October 29, 2025
Herly Brutus Leading The Villages with Quiet Confidence and Big Goals
By Kyle Coppola
Herly Brutus Leading The Villages with Quiet Confidence and Big Goals
Herly Brutus
Herly Brutus’ love for basketball began to blossom long before The Villages senior became one of the top high school basketball players in Florida and an LSU Commit with a 3.9 GPA.
“I started basketball in the third grade,” Herly says. “One day, my parents met with my coach and he saw I was decent. The more I played, the more I enjoyed it and it just took off from there.”
Known for his persistent work ethic and humble personality, the 6-foot-7 small forward is the quiet leader of a team with championship aspirations.
“The grind is working,” he says. “Getting up at 5am, working out, practicing after school, hitting the weight room, it’s all paying off,” Herly says.
Herly credits much of his development to Villages Head Basketball Coach Colt McDowell.
“Coach McDowell has shown me how I can get better every day, not just as a player, but as a person,” Herly says. He’s taught me to fight through adversity. There’s always going to be noise, but if you keep pushing, it allows you to be relentless.”
That mindset helped The Villages make the state finals last season.
“I remember how fun it was for all my teammates and what a bond that created,” he says. “Just playing for something big like that was an incredible experience.”
Herly still treasures that memory and that bond is something that helped him through a difficult time.
“I remember first coming to The Villages. I was struggling, the schoolwork was piling up and my grades were slipping,” Herly says. “One day in the locker room during a team meeting, I just broke down and started crying. Just then, I felt my brothers, my teammates put their arms around me and embrace me. That moment really helped me get back on track. Now I have a 3.9 GPA and I am in very good academic standing.”
Herly also has advice to young players: “Believe in yourself and, above all, believe in God. He has a plan for you and will show you the right path.”
Looking forward, Herly’s dream is to play in the NBA but his sights are also set on studying sports medicine at Louisiana State University where Herly has committed to play SEC basketball in 2026.
“I want to stay around sports and getting to the NBA is a primary focus, but I have plans for the future aside from sports, as well,” Herly adds.
As far as his goals this season, they are clear.
“Win the battle at The Villages Tournament, a District Championship, Regional Championship and an FHSAA State Championship. No team in VHS history has won a state championship. We want to be the first,” Herly says.
Photos: Nicole Hamel
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
