role next season.

Bohannon, according to Reynolds, is “very cerebral,” and “a true basketball junkie,” who often can be found in the coaches’ offices watching film. Jason Bohannon said his younger brother is “just a very smart player.”

“He might not necessarily be the most athletic or quick, but he knows how to read the floor,” Jason said.

He’s also a winner. He led Linn-Mar High to a 23-3 record and state-runner-up finish as a senior after winning a state title as a sophomore and finishing third in the state as a junior.

And he burns to win at Air Force (he’s lost more games this season than he did from sixth grade through high school) just like he does in video game clashes with his brothers and, of course, the one-on-one games with Jason.

Their competition hasn’t cooled even though they’re about 1,000 miles apart. Zach says he’s beaten his older brother, but notes “he’ll never admit it.”

Jason, sure enough, said this week he didn’t recall ever losing to Zach.

“Maybe indoors,” he said. “On a 6-foot hoop.”

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