Illinois signee became more of an all-around player as a senior

By Buck Ringgold

Consistency was a hallmark of Ethan Brown in his basketball career at Rolla High School.

After nearly averaging 19 points a game as a freshman, Brown averaged at least 22 points the following three years. In his senior season, the 6-foot-4 combo guard averaged 24 points to go along with 6.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 3.2 steals.

But what really satisfied Brown was his ability to branch out beyond just being a shooter to having a more balanced, all-around game.

“I’m happy with how I played,” Brown said. “I think I played good, and it was just a consistent season. I think that’s good, but that’s not really something I was too concerned about; I just was more concerned about trying to win games.

“Our season didn’t end how we wanted it to, ending up a little short in the playoffs. But yes, I’m just happy with how I progressed, especially over high school with just being more physical and completely just changing my game from just being a shooter to being able to do everything as a 1-2 guard.”

One thing Brown did to become a more well-rounded player was to put on more weight and become more physical.

“When I started as a freshman, I was kind of more just a shooter and a lot of times, you know, I’m just a scrawny little freshman out there and if I couldn’t really get to my 3-pointer, some games would get a little sketchy,” he said. “So just over the years, I was still trying to change my body and just put my weights on and just learn how to play more physical and become a downhill driver just as much as I shoot, and then I’ll be able to pass and find open teammates.

“I think it really just made it really hard for teams to guard.”

Another goal Brown wanted to set was to get to the foul line more.

“I’ve always been a really good high eighties, 90% free throw shooter, and I think this year, I got to line a lot more,” he said. “Just a lot more physical drives, keep the ball in my hands at the end of the game to seal wins and put them away with free throws.”

Brown’s season high in points was 42 points in a game against Marshfield. But there was another game that he believed was better.

“In early to mid January, we played Hillcrest out of Springfield, and they ended up getting third place in Class 5 in the state (tournament),” he said. “We played at Hillcrest and kind of started a little slow on our end, but I think I ended up with like 39 points and came back and won by like a good 8 or 10 points on their home floor.

“And that’s a team that made its final four. So I think that was definitely my best game, I’m almost proud of, at least this season.”

Brown finished his Rolla career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,523 points. He also holds records in total assists (605) and steals (348).

Now, he gets set to join a University of Illinois squad fresh off an appearance in the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

“I just want to contribute any way that I can, but I feel like my playmaking ability will be something that’ll help me and just my shooting ability will also just be something that I can be able to build off of those two things,” Brown said. “That’s a pretty good foundation of helping a team that was (one of the top offenses) in the country.

“And you know, if I just keep getting stronger and keep putting more weight on and just getting very good defensively, I think I’ll be able to make a real good impact.”

Photos by Ethan Brown