Marjorie Albert
August 17, 2017
Get in my BELLY!
August 17, 2017missed a beat.
As a true freshman, she shined, averaging 12.7 points per game – numbers which are a bit misleading as to how good she actually was when the games mattered most.
Brown started the season getting sparse minutes, but ended as arguably the top scorer in the entire league, closing the season with six-straight 20-point games to firmly entrench herself in the Southland hierarchy, while also winning Southland Freshman of the Year.
As a sophomore, Brown stayed strong, playing 27 games with 24 starts, averaging 17.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for the Lady Privateers.
But Brown wasn’t an efficient scorer as a sophomore, shooting just 32.9 percent from the field and 23.2 percent from behind the 3-point line.
That didn’t sit well with Brown, who said she had a great offseason last summer to get ready for her junior year, which proved to be a breakout campaign.
Last year, Brown was far more prolific, averaging 22.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, earning All-Conference honors.
Brown was far better offensively as a junior, shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from behind the 3-point line – one of the best offensive seasons in the history of Lady Privateers basketball.
She earned First-Team All-Louisiana after the season, narrowly missing Louisiana Player of the Year Honors, while also leading the Lady Privateers to the Southland Conference Tournament.
“As she picks up each individual honor, she knows she couldn’t have done it without the team, so I’m very proud of her,” UNO coach Keeshawn Davenport said.
Now, Brown is hungry for more.
She said she’s working on every phase of her game – especially defense – so that she can be more productive than she’s ever been.
Brown said her goal is to win the Southland Conference Player of the Year and also to earn a place on the All-American team, but she added that she’d trade either of those two goals for the big prize.
“I want to get a conference championship,” she said.
Because of her success throughout her career, Brown is starting to generate interest from scouts at the professional level.
In the latest mock draft issued by www.draftsite.com, Brown is listed as a second-round pick (No. 18 overall) in the 2018 WNBA Draft – the only mid-major player on the draft board.
Brown said to see her name on lists like that is something she’s dreamed of since she was a child, adding that it motivates her to work even harder in the future.
“It feels amazing to know that all of my hard work is actually paying off,” Brown said. “I’m really blessed to be on that list with so many other great players. I know I still have a lot of work to do, but it’s a great start.”
Brown added that she sometimes wonders where all the time has gone, touting that it feels like just yesterday she was signing her scholarship papers and now she’s entering her senior season.
But she said she looks forward to the future and will attack it one game at a time.
“It feels like I was a freshman just yesterday,” Brown said. “It’s been an amazing journey that’s helped mold me into the person I am today. I definitely wouldn’t have made it through this journey without God and my family. I enjoyed the journey and the process, but now, I’m ready for what God has next for me.”
