Adam Brown struggled to free himself from the Nevada defense, as it seemed every time he came off of a screen there was already a Wolfpack defender waiting with a hand in his face.
Rather than force up contested shots, Brown refocused his efforts towards other areas of the game, grabbing 10 rebounds and sinking the free throws that would clinch the Cougars’ 64-61 victory.
Head coach James Dickey was proud after the game, acknowledging Brown had grown into a much more mature player than the one he had seen at the start of the fall practices.
“I’ve chomped on him a little bit because I knew he could score,” Dickey said.
“But I also told him that I’m not sure that he could guard any one of the coaches when we first started. I’ve been really hard on him about his defense.
“The biggest thing I have been impressed with is how he has accepted the constructive criticism defensively. In all due respect to him, we put him on the toughest wing player on the other team in every game. So I am not surprised. I’m pleased for him and for our team.”
Brown now plays a leading role in the UH offense after coming off the bench last season.
He leads UH with 14.5 points per game and has been a dead eye from deep, converting on 41-of-89 (46 percent) of his three point attempts.
“Since I was little I was always a good scorer,” Brown said. “Coach Dickey draws up some good plays. I love his system. I’m an IQ guy, so I like coming off screens, curls, slicing through the lane and I can do that. So he really highlights my game.”
After his senior season, Brown would like to continue playing basketball at the professional level, even if it means playing abroad.
“Basketball’s my love,” Brown said. “I’ll follow her wherever she takes me.”
