Streamers
Professor
Posts: 8304
Loc: NW Philadelphia
Reg: 11-21-04
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01-11-24 10:07 AM - Post#361550
Inky profile today
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AsiaSunset
Postdoc
Posts: 4366
Reg: 11-21-04
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01-11-24 03:34 PM - Post#361569
In response to Streamers
I don’t have a subscription but I just wanted to add that coming into the season I thought the freshmen class would need to play an important role; however, I thought it might not be Sam’s time. He is far better at this early stage of his career. I had him stereotyped as a shooter, best suited as an off guard. He’s been very impressive, especially with Clark sidelined, and a much more complete player than I thought originally.
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Streamers
Professor
Posts: 8304
Loc: NW Philadelphia
Reg: 11-21-04
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01-11-24 04:18 PM - Post#361570
In response to AsiaSunset
Here is an excerpt:
Oh, there’s basketball exploration, too. Brown, who starred at Lower Merion while his father led the 76ers until his firing in 2020, is picking up right where he left off. He exited Lower Merion as the program’s all-time leader with 245 three-pointers. Through 12 games — he missed four of Penn’s games with an ankle injury — Brown is connecting on 47.2% of his three-point attempts (34-for-72), good for eighth in Division I men’s basketball. No other freshman is inside the top 60 in three-point percentage.
If you’re wondering how he hasn’t missed a beat, even as the rigors of Ivy League classes are added to the mix, it’s as much about the newfound love of meditation as it is the 60,000 shots he took in the driveway with Brett — yes, they counted them — during the COVID-19 summer off, and the countless jump shots with the shooting machine over the years. The physical skills have always been present. The mental skills set Sam apart.
What has changed, Brown said, is he has learned to not be so results-oriented when it comes to shooting. He knows how hard he has worked, and relies on that knowledge to relieve the pressure of making shots.
“You go in waves of confidence and that’s normal, but being able to cut away emotions from the process has been a big part of it,” he said.
“You put pressures on yourself that you don’t even realize until you actualize them in your head. The ability to not try so hard to be perfect, be willing to make mistakes and be within the game.”
Brown hasn’t been perfect, but it’s hard to imagine a freshman season starting out much better. He is scoring 11.6 points and pulling in 3.7 rebounds to go with 1.8 assists in 30.8 minutes per game. He already hit the 20-point mark in a Jan. 2 loss at Auburn. In all but three of his 12 games, he has hit multiple three-pointers.
Penn coach Steve Donahue knew the shooter he was getting when he recruited Sam from Lower Merion. What has been surprising, Donahue said, is some of the little things, like the way he navigates screens. Brown has this technique, Donahue said, in which he “gets low and gets his body skinny and gets out to the shooter.” He’s more athletic, better at rebounding at this level, tougher, and better at ballhandling than Donahue thought he’d be at this point....
... As Donahue said, “we play a style of basketball that’s not predicated on one guy.” For example, Penn beat Dartmouth by 29 points Saturday in its Ivy League opener. Brown scored just five points on 2-for-8 shooting. A bad day? Not quite, Donahue said.
“He played with force on offense,” the coach said. “He snapped the passes. He sprinted through on cuts. He guarded ball screens. He just did every read right. He was really good. Maybe if he made two more shots, everyone thinks he was great. But he was exactly what I hoped.”
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Penndemonium
PhD Student
Posts: 1903
Reg: 11-29-04
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Sam Brown
01-11-24 09:12 PM - Post#361584
In response to Streamers
I had high hopes all along for Brown, based mainly on his HS video. He just showed skills and composure, dating back to being an under-sized Freshman on his team. In addition to fine shooting, he showed good handles and good ability to move downhill to the hoop. I was confident his skills would translate well at the college level. He has been a pleasant surprise even to me, but the one part that hasn't been a big part of his college game is penetration. His HS video showed him having good ability to put his back to his defender and spinning in either direction past his defender. I think that right now he has less room for that move with longer and faster defenders and well organized help. Donahue's offense doesn't have much clear-out action to create space to spin and reverse. If Brown can develop Slajchert-like ability to slash forward through traffic, he will terrorize the league.
Sam Brown's defense and rebounding are ahead of expectations, and I credit good positioning and instincts for that. He knows how to play basketball.
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