12 Essential Questions for. . . Coach Milan Brown |
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Posted 06/12/10 I am pleased that Coach Milan Brown graciously agreed to respond to the 12 Questions submitted on behalf of all CROSSPORTS posters (and indeed all fans of Holy Cross basketball). As you will see as you read through the questions and answers below, Coach Brown has given us a mixture of intelligence and humor, a pretty good dose of pride to be the custodian of our great basketball tradition, and some insight into how he will guide the Holy Cross basketball program into the future. Thank you, Coach Brown! Be assured that we will be supporting you every step of the way! Bill Cambria '69 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR . . . MILAN BROWN 1. Welcome to Holy Cross! Prior to learning of this opportunity, what was your “from-afar” impression of Holy Cross and its basketball tradition? Well, from the outside looking in, I didn’t know a lot but I knew HC was winning! I know Kevin Nickleberry and Andy Sachs, two of the assistants that have worked here. So, you always keep an eye on the guys that you know to see how they are doing. Both of those guys were a part of a championship team so I knew they were in a successful situation. Also, when I was an assistant with W&M we recruited Kevin Hamilton ‘06. I had a good relationship with him and his father so I always checked to see how he was doing from afar. I also know Lawrence Dixon ‘09 since he is from MD. So, I guess I would say those guys put Holy Cross on my radar screen and from what I could tell you knew their teams were good. 2. Looking ahead to the 2010-2011 season, you are undoubtedly eager to get started. What are the biggest challenges that you see? The biggest challenge will probably be that most of my guys are on their 3rd go- around of “how we are going to play?”. So, we need to be very good teachers of what we want and the guys need to be quick learners. The basketball terminology will be different as well as the points of emphasis. The quicker we can all get on the same page the better. I don’t want them to think about every move they make. How we are going to play needs to be 2nd nature to them so they can just react and make plays. Another challenge will be for me to find out what makes my guys tick. The more I know about who they are as people, the better I will be at pushing different buttons to get the best out of them. 3. The consensus among fans is that the team you have inherited has some talented and experienced players returning and a highly touted group of recruits. What are your impressions of the players and your expectations for this year’s team? I like this group! We have only been together for a short amount of time, but I like them. I had a chance to meet with everyone before classes were over and the vibe is good between us. They are bright, quality kids and seem very eager to get back to work. I like the pieces we have; it’s just a matter of trying to put them together in the right places. They want to be good and our staff wants to be good. Becoming a championship team is hard and sometimes painful, but I think we are all up for chasing that goal with everything we have inside of us. During this journey, I hope that we are also preparing them for life outside of the comfort of Holy Cross. The expectation can’t just be about winning on the court, I want them to win in life as well. 4. Many fans believe that Holy Cross has achieved success in recent years by stressing defense. What are your goals for the trademark(s) that will distinguish your Holy Cross teams? Yeah, we are going to hang our hat on the defensive end! We want to make it tough on teams to score on us. On the offensive end, we want execution and unselfishness. I want our team to be physically and mentally tough. I would go into more detail but, I don’t want to put the blueprint out just yet. I’m sure more than just HC fans will read this so let’s leave some people in the dark. Haha!
5. Recruiting always generates lots of discussion among Holy Cross fans. We will graduate three seniors after this season. What are your objectives for your initial recruiting class? We are looking to bring in a point guard and a post. With the 3rd spot, I think I’m going to go with a wing, but if a post pops up that we can’t turn down we would probably have to take him. This is a special class for me because it’s my 1st here @ HC. I need kids with a high level of talent and character. 6. What challenges do you anticipate as you face Patriot League players and coaches this year, and how will you use the non-conference portion of the schedule to prepare for league play? Our non-conference schedule is going to be tough but that’s good. We can find out who we are as a team and make the proper adjustments when we enter PL play. Now, we aren’t just using the non-conf as a warm-up, we are trying to win too! But we understand that the ultimate prize is the PL crown. The challenges in league play will be just getting used to other coaches’ and players’ tendencies. A lot a film work and the 1st trip through the league will be helpful. 7. As a former point guard, how do you anticipate using various combinations of the talented guards on the Holy Cross roster, and what factors do you use to determine how to combine backcourt players? I think the combinations will work themselves out in practice. I like for my point guard to shoulder a lot of the ball handling, but I know that a few of my wings are ok at handling the ball in a pinch. Sometimes you can tell that two or three guys just have a good feel for each other on the court. I will sometimes have a different combination back there depending on the situation. 8. In the last few seasons, Holy Cross has shown great dependence on its front court players. What factors are most important to you in using the big men? Well, I think that a post player’s toughness is huge – not only physically but mentally. Sometimes they have a thankless job, but if they don’t do their job, you will probably lose. We need them to win the paint. Rebounding, scoring, blocking shots, screening, preventing lay-ups, fighting on post defense… how many of these little battles our post can win in the paint will go a long way to us winning games. Now some of our post guys can step out and shoot. So, I think that can open the floor up for us at times and allow our guards to post as well. 9. Fans are constantly speculating on the importance of speed, athleticism, and shooting ability. In your view, how do you rate these attributes when evaluating players and potential recruits? Since I will push us to be very good on the defensive end, a player’s speed and athletic ability will be key. The more they have the more room we can cover. Shooters just allow you to have so much more space on the floor to run offense, which is huge. So, yeah, we would love to find as many really fast, athletic kids who can shoot the lights out as possible! Haha! We do look at how competitive a kid is and his basketball IQ. Sometimes those kids who just are relentless and refuse to give in are the ones you want. They may not be the fastest or jump the highest but somehow they just keep winning. A good mix of both could make a great team. 10. Holy Cross fans expect to win the Patriot League title this year. Who do you see as our principal contenders in the Patriot League in 2010-2011? I’m so new to the league it’s hard to say. I believe that you are the champ until somebody takes your crown from you, so I guess I would say Lehigh has to be #1. They have the P.O.Y. McCollum back so I’m sure they are ready. AU has their frontcourt back and a few transfers that should help them a lot. Bucknell and Lafayette look like they have enough talent back as well. You just never know but that’s my best guess. 11. What plans do you have to build support for Holy Cross basketball among the student body, alumni and greater Worcester community? I know that in the past our guys have been out in the community so I won’t change that. I will try to get out to a bunch of functions if time permits to talk about Holy Cross basketball. Obviously the best way to do it is to win! I hope that the product on the floor will get people talking positive about our program and make more people anxious to come out to support us. 12. Plans to renovate and upgrade the Hart Center are on hold due to the current economic circumstances. In your opinion, what are the most pressing needs with respect to facilities for the Holy Cross basketball program? Facilities are always a hot topic. Of course we would love a new arena; that’s what every team wants. In recruiting, sometimes what you have to show recruits can make or break the decision of a recruit. We are going to do some renovations to our film room, which is big. When the economy picks up I’m hoping we are 1st on the list for some more upgrades. Any alumni or HC fan sitting on some cash that wants to help with the Hart Center… call me! Bill, this wasn’t one of your questions but I just wanted to thank everyone so far for all of the support given to the program and my family. It’s been great and I really appreciate it. I love the passion and the history here at Holy Cross. We are looking forward to becoming a part of the proud tradition and will try to push the bar even higher. Your continued support during the good and rough times is greatly appreciated. I am very blessed and humbled by this opportunity to lead this program. I look forward to this season and let’s get the Hart Center jumping again!
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