To say that Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) comes from an incredibly athletically-gifted family is an understatement. To say he is modest about his family's accomplishments, and his own, is an even bigger understatement.

Stafford's grandfather, Dave Stafford, played basketball at Cal under Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell. He was on the roster when the Golden Bears won the 1959 NCAA title against a Jerry West-led West Virginia team.  As a junior the following year, Dave Stafford helped Cal go 28-2, knock off No. 1 Cincinnati and Oscar Robertson in the Final Four for the second-straight season, and return to the national championship game. The Golden Bears ultimately fell to Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor and his stacked Ohio State team, which featured future Hall of Famers John Havlichek, Jerry Lucas and Bobby Knight, who was inducted as a coach.

His father, Pete, played was a backup quarterback on the Cal football team in the early 1980s, and his mom, Sally, was an All-American hurdler and sprint relay runner on the Golden Bears track team.

Brian's older brother, David, plays basketball at NAIA powerhouse Azusa Pacific and his younger brother, Kevin, plays basketball as a junior in high school.

When asked if he feels pressure being a part of such an athletic family, Stafford shakes his head, shrugs and says, "They never put pressure on me to do anything. I put more pressure on myself."

Although Brian admits it is exciting that his grandfather beat Oscar Robertson, he also downplays his family's athletic genes. He says his dad and grandfather don't talk much about playing football and basketball, respectively, for Cal.

"Usually not unless I bring it up," Brian says. "And I haven't really brought it up very often. Maybe I should."

Both Brian and his older brother took an interest in football; however, their dad, knowing the toll the sport takes on the body, encouraged them to pursue other sports. Brian played soccer when he was younger and baseball until high school, but took a large interest in basketball after watching his brother play.

"My brother was a very good high school basketball player," he says. "Watching him play really motivated me in a good way. It made me want to have the same experiences in high school."

At an early age, competition in the sport ran rampant between the boys, as one-on-one games often ended in wrestling matches and David getting the best of his younger brother.

The siblings played on the same team just one year - David's senior year and Brian's sophomore year of high school. Brian credits his brother for helping him, saying the experience was a lot of fun and his brother was a very good teammate.

When asked about one-on-one matches these days with his older brother, Brian says they are pretty competitive, but he can definitely hold his own against David now.

"David's style is different, and he still has that 'older brother' mindset on me," says Brian. "He's a little bigger than me, a really good shooter and a hard-nosed defender. He's pretty tough."

The youngest of the Stafford brothers, Kevin, is in his junior season at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, Calif. Brian points out that his brother has started to grow a lot and is beginning to come into his own as a player.

It seems as if Brian has gone from one set of brothers to another. Denver's basketball players not only have each other's backs on the court, but they are incredibly close off the court as well.

"It may be a little strange, considering how much time we spend together at practice and on the road," Stafford says, "but all of us like spending most of our free time together, too. Everybody gets along really well."

Part of the off-the-court bond can be accredited to the team's style of play on the court. The style is very team oriented and requires five guys who are committed to team values.

"What's unique about our way of playing is that we really rely on each other to score," says Brian. "It's fun to play with a group of guys who are unselfish - helping you get shots, you're helping them get shots - it's a great way to play."