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Warren Harding graduate has blossomed for Zips
By STEVE WILAJ
AKRON
Anita Brown could always score.
However, when she joined the Akron women’s basketball team out of Warren Harding in 2012, she was relegated to a different role — a minor backup gig as a freshman. As a sophomore she was averaging 7.5 ppg in 31 games off the bench while backing-up top scorer Hanna Luburgh.
“So last year [after Luburgh graduated], it was really just about getting a feel for the game,” said Brown, who averaged 18.8 ppg as a junior starter. “This year, it’s not just getting a feel for it, but owning it and being in control of my own game.”
Stemming from that mindset, Brown owns a scoring average of 21.9 ppg — to go along with eight rebounds per game — following her 19-point, 14-rebound performance in the Zips (6-5) win against Youngstown State on Monday.
The 5-foot-8 guard has scored 20-plus points in eight of Akron’s 11 games, including a season-high 32 points at Northern Kentucky on Saturday (four points shy of her career-high 36).
“I’m really happy with the way she’s been playing right now,” Akron head coach Jodi Kest said. “She has a lot of confidence and the kids and coach’s have a lot of confidence in her. She’s worked really hard over the last couple years to become the player we always knew she could become.”
For her strong junior season in which Akron went 22-9 and made the WNIT, Brown was named Second Team All-Mid-American Conference.
So far this year, she has amassed 1,000 career-points (currently 1,108), has been named MAC Player of the Week twice (for the weeks of Nov. 9-15 and Dec. 7-13) and sits 14th on the country’s list of top scorers.
Kest credits all the recent accolades to Brown’s hard work.
“She can take the ball to the basket, has a pull-up jump shot and has a 3-point jump shot — which is something she’s done a great job of developing over the last four years,” Kest said. “When she came here, she was a penetrator. Now she has a great pull-up jump shot. Now she can shoot the three. And as you can tell — her rebounding [against YSU] was outstanding — she can rebound with the best of them.”
Brown’s 14 rebounds against the Penguins marked a career-high.
While her scoring has been consistent since last season (she scored 20-plus in four straight games before YSU), the development of her overall game has been her main objective.
“I’ve been a scorer since high school, but I’m really trying to focus more on my passing and defense,” Brown said. “You know, the points will come — my teammates do a good job of getting me the ball and we do a good job of running our offense. So I’m trying to expand my role to not just offense, but defense and making my teammates better, too.”
Still, on Dec. 19 in Northern Kentucky, Brown simply did what she does best — but with the game on the line.
With the contest tied in overtime, the former Raider drained a jumper from the right wing as time expired to lift Akron to a 77-75 victory.
“Our team really just played hard and they gave me the ball for the last shot,” Brown said. “It was just a good execution of the play and, luckily, it went in.”
No doubt, Brown’s accolades are certainly more from talent than luck.
But even with all the individual accomplishments, she has one team goal on her mind as her Akron career winds down.
“Definitely you always want to win a championship going out,” Brown said. “I just want to continue to play each game hard like it’s my last game and hopefully win a ring at the end of the season.”