Gage Johnson
Sports Editor
gjohnson17@murraystate.edu
Following a successful freshman season, sophomore guard Tevin Brown is looking to build on his scoring capabilities to become the primary scorer at the guard position for the Racers.
After being given redshirt status and sitting out a year, Brown joined the Murray State men’s basketball team and became the third option behind now Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Memphis Hustle guard Shaq Buchanan.
Brown certified himself as a threat from beyond the arc, while becoming a solid defensive anchor on the wings for the Racers. Brown led the team in three-point percentage (37.2%), drilling 90-242 threes.
His most impressive game of the season came against UT Martin, in which he scored 31 points, converting 9-for-14 threes to tie the Murray State single-game record.
Overall, Brown averaged 11.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.3 apg, while scoring in double figures in 18 games in his first season with the Racers.
His efforts earned him a spot on the Preseason All-OVC First Team alongside Murray State senior forward Darnell Cowart.
Along with many in the OVC, Head Coach Matt McMahon said he expects Brown to take a big jump this season and that his work in the offseason has him more than ready to do so.
“Without a doubt Tevin Brown has really separated himself from a consistency standpoint,” McMahon said. “He really impressed me last year, not just [with] his 12 points a game, but he was fantastic at the defensive end of the floor for us and was really a key piece to why our perimeter defense was so good. On top of that, he’s such a smart player—got a great basketball IQ—and he doesn’t make many mistakes out there on the court.”
Over the summer, the Racers made a trip to the Bahamas to play three exhibition games against the Bahamas Select, Commonwealth Bank Giants and Abaco Elite.
In those three games, Brown seemed to be taking that jump that McMahon wants from his sophomore guard.
“I think if you look especially at the production in the Bahamas you have to look at Tevin Brown,” McMahon said. “Down in the Bahamas he averaged 22 ppg in 22 minutes, shot the ball off the charts and really impacted the game at both ends of the floor. I expect him to continue that.”
Along with his abilities on the court, McMahon wanted Brown to take on the role of a leader on the team, and Brown has taken that challenge head on.
“[I’m] just being able to help bring the new guys along to what we have to get done,” Brown said. “Basically, just being a more vocal leader to everyone on the team.”
While Brown was labeled by many as a three-point shooter, his play and statistics show that he impacts the game tremendously on both ends of the floor.
“I take pride in that [defense] more than I do anything else,” Brown said. “I feel like I rebound pretty well and I’m pretty smart with the ball. I don’t have many turnovers, so me assisting in getting the ball to the right guys will definitely help [us this season].”
Murray State was predicted to place second in the Preseason OVC poll, but Brown and the team aren’t batting an eye at it.
“Preseason polls don’t really mean anything,” Brown said. “It’s just people putting together their thoughts. So, it just goes right over our heads. We just prepare the same way and play to win.”
At the end of the day, Brown and company are working toward a third-straight OVC Championship, in spite of polls that suggest otherwise for the upcoming season.
The Racers will look to grab their second win of the season when they take on Brescia University at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the CFSB Center.