Marie Arabie
January 3, 2017
Popular Houma restaurant ravaged by flames
January 3, 2017
A lot of people around the country were ready for 2016 to end.
But University of New Orleans junior guard Randi Brown wasn’t.
If it were up to Brown, this year would have continued on long into the future.
The Houma native has dominated in the 2016-17 season for UNO, establishing herself as one of the top collegiate scorers in the country.
In recent weeks, Brown eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for the Lady Privateers – a number that’s usually reached by players who are in their senior seasons.
Last week, Brown had her best game yet, scoring 45 points on New Year’s Eve to lead UNO past Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the team’s conference opener. She broke the Lady Privateers’ single-game scoring record in the game – a record which had been in place since 1981.
“It’s really amazing and sort of feels unreal,” Brown said of her dominant game. “But it was fun, and I think that’s the best thing. I really had fun the whole night and getting the win just made it that much better. … It was just a great feeling knowing that all of my hard work is just paying off.”
Collegiate success is nothing new to Brown. She’s been dominant at UNO since her first days on campus – a two-year contributor for the Lady Privateers, who are building their program from the ground-up after struggling mightily a half-decade ago.
But the success she’s enjoying this season is unprecedented, even for her.
Brown headed into 2017 averaging almost 22 points per game, despite playing just 27 minutes per game for UNO.
It’s not inefficient offense, either. She’s putting the ball into the hole
Brown is shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line – numbers that rank near the top of her team.
From deep, she’s been just as good, shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line in 83 tries.
In the 45-point game, Brown was flawless, dominating her opponent regardless of the defense they used against her.
In that game, she was 16-of-28 from the field and 9-of-18 from the 3-point line. She got to the foul line just four times, making each attempt.
Brown also got six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in the win.
After the game, Brown said her teammates deserve the credit, because they encouraged her to keep pushing, despite fatigue and the tough defense. Brown also credited her teammates for getting her the ball in advantageous positions, which allowed her to succeed.
“My teammates and coaches were extremely supportive and encouraging the whole night,” Brown said. “That was the difference. That was a great feeling. Teams pay a lot of attention to me defensively, but my teammates stepping up the way they do allows me to continue to be the player that I am.”
So now with personal accolades coming at her in all directions, Brown said her No. 1 focus for 2017 is team-related success.
She concedes that she wants to be the Southland Conference Player of the Year – an award that she is going to be highly considered for if she continues playing at this high of a level for the rest of the season.
But she also wants to lead UNO to high-stakes games at the end of the season – something the team hasn’t accomplished in either of Brown’s first two seasons.
The guard said the ultimate goal is to reach the NCAA Tournament.
“We started a new season (with Southland play beginning), and so far, we’re on a good start with our first conference win,” Brown said. “I want to win Player of the Year, but I want to win a conference championship more. I think more importantly than that all, I want to just us to continue to become a great team and continue playing together.”
Houma native Randi Brown pushes the ball up the court during a game this season. Brown is averaging more than 20 points per game as a junior.
