University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina's Brown Playing For Crown
March 12, 2003 | Women's Basketball
March 12, 2003
By Jennifer Jordan Engel
Tar Heel Monthly
Her sister Kalesha says it was a reflection of her popularity at Southeast Bulloch High School.
Her mother Mary Alice cheerfully claims that everyone just wanted to see the star basketball player in a dress.
And Coretta Brown merely grimaces, shaking her head before revealing that "for the record," she was pressured, yes, pressured, into being crowned homecoming queen as a senior in high school.
Her majesty now finds herself the ruler of a different kind of court and as her reign draws to an end, she reflected upon her journey from a shy freshman to a vocal senior leader of Carolina's top-ranked squad.
Brown isn't one to stand on ceremony, though she certainly could. Consider that she is a preseason candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year award and she may find All-America honors waiting for her in March. The former High School All-America player was also named a Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection for the second year in a row. As of the beginning of this season, she held the UNC record for career three-point percentage at .372, ranked fifth at UNC in career three-pointers (163) and seventh in assists (370) - all numbers that have continued to improve with each passing game. And during the second week of January, she was honored as the ACC Player of the Week.
No, any mention of her accolades and accomplishments only merits a smile, a shrug and a humble dismissal by the 5-8 guard from Statesboro, Ga. She genuinely seems unaware of her own press.
"I'm a team player and I want the team to do well," said Brown. "We've definitely got the talent to do it all this year. Why be selfish and focus on me when we have such a great team?" rown takes the team concept to heart, often referring to teammates as her "sisters." This comes as no surprise to her mother or sister who both agreed that Brown thrives on developing relationships with people. The youngest of four girls, Brown grew up with an appreciation for family. In fact, it was part of the reason she felt comfortable in her decision to select Carolina.
It happened during her official visit-she quickly discovered that Carolina reminded her of home. Home, a place she described as a small town where there's really nothing else to do but play basketball. Where people are warm and friendly and you only have to walk down the street to find the next game because someone was always playing. She never knew she'd find such a familiar and comfortable environment in North Carolina.
"She loves that atmosphere," said Mrs. Brown. "It gives her stability."
If Carolina gave Brown the stability and family she craved, it was her mother, a former high school basketball player, who gave Brown the fundamentals to go along with it as well as the encouragement to follow her own hoop dreams. Mrs. Brown grew wistful as she remembered her four-year-old asking for a basketball and goal for Christmas and then chuckled as she recalled surprising her daughter by signing her up for a rec league basketball team in the fourth grade. Apparently, she didn't have much of a choice at that point.
"She just loved to play," she said with a playful sigh. "Couldn't get her to do anything at home. No chores, no nothing. She was always under the goal."
Kalesha also remembered her sister being outside a lot, happily taking the court against neighborhood kids, both boys and girls. She noted that as time passed, it was the guys who stuck around to provide Brown with the challenge of competing at a higher level.
Brown readily agreed that playing against males at an early age helped in her development as a player. To this day, she still enjoys occasional summer pickup games with members of Carolina's men's basketball team, dryly noting that they're "kinda quick." And like the rest of her collegiate peers, she's a huge fan of Matt Doherty's Tar Heels and counts men's basketball as her favorite sport to watch. Brown confirmed that both of Carolina's basketball teams are committed to supporting each other, most making their presence known at games when schedules allow.
When she's not on the floor of Carmichael or sitting in the stands of the Dean E. Smith Center, Brown is finishing up her degree in African-American studies with a minor in English. This semester, she'll enjoy the benefits of being a senior in her final semester-namely, the right to maintain full-time status while taking the minimum amount of hours needed by an individual to meet Carolina's requirement for graduation in May. Brown needs just six hours, or two classes, to obtain her own piece of Carolina sheepskin.
But there is one pesky obstacle standing in her way.
Brown, who has created her own legend in Carolina's storied history by conquering those who opposed the light blue way of life, must now face down one of Carolina's more infamous traditions-the dreaded swim test. It's a foe she's not taking lightly. She is enrolled in a survival swimming course and related that on her first day, she swallowed more water than she would have ever thought possible.
"We take the swim test at the end of the course," Brown said. "We'll see how it goes."
After a dramatic pause, she added, "I'm not a big fan of swimming. No, not at all. Not at all."
Brown claims to have few hobbies. More often than not, you'll find her enjoying soul food-Walt's and Mama Dips are favorites-or taking in a movie with her teammates (FYI: she recommends Antwon Fisher-"two thumbs up, but bring some tissues if you go"). And if she's got any free time left over?
"If sleeping were a sport, I'd be an All-American," she said with a laugh.
Such is the life of a college student.
But Brown realizes that it all comes to an end much too soon. She still dreams of winning an ACC championship and a national championship. During her first three years at Carolina, she's watched as Duke claimed conference top honors and made serious runs for the national prize. The Tobacco Road rival has also beaten Carolina 10 of the last 11 meetings, and though she doesn't mention it, two of her sisters are Duke alumni, for crying out loud. (It must be noted that Mrs. Brown promises that Cassandra and Clintina are Tar Heels when their sister takes the court.)
The competitive fires danced in her eyes as she stated that "this is our year." The senior captain knows that it is up to her to provide leadership to this team.
"When I got here as a freshman, I was the shy kid. I never really said much," said Brown. "As a senior, the big vet, they look to me for leadership. Once you get pushed into a leadership role, you have to get more vocal. This year, I've definitely been more vocal than in the past. I also have to mind my p's and q's."
Helping Brown dot the i's and cross the t's when it comes to maintaining Carolina's tradition of excellence is former Tar Heel great, Charlotte Smith-Taylor. You will remember her as MVP of UNC's 1994 national championship, coolly knocking down the game winner as time expired on the clock. Today, Smith-Taylor is employed as a UNC assistant coach.
Brown expressed clear admiration for her fellow alum.
"That's 'Big Time' right there. We call her 'Big Time,' and she gives us a lot of advice," remarked Brown. "I think it helps out having a former player here. Last year we had Sylvia Crawley. These former players have been here, played in the program and they know what it's all about. When it comes out of their mouth, we listen."
Mrs. Brown filled in the blanks on her daughter's relationship with head coach Sylvia Hatchell, describing it as very close and understanding. In her eyes, both coach and player appear to be on the same page in terms of their expectations for the ballclub. Brown expects extraordinary coaching, and Mrs. Brown believes that Hatchell provides that guidance for her child.
And with a lighthearted giggle that only familiarity can breed, Brown paid the ultimate young person's compliment to her coach:
"She's cool."
Cool is Brown's future post-graduation. She has a legitimate shot at making a career in the WNBA, following in the footsteps of her personal hero, Cynthia Cooper. Brown honored the former Houston Rocket, whom she met at the High School All-America game in 1999, by adopting the star's jersey number, 14, as her own at Carolina. And like Cooper, Brown has a soft spot for working with children and an inclination towards coaching, hoping to perhaps combine the two somewhere down the road.
"I think one of her best qualities is being positive, " said Kalesha. "She's very positive. And she likes to give encouragement to people and support them in whatever they're trying to do."
Her mother just wants her to find what she likes to do and be prosperous. Enjoy life. And teasing as only a parent can do, she mockingly entreats her daughter to "get a job and make your own money!"
Brown's going to have to do that if her tastes in clothing are any indication. During a November trip to Hawaii for the Rainbow Wahine Classic, Brown became a familiar face at the Armani store, according to the team's diary found on www.tarheelblue.com. Brown couldn't deny the allegation, but insisted she was just a "broke college student" with champagne wishes on a diet Coke budget.
"I went in there about every day," she admitted. "It was pretty bad."
But don't confuse her love of the finer things for a tale of the Emperor's new clothes. This royal representative of Carolina's court only wants to be remembered as a "nice, sweet young lady who works hard." Her mother described Brown's down-to-earth demeanor as "what you see is what you get."
Perhaps it's Brown's sense of humor that is most obvious after talking to her. Her unlimited supply of smiles is a dead-giveaway to the comedienne lurking beneath the surface. "She's a funny person," said Kalesha. "She likes to tell jokes and have fun."
Added Mrs. Brown, "There's lots of funny stories about Coretta, but I don't think she'd want me to put them in the press! Oh, she thinks she can sing. Yeah, she thinks she can sing."
Whether she's a Mariah Carey or an American Idol reject, Brown has found a way to belt out her presence on the court by making the nets sing with every successful three-pointer she launches.
And with the stateliness befitting a former homecoming queen, she continues to lead her team deeper into the season towards the ultimate winner-take-all contest.
This time, the final crown is one she'll proudly accept.
