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Brown ready to deliver for Lafayette
  
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By Louis Zoldy
The last time Andrew Brown of Littleton played basketball in Colorado it produced one of the most memorable moments of his life.
When he plays here Nov. 25, the circumstances will be vastly different but the venue will be exactly the same.
Brown, now a senior point guard for Division I Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., will make a homecoming of sorts when his Leopards visit the University of Colorado in Boulder for a non-conference game at 9 p.m.
The last time Brown took the floor at the Coors Events Center was March 2005 and, as a high school senior, he led Heritage to its first 5A state championship with 21 points in a victory over ThunderRidge.
“I’m very excited for that game, and I’m grateful coach got it for me,” Brown said. “It’s going to be great being back at CU and it will bring back some fond memories. It will also be great to see friends and family who have not been able to see me play in college.”
Brown has dazzled fans in the Patriot League for three seasons. A point guard with a flair for the offensive, he averaged 15.9 points per game as a junior last winter while setting a pair of school records. Brown has an affinity for the 3-point shot and drained a record nine of them in a Dec. 21, 2007 game against Mount St. Mary’s. He then tied the feat Jan. 30, 2008 against Army — a night where he put up a career-best 34 points.
His 99 3-point shots last season set a single-season record for Lafayette, and he needed only 53 more entering his final year to break the career record of 271 held by Tyson Whitfield.
“It’s not something I think about much. I just try to go out and play and not think about all that stuff,” Brown said. “I have goals for myself, but with all the hours I work on my game, I’m confident I can go out and play and play well.”
He will have to, especially considering the youth movement at Lafayette this season. The Leopards graduated three starters and five total seniors from last year’s team that finished 15-15 overall. For 2008-09, Lafayette will feature seven freshmen and four sophomores. As the team’s lone senior and preseason All-Patriot League selection, Brown must continue to deliver if the Leopards are going to take the leap.
“Andrew is going to draw a lot more attention this season, but he is battle-tested and we are going to lean on him heavily, especially in the beginning of the year as our younger players find their way into the system,” head coach Fran O’Hanlon said. “But he has to let the game come to him — to stay within himself and try not to do too much. It’s important that he trusts what we do and helps to assimilate our younger players into our system, our team.”
It’s a role Brown said he relishes.
“You have to lead by example, first and foremost,” Brown said. “I have a responsibility to show the younger guys how to be successful on the college level, and I like having that responsibility on me. I’m the point guard. I’m supposed to be the floor general. I also feel better when I know I’m the one that’s leading because I know I’m going to give 110 percent every play.”
Just how hard does Brown work for Lafayette? For one, he watches tape of players such as John Stockton and Steve Nash, trying to pick up on their moves and footwork and what they see while running the floor. There are also the daily practice sessions, ball-handling drills and conditioning. But a big part is that Brown puts up anywhere from 500 to 1,000 shots per day on the practice court every day of the week.
“My shot wasn’t the best when I was younger, but I had a coach all through high school, Dan Snyder, who really helped me with my shot,” Brown said. “I just like shooting and you can’t expect to get better without putting in some sweat.”
The hard work continues as Brown is not satisfied with his game, even now. One area of concern has been his ability to get his teammates involved. Coming into this season, Brown’s best game in terms of assists came Nov. 9, 2007 when he dished out seven against Wagner. He had 94 assists during the 2006-07 season, averaging 3.1 per game, but only dished out 85 through the 2007-08 campaign. During the 05-06 season, Brown became the first freshman to lead Lafayette in assists during O’Hanlon’s tenure, doling out 84 total, or 3.0 per game.
For his final season, he is taking coach O’Hanlon’s words to heart and intends to focus more on dishing the rock.
“Teams are going to be keying on me more than last year, so I am going to be trying to get my teammates involved more,” he said. “That’s really where a game is won or lost: getting everyone involved. If I could have a double-double with points and assists I would call that one of my better games.”
Lafayette opened the season Nov. 18 in Staten Island, N.Y. with a 73-67 victory over Wagner in which Brown netted 22 points. The regular season concludes Feb. 28 versus American and Brown hopes that when all is said and done he and his Leopards will be making a trip to the coveted NCAA Tournament.
“To win our league title is No. 1. It’s not going to necessarily be the easiest to reach, but it’s what we strive for,” he said. “I’ve been here four years now and we really want to go to the NCAA Tournament. That’s the ultimate goal.”
And when college is done, Brown, a sociology major, hopes to put off joining the real world for as long as he can and continue to play the game he loves.
“I want to play as long as my legs can hold me,” he said. “I will probably play in Europe or overseas somewhere. Over there if you play real well you can make a name for yourself and then anything can happen.”
When he plays here Nov. 25, the circumstances will be vastly different but the venue will be exactly the same.
Brown, now a senior point guard for Division I Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., will make a homecoming of sorts when his Leopards visit the University of Colorado in Boulder for a non-conference game at 9 p.m.
The last time Brown took the floor at the Coors Events Center was March 2005 and, as a high school senior, he led Heritage to its first 5A state championship with 21 points in a victory over ThunderRidge.
“I’m very excited for that game, and I’m grateful coach got it for me,” Brown said. “It’s going to be great being back at CU and it will bring back some fond memories. It will also be great to see friends and family who have not been able to see me play in college.”
Brown has dazzled fans in the Patriot League for three seasons. A point guard with a flair for the offensive, he averaged 15.9 points per game as a junior last winter while setting a pair of school records. Brown has an affinity for the 3-point shot and drained a record nine of them in a Dec. 21, 2007 game against Mount St. Mary’s. He then tied the feat Jan. 30, 2008 against Army — a night where he put up a career-best 34 points.
His 99 3-point shots last season set a single-season record for Lafayette, and he needed only 53 more entering his final year to break the career record of 271 held by Tyson Whitfield.
“It’s not something I think about much. I just try to go out and play and not think about all that stuff,” Brown said. “I have goals for myself, but with all the hours I work on my game, I’m confident I can go out and play and play well.”
He will have to, especially considering the youth movement at Lafayette this season. The Leopards graduated three starters and five total seniors from last year’s team that finished 15-15 overall. For 2008-09, Lafayette will feature seven freshmen and four sophomores. As the team’s lone senior and preseason All-Patriot League selection, Brown must continue to deliver if the Leopards are going to take the leap.
“Andrew is going to draw a lot more attention this season, but he is battle-tested and we are going to lean on him heavily, especially in the beginning of the year as our younger players find their way into the system,” head coach Fran O’Hanlon said. “But he has to let the game come to him — to stay within himself and try not to do too much. It’s important that he trusts what we do and helps to assimilate our younger players into our system, our team.”
It’s a role Brown said he relishes.
“You have to lead by example, first and foremost,” Brown said. “I have a responsibility to show the younger guys how to be successful on the college level, and I like having that responsibility on me. I’m the point guard. I’m supposed to be the floor general. I also feel better when I know I’m the one that’s leading because I know I’m going to give 110 percent every play.”
Just how hard does Brown work for Lafayette? For one, he watches tape of players such as John Stockton and Steve Nash, trying to pick up on their moves and footwork and what they see while running the floor. There are also the daily practice sessions, ball-handling drills and conditioning. But a big part is that Brown puts up anywhere from 500 to 1,000 shots per day on the practice court every day of the week.
“My shot wasn’t the best when I was younger, but I had a coach all through high school, Dan Snyder, who really helped me with my shot,” Brown said. “I just like shooting and you can’t expect to get better without putting in some sweat.”
The hard work continues as Brown is not satisfied with his game, even now. One area of concern has been his ability to get his teammates involved. Coming into this season, Brown’s best game in terms of assists came Nov. 9, 2007 when he dished out seven against Wagner. He had 94 assists during the 2006-07 season, averaging 3.1 per game, but only dished out 85 through the 2007-08 campaign. During the 05-06 season, Brown became the first freshman to lead Lafayette in assists during O’Hanlon’s tenure, doling out 84 total, or 3.0 per game.
For his final season, he is taking coach O’Hanlon’s words to heart and intends to focus more on dishing the rock.
“Teams are going to be keying on me more than last year, so I am going to be trying to get my teammates involved more,” he said. “That’s really where a game is won or lost: getting everyone involved. If I could have a double-double with points and assists I would call that one of my better games.”
Lafayette opened the season Nov. 18 in Staten Island, N.Y. with a 73-67 victory over Wagner in which Brown netted 22 points. The regular season concludes Feb. 28 versus American and Brown hopes that when all is said and done he and his Leopards will be making a trip to the coveted NCAA Tournament.
“To win our league title is No. 1. It’s not going to necessarily be the easiest to reach, but it’s what we strive for,” he said. “I’ve been here four years now and we really want to go to the NCAA Tournament. That’s the ultimate goal.”
And when college is done, Brown, a sociology major, hopes to put off joining the real world for as long as he can and continue to play the game he loves.
“I want to play as long as my legs can hold me,” he said. “I will probably play in Europe or overseas somewhere. Over there if you play real well you can make a name for yourself and then anything can happen.”
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