As a lifelong Illinois (state of Illinois, not Illini) basketball junkie, I have seen many of the big names (Shawn Livingston, Andre Iguodala, Quentin Richardson) and big bodies (Kevin Garnett, Brian Cook, Darius Miles) that the Illinois high school ranks have named Mr. Basketball in high school and offered to the hoops world over the past decade or so.
None of the bunch, as seniors in high school, was I more skeptical of finding for himself a niche in the NBA than Dee Brown – “was” being the operative word.
From the moment I saw Brown play for the first time in high school in a showdown with current Duke point guard Sean Dockery, I fell in love with him: The way he rushed over to pick his teammates up off the floor, the way he dug in on defense and never took a possession off, the way his infectious leadership and tenacity infused his team with energy and drive.
Still, as the diminutive fireball claimed the award as the top prep player in basketball-rich Illinios, was named a McDonald’s All-American, and inked with the Illini, I shared with the rest of the hoops nation doubts about the little man’s ability to thrive on the next level:
Would he be able to knock down threes consistently? Was he a true point guard? Would his size limit his ability to play defenses?
Brown responded to those questions with a junior year in which he claimed Big Ten Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and led his team to 37 wins and a berth in the national title game. Not convinced yet?
Well, neither was I at first. As Brown stepped his toes into the NBA waters, somehow, the same questions resurfaced in my mind and amongst the so-called experts: Does he have NBA range? Can he handle the point? Can he defend against taller and stronger players?
Well, I for one, no longer doubt the man.
Brown has proved skeptics wrong from the day he picked up a basketball and, as is often the case with shorter players, will probably be doing so for the rest of his career. Dee doesn’t know the meaning of the word defeat. He has responded triumphantly to doubters and critics at every level, and I have no reason he won’t do the same in the league.
What was that? You don’t think he has NBA range?
When critics claimed he did not have the outside shot to play in the NBA, Dee worked hard to improve his long-range jumper, and proceeded to can 99 3-pointers last season (compared to 71 in 2003-2004), while raising his percentage from 35% to 43% from the previous season.
Huh? You don’t think he can handle the point?
Even though lottery-bound teammate Deron Williams primarily manned the point for the Illini over the past three seasons, the electric Brown more than proved to critics, particularly in 2004-2005, that he can handle point guard duties at the next level. He averaged 4.5 assists per outing (third in the Big Ten) and delivered some show-stopping dimes at crucial times for his team. Additionally, Brown seemed much more confident with his handles this season, often shaking defenders with skillful moves as opposed to relying almost exclusively on his blazing speed, as he had done his first two seasons in Champaign.
