Just a few days after triumphantly finishing off South River on the Seahawks’ home court, Broadneck boys basketball’s season ended in a Class 4A state quarterfinal. In a blink, a team flushed with talented seniors that battled into the county championship game became a team with just one returning starter: Jordan Brown.
December proved Brown’s not alone. The Bruins (7-3) are still undefeated in county play with a respectable trio of losses: a close come-from-behind loss to Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference favorite Severn, Baltimore Sun No. 12-ranked Long Reach and A Conference Gilman (by six points). Brown is undeniably the star still burning brightest, leading Broadneck with 19.2 points per game alongside 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. But he’s worked hard to be one of a constellation.
Brown spent a snow day speaking with The Capital recently. Editor’s note: Some questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
When your season ended in the state quarterfinal to Gaithersburg, and knowing how much the next season was going to be uphill with all the graduates, did you immediately jump into training for it, or was there a mourning period?
I definitely sat on that loss. It was a tough loss. It was a game we definitely could have won. I just sat there and thought about it for a few days. But after that, I was right back in the gym. Had offseason work with a couple trainers, three times a week with skill work, lift a few times a week — I only have one day off — to get ready for the next season. That was behind me.
When most of a team graduates, and you’re left alone as the only returning starter, how do you approach the season? Do you feel like it falls on you?
Yeah that’s exactly what happened. I knew I’d be the leader. We have a young team, I mean, me and Devin [McGowan] are the senior leaders on the team, and that was a first-year player last year. So I’ve been trying to encourage the young guys to step up and be more confident when they play. And most of them have done that. So I’m really happy about that.
And you guys are clearly doing very well. You haven’t seemed to run into the roadblocks other supposedly rebuilding teams have. Why do you think that is?
We’ve stayed poised and we’ve stayed together as a team and nobody’s been selfish. Nobody’s been thinking about themselves. Everybody’s thinking about everybody else. I think that’s a big part of why we haven’t folded yet and why we’re on a good pace for a good record and a good season.
You’re obviously a competitor, and a competitor is going to want to do well, but given how young the team was, in your heart of hearts, did you expect to maybe be on track for a county championship season?
Yes. With this team, I definitely think we can win it and go to counties. Really, I think we can go to states. I think we can go really far. But like I said, we got to stay together as a team. Because if we don’t, we can easily go down the wrong path.
Against Severna Park, when you trailed at halftime but rallied to win the game, obviously the first half isn’t going well. What was it, do you think, that got the team back on track to the point they could win the game?
Scoring definitely. I had to show them, with scoring and energy. We had a lot of energy in the second half. Coach got in us about that. If we played with energy like that, we weren’t going to win any games at all.
Clearly it’s the second half of your season that’s going to be the roughest. Northeast then Severna Park again, South River and Arundel at the end. A makeup with Meade someone in there. What do you think you need to do as a leader to get them prepared?
It starts in practice: I gotta make sure they stay focused, game plan for the right players and the right teams.
What game upcoming do you think will be the most important for you to be at your best?
Definitely all those top county matchups. All of them. I know a lot of those games will have a big crowd, and a lot of people watching.
You were singled out as a player to watch before the season, not just by me but by a lot of other coaches. What do you personally think separates you from the rest?
My work ethic? I don’t like to play “fancy,” but I do sometimes. I think that’s what attracts people. I just like to be me. Humble, show people I’m a nice hooper, best hooper in the county.
What’s your version of “fancy,” do you think?
Some people say — well, my coach tells me — I do too much. He laughs at me. But I don’t try to do to much. It just happens.
So beyond Broadneck, what do you see for yourself?
I want to play at the next level. I definitely want to play college ball, pro ball. That’s what I see in my future. I still think I can achieve it.