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No matter where Houma native Randi Brown has played in her career, she’s done one thing: get buckets.
Now, she’s just weeks away from broadening her horizons and getting buckets on an international level.
A UNO graduate, Brown signed her first professional contract recently and will begin her career with a team in Finland.
Brown said the opportunity is a blessing, adding that being a professional basketball player is a lifelong dream — one which she plans to relish and enjoy every, single step of the way.
“It feels amazing,” Brown said of the opportunity. “I’ve been working so hard and it’s paying off. It’s been a journey and God and my family have been right there with me throughout everything. I’m just so thankful.”
Brown is riding into the pros hot.
She was unquestionably one of — if not the best — player in the history of women’s basketball at the University of New Orleans.
Brown signed with the Privateers after a decorated career at Central Catholic High School in Morgan City — one which ended when the team won the Class 1A State Championship.
Teamed with fellow collegiate standout Meo Knight, Brown and Central Catholic dominated and was one of the top teams in all of Louisiana that season, scoring several wins over top-flight competition.
That paved her path to UNO.
In high school, Brown was a pure scorer and slasher — a dominant force who dominated the game both in the paint and on the perimeter.
Major colleges slept on that skill set translating forward to the next level, but they were wrong.
At UNO, Brown did everything she did at Central Catholic — and more.
And it started from her first days on campus.
As a true freshman, Brown got hot late in the year and laid the foundation, averaging 12.7 points per game.
In 2015-16 as a sophomore, Brown exploded and averaged 17.3 points per game, while also averaging 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
But Brown wasn’t content.
As a sophomore, she shot just 32.9 percent from the field. Brown said she worked tirelessly on her game to become more efficient so that she could make better use of her energy in games.
It worked.
In the final two collegiate seasons of her career, Brown exploded, turning into the offensive machine that she worked hard to craft.
As a junior, she averaged 22.7 points per game, while increasing her field goal percentage from 32.9 percent to 42.3 percent. She also increased her 3-point shooting from 23.2 percent to 36.6 percent and her free throw shooting from 76.5 percent to 79.5 percent.
For that improvement, she was named Southland Conference Player of the Year.
But she wasn’t done.
As a senior, Brown was fearsome again, averaging 22.0 points per game, while recording 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game with 76 total steals.
By the time she was done, she ranked at or near the top in literally every, single offensive statistic in the history of UNO women’s basketball, while also helping revamp the Lady Privateers’ program — turning the team from a pretender to a team which competes favorably in the league.
Brown said she signed with UNO because by doing so, she was going to a place where she thought she could make an impact. But even she didn’t think it would all go quite the way that it did — a time she said she will forever be grateful for.
“I knew I always wanted to go there and make a difference and change the program around,” Brown said. “I just never thought I’d make that much of a change. I’m just really blessed and thankful for the opportunity to do so.”
But now, it’s time for the pros.
Brown said her first goal was to play in the WNBA, but she wasn’t drafted to the league, which opened up opportunities for overseas success.
That led Brown to Finland and the chance to begin her career on a positive note, which could lead to better opportunities — or even that bid into the WNBA next season.
Brown said she’s been working tirelessly over the past several weeks to try and get stronger, quicker and more agile before getting to the next level. She’s spent time at Camp Moula with trainer Ernest Harvey. Brown said she’s also worked with her cousin Marquel Dangle to stay in shape.
She said she knows that opportunities globally are limited and she has no plans to waste the chance that she’s been given.
“I’ve still been trying to perfect my craft as much as possible,” Brown said. “I’ve mainly been working on ball handling and getting quicker.”
But while she knows it’s all serious business, she also said she’s taking it in stride.
Brown said she knows that being a professional basketball player is a dream that many great players never get to turn into reality.
She said she hopes to play hard, compete favorably and enjoy the opportunity to see the world through sports.
“This all just feels great,” Brown said. “I feel like I’ve always been preparing for this, though. The main thing for me is to continue to work hard and have the same work ethic that I’ve always had.”
KATY, TX MARCH 6: Southland Conference women’s Basketball Game Game 2 – No. 7 Abilene Christian vs. No. 6 New Orleans at Merrell Center in Katy on March 7, 2018 in Katy, Texas Photo: Rick Yeatts
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