Tiffany Brown is back.
After spending the second half of the 2005-2006 season off the team due to an academic suspension, Brown has rejoined the Georgia Southern Lady Eagles for her junior season, and has already been named to the preseason All-Conference team.
“I’m glad to be back,” said the 5-foot-5 guard from Waxhaw, N.C. “I’m ready to get back out and play and win some games.”
As a freshman in 2004, Brown played in every game for GSU, but only started 13. It wasn’t until the Southern Conference tournament that year that Brown burst onto the scene.
Brown averaged 20 points a game in that tournament, propelling the Eagles to the conference championship game. She was named to the All-Tournament first team.
“She’s a game-changer,” said GSU head coach Rusty Cram. “She’s one of those that you have to key when you play us.”
Fans of Lady Eagle basketball were already talking about the kind of threat Brown would, and already had, become. But then Brown was ruled academically ineligible for the 2006 half of the 05’-06’ season, and the Eagles lost one of their most potent weapons. She was averaging 10.5 ppg.
“I felt bad,” said Brown. “I felt badly for my team, I let them down. I felt bad for myself, I let myself down.”
The Eagles finished the season 6-10, losing in the quarterfinals of SoCon tourney.
“What people don’t know is Tiffany missed by the finest of margins,” said Cram. “She was within a frog hair of being eligible last year, but it all came down to mid-term exams.”
Brown didn’t perform as well on her mid-term’s as she did on the basketball court, and was forced to watch as GSU finished the season without her.
“The team paid a price for her last year not being eligible,” said Cram. “Tiffany’s learned a huge, valuable experience through all that and she’s handling her academics much better this semester”
Brown said watching from the sidelines was tough, but she continued to weight train and practice with the team. She said her teammates have stuck with her and have continually reminded her to keep her grades up and “stick with it”.
While Brown continues to improve academically, she’s also making strides on the court, where Cram said she’s learning to become more of a team player.
“Tiffany’s life is basketball,” said Cram. “She eats, sleeps and drinks basketball. To take something from somebody like that, it stings them. She’s done the things necessary to ensure that she’s going to have that opportunity to play. She seems to be pushing a little bit harder and if nothing else she’s becoming more of a team player than she has the first two years, and I think a lot of that is coming from (her experience).”
Brown’s been working on other parts of her game, as well.
“They’ve always told me I’m not really good at team defense,” said Brown. “So I’ve been working on that and doing a lot of that. Individually, continuing to work with my left hand.”
GSU opens its season Sunday hosting Stetson at 4:30 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse. As the season continues, don’t expect Brown to receive any special treatment when it comes to keeping her grades in check.
“We don’t treat any athletes any different,” said Cram. “We’re not gonna go take tests and we’re not gonna do stuff for them. No matter how much we do as a program to ensure that they take care of their academics, it’s still bottom line that they’re the ones that have to take care of their business.”
After spending the second half of the 2005-2006 season off the team due to an academic suspension, Brown has rejoined the Georgia Southern Lady Eagles for her junior season, and has already been named to the preseason All-Conference team.
“I’m glad to be back,” said the 5-foot-5 guard from Waxhaw, N.C. “I’m ready to get back out and play and win some games.”
As a freshman in 2004, Brown played in every game for GSU, but only started 13. It wasn’t until the Southern Conference tournament that year that Brown burst onto the scene.
Brown averaged 20 points a game in that tournament, propelling the Eagles to the conference championship game. She was named to the All-Tournament first team.
“She’s a game-changer,” said GSU head coach Rusty Cram. “She’s one of those that you have to key when you play us.”
Fans of Lady Eagle basketball were already talking about the kind of threat Brown would, and already had, become. But then Brown was ruled academically ineligible for the 2006 half of the 05’-06’ season, and the Eagles lost one of their most potent weapons. She was averaging 10.5 ppg.
“I felt bad,” said Brown. “I felt badly for my team, I let them down. I felt bad for myself, I let myself down.”
The Eagles finished the season 6-10, losing in the quarterfinals of SoCon tourney.
“What people don’t know is Tiffany missed by the finest of margins,” said Cram. “She was within a frog hair of being eligible last year, but it all came down to mid-term exams.”
Brown didn’t perform as well on her mid-term’s as she did on the basketball court, and was forced to watch as GSU finished the season without her.
“The team paid a price for her last year not being eligible,” said Cram. “Tiffany’s learned a huge, valuable experience through all that and she’s handling her academics much better this semester”
Brown said watching from the sidelines was tough, but she continued to weight train and practice with the team. She said her teammates have stuck with her and have continually reminded her to keep her grades up and “stick with it”.
While Brown continues to improve academically, she’s also making strides on the court, where Cram said she’s learning to become more of a team player.
“Tiffany’s life is basketball,” said Cram. “She eats, sleeps and drinks basketball. To take something from somebody like that, it stings them. She’s done the things necessary to ensure that she’s going to have that opportunity to play. She seems to be pushing a little bit harder and if nothing else she’s becoming more of a team player than she has the first two years, and I think a lot of that is coming from (her experience).”
Brown’s been working on other parts of her game, as well.
“They’ve always told me I’m not really good at team defense,” said Brown. “So I’ve been working on that and doing a lot of that. Individually, continuing to work with my left hand.”
GSU opens its season Sunday hosting Stetson at 4:30 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse. As the season continues, don’t expect Brown to receive any special treatment when it comes to keeping her grades in check.
“We don’t treat any athletes any different,” said Cram. “We’re not gonna go take tests and we’re not gonna do stuff for them. No matter how much we do as a program to ensure that they take care of their academics, it’s still bottom line that they’re the ones that have to take care of their business.”
