HEMLOCK, MI – One look at Chad Brown suggests he’s a basketball player.
But not too many people see a point guard.
But, as of now, that’s what he is.
Brown made an unexpected move from post to point guard and, in his first game directing the attack, sparked the Hemlock boys basketball team to a much-needed 61-35 win over Ithaca.
That was just part of a memorable week for Brown, who was also voted MLive Saginaw Athlete of the Week. He attracted 53.6 percent of the 18,300 ballots cast in the online poll, topping runner-up Halen McLaughlin of the Sanford Meridian girls basketball team at 27.8 percent.
Expect even bigger things going forward from Brown, a three-sport standout who has already become a focal point of the Hemlock football, baseball and basketball programs as a sophomore.
Standing a lanky 6-foot-6, Brown is taller than most centers in the high school hoops game. So it has been no stretch for him to play in the post for the Huskies.
But after a rough start to the season for his team, coach Matt Bauer made a unique move, putting the ball in the hands of his big man at point guard.
“I sent him a message a couple days ago, saying I was excited about the move for him,” Bauer said. “He reiterated that and said ‘I know I’m not a prototypical point guard and I’m going to make mistakes. But when the ball is in my hands, I always see someone open.’
“And, sure enough, one of our first possessions, he saw a guy cutting on the backside and hit him for a layup.”
Brown, who earned an instant varsity callup as a freshman and contributed about 6.5 points per game, had been having a productive season in the post as a 10th grader. He was averaging about 13 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, but his team wasn’t enjoying much success.
Hemlock won just two of its first 10 games and Bauer said turnovers have been at the root of the issue. So he made the decision to move his best ballhandler – regardless of size and position – to the point.
“He played in the post mainly out of need,” Bauer said. “I like to have him around the basket. He’s good with his back to the basket, plus he’s really big. But he’s our best ballhandler, too. This is a good move for us.”
The shift reaped instant success as Hemlock rolled past Ithaca while turning the ball over just six times.
As quarterback of the football team and pitcher for the baseball team, Brown is accustomed to handling crucial responsibilities. And, now, the ball is in his hands for hoops as well.
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