Brown Comfortable with Role at OSU – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/15/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
November 15, 1998
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By Andy Fledderjohann%^$OSU Athletics Communications%^$
How can Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z affect the way Ohio State freshman Brian Brown performs on the basketball court? Hopefully a heck of a lot.%^$
While many people may not know who (or what) Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z are, they soon will know Brian Brown. Brown, a 6-3, 190-pound freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y., is looking to make a significant impact for the Buckeyes right from the get-go. “I want to try to make a name for myself,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of pressure out there, with schoolwork and playing and trying to keep my grades up. I’m just trying to play the best I can. Hopefully, I can help take us further than last year.”%^$
After starring at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn for the past few years, Brown decided to bring his talents to Ohio State. And who could blame him? Head coach Jim O’Brien and his staff are all native Easterners, like Brown. Brown also has the opportunity to learn >from experienced and talented OSU guards Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd. “I liked the coaching staff and I liked Coach O’Brien,” Brown said of the reasoning behind his decision to come to Ohio State. “I felt comfortable around Coach O’Brien and his staff, plus I was coming in to play with two great guards in Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd. I also felt Ohio State was really getting something started out here, so I figured it would be a good opportunity for me to come to a solid program.”%^$
Rick Boyages, OSU associate head coach, said Brown will be a versatile asset to the Buckeyes this season. “Brian can do a little bit of everything,” Boyages said. “He can score, he can handle the ball and he plays good, solid defense. He’s a terrific kid and is always enthusiastic and hard-working.” Brown averaged 17.6 points, 5.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game during his senior campaign at Bishop Loughlin. He garnered First-Team All-Catholic League honors from the New York Daily News and the New York Post. He was also a member of the Brooklyn All-Catholic first-team. Brown is joined on the Ohio State squad by his former Bishop Loughlin teammate and fellow freshman Will Dudley, a 6-9, 220-pound forward.%^$
The terrific tandem, now roommates at Ohio State, led Bishop Loughlin to a spectacular season last year, which included a long stay in the USA Today Top 10 rankings. “It eases the transition (to college life) a lot for me because you know that if you get a little homesick, you’ve got somebody from the same area as you who knows what you’re going through so you feel more relaxed,” Brown said. “You also don’t have to worry about who your roommate is going to be.” Dudley also has found the transition to college life has been smoothed by having his Brooklyn sidekick by his side. “I think very highly of Brian,” Dudley said. “We are a lot alike and we relate so much to each other. It’s like having a family member living with me.” While the transition to the college game is not an easy one, Brown feels he is ready for the rigors of college basketball.%^$
Brown prepares himself for battle by putting on a set of headphones and listening to some of his favorite tunes – rap music. “I like to listen to my rap music [before a game],” Brown said. “It helps me get hyped. A lot of the guys listen to rap music in the locker room. We just try to pump each other up for the game.” Rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z are two of Brown’s personal favorites. He uses their music as an integral component of his mental preparation for a game. “When I’m home before a game, I usually sit down and put on my headphones and I lie in bed and just start going crazy, singing songs and thinking about what I’m going to do in the game,” Brown said. “We also meet with Dr. (Chris) Carr and we do psychology through visualization. I do that a lot and I see myself at the line with pressure. It’s easier when you think about just standing there rather then when you’re actually out there, but I try to think positively all the time. If you think negatively, you’re going to go out there and throw the ball away.” Brown takes this positive attitude with him off the court as well.
He epitomizes what a “student-athlete” should be by keeping his academic career a high priority. “Grades are very important to me,” Brown said. “Coming out of Bishop Loughlin, they stressed having good grades. My high school coach, Rob Leckie, made sure that we maintained a good grade-point average.” While Brown keeps working on his academics, he’s also battling for more playing time. He knows his role on this team. “My role is to basically just back Scoonie up at point guard and maybe play a little bit of two (guard) in between,” Brown said. “My role, like everybody’s, is, when I get the opportunity, to just come in and play hard. I’ll try to play my best and give it my all.” Boyages also noted Brown will put in some key backup minutes for the Buckeyes. “Brian is capable of helping us in many ways,” Boyages said. “He can back up Scoonie, which is great because he is learning from one of the best point guards in the country. But he’s not really a pure point guard, so he can also sub on the wing for Michael and Jon (Sanderson).”%^$
Brown got his first opportunity to shine on the court last week in an exhibition game against the One World All-Stars. He did just that, hitting 4-of-5 from the field and both attempts from the charity stripe for 10 points. He also notched two steals. He added eight points, three rebounds and three assists in the win over Marathon Basketball in OSU’s 88-67 victory last Tuesday. “I was actually a little nervous when I first went out,” Brown said. “But when I got out there, I told myself to just play and act like I was just playing in the yard by myself – just with a bigger crowd. I told myself to relax, take deep breaths and just play hard.” There’s no doubt if Brown keeps playing hard with his positive attitude, he’ll be listening to his rap music for a long time to come in an Ohio State uniform. %^$
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%^$TRANSITION UNDER PRESSURE -%^$Freshman Will Dudley deals with changes that will affect the rest of his life. %^$
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By Cameron Yannayon%^$Athletic Communications%^$
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The first step on a college campus for your average freshman can be a little intimidating and even humbling. Everyone deals with changes that will shape the rest of their life in the first year alone. They encounter new kinds of pressure like choosing a major, taking finals and playing basketball in front of more than 19,000 fans who are hungry for a winning season.%^$
Sorry, did that say average freshman? If most students had to do anything in front of a big crowd their first year of school, they would probably pack up and go home. But for Will Dudley and the rest of the Ohio State men’s basketball team, it is an occurrence they will have to get used to.%^$
Dudley, a 6-foot-9 forward from Brooklyn, N.Y., is no stranger to pressure. A member of the Brooklyn All-Catholic first team and a Street and Smith’s honorable mention All-America selection, Dudley helped propel Bishop Loughlin High School to a national Top 10 USA Today ranking for most of last year. He is used to playing in big games and contributing in front of crowds. Just none the size of the Value City Arena. “It’s something you can’t even explain,” Dudley said with a smile. ” I came from a gym where the capacity was 830 to an arena of 19,500. When we played our first game… I was in awe. It really let me know that I was in the middle of a big-time program.” Not only does Dudley have to adapt to a new team and arena, he also has to deal with living away from home.%^$
So far he is handling the transition thanks to Columbus’s easy-going atmosphere, support of family members and a familiar roommate in Brian Brown. Brown has been Dudley’s teammate since sixth grade and is a freshman point guard for OSU. The duo had a hand in each others final decision to commit to Ohio State. “Before I went to visit OSU, Will had already gone and told me that he liked it,” Brown said. “Will told me to let him know what I thought because he was definitely thinking about going. We called Coach O’Brien the day after I came back from my visit and let him know we were coming over together.” Dudley really appreciates not only having a roommate from New York, but an entire coaching staff from the East Coast. “When you get that first case of homesickness, its nice to have people who can relate to you,” Dudley said. “Living with Brian is like having a family member down here. And even though this is my first year on this team, when we step on the floor we’re a family.”%^$
Well, the coaches are certainly glad to have Dudley as a part of the ‘family’. Rick Boyages, OSU associate head coach, said the Buckeyes need help in the front court and Dudley could earn playing time as a freshman. Also, he is excited to know Dudley will be around for four years and will have plenty of time to develop into a more complete player. “Will is a long, lanky, rebounder whose biggest challenge is going to be adjusting to physical play at this level,” Boyages said. “Over the course of the first two or three years we hope to see him put on some weight and really develop into a formidable player.”%^$
Boyages believes fans will be able to see an incredible physical transformation in Will over the next few years, and that is one of the main reasons they were excited about recruiting him. Boyages knows with Dudley’s solid work ethic he can beef up his slim 220 pound frame. He cites Michael Redd’s gain of about 20 pounds over the off-season as an example. The coaches are equally pleased with Dudley on a more personal level. His casual demeanor and even-tempered disposition make him easy to coach. “He’s just a terrific young man,” Boyages said. “He’s a pleasure to deal with on and off the court. He’s a very low maintenance player. A real gentleman.” Brown knows Dudley better than anyone at OSU, especially after living with him for the past few months. He says Dudley is an easy person to live with. The two of them like the same music, are both fairly neat and like to do silly things and joke around a lot. %^$
“He’s kind of quiet and keeps more to himself,” Brown said. “He can be a little shy when you first meet him, but once he gets to know someone more he will open up.” Overall, Dudley’s character really speaks for itself when he credits his parents, pastor and grandmother for motivation to succeed at OSU. “I think that every successful person has 10 or 20 people behind him working in his behalf,” Dudley said. “I think I’m just blessed. Not lucky, just blessed.” %^$
