AFA men's basketball: Brown provides lift off bench
Air Force freshman center Phillip Brown had to sit through 26 games before getting a chance to play Saturday at BYU.
His long wait didn’t entitle him to a warm reception.
Moments after Brown entered the game, the first shot of his career was blocked.
“I was like, ‘Here we go, Division I,’” Brown said.
But despite his lack of experience and the hostile environment — BYU’s Marriott Center — the 6-foot-7 Brown shook off his entrance. In 13 minutes he scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked three shots — including an emphatic rejection of 6-foot-11 Trent Plaisted, the Cougars’ standout center.
Brown’s surprising performance was promising for the future, but it also raised the possibility he could improve the Falcons’ bench play for this season’s stretch run. Air Force, 14-13 and 6-8 in the Mountain West Conference, can finish league play .500 with victories in tonight’s game against TCU and Saturday’s regular-season finale against San Diego State.
“He’s definitely a guy that can take over a game at times and change a lot of plays by his shot-blocking ability and his offensive ability,” Air Force senior guard Tim Anderson said.
Several of Brown’s teammates described him as athletic, strong, powerful in the post and full of potential. And former Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik, who recruited Brown, called him a “big-time recruit” last season.
But after making the Falcons’ travel team for a preseason trip to Canada in early September, Brown’s progress was halted.
Air Force coaches held Brown and two other freshmen out of practices in late October and most of November so they could concentrate on academics.
Brown lifted and said he fired some practice jumpers on weekends, but he fell well behind in learning the Falcons’ complicated Princeton-based offense.
And he did not dress for games.
“It was real tough,” Brown said. “One of the main reasons I came here was basketball, and you take that away, it changes everything.”
Two of Brown’s freshmen teammates left the academy since December, which Brown called “a big loss,” because “they’re like family.” But Brown got plenty of encouragement to stay, especially from his parents, who he said, “kept telling me, ‘Stick in there, stick in there, you can make it through.’”
Brown has done that. After getting on track academically, he returned to practice in late November and began dressing for games in early January.
While Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said Brown “needs to improve his skill set — he’s raw in that regard,” he has seen significant progress from the freshman.
“He’s gotten better each day in practice, you can see it, and he’s worthy of the playing time that he got the other night,” Reynolds said. “He has potential to be a very good player for us down the road.”
