It was a rare Wednesday night to relax for Lovett senior point guard Jenna Brown on Jan. 17 when she decided to sit down and watch television.
Suddenly, the 5-foot, 10-inch daughter of Matt and Sophie Brown remembered the McDonald’s All-American Game basketball rosters were going to be announced that evening for the March 28 contest at Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta. So she tuned in to see if she might know anyone from Georgia on the squad, and she certainly did, herself.
The Lady Lions’ leading scorer, averaging 25 points and nine rebounds a game for head coach Liz Kennedy’s club, had made the All-American Game roster for the East squad along with one other high school player from the state, ...from Winder-Barrow High School in Winder.
“I had always dreamed of playing in the McDonald’s All-American Game, and I honestly still don’t know who nominated me,” Brown said, adding it was a tremendous honor and something she had hoped to do before she left high school.
Although her main goal is to help lead the Lady Lions to the state Class 3A basketball championship after an injury kept her out of the state tournament last year when the team was eliminated in the first round of state, Brown said being name to the All-America team is something special.
In addition to committing to play college basketball at Stanford University in California, her third goal in her senior year remains: bringing home to Lovett a state title.
“Now, as we enter region play heading toward tournament time, I want to win the state title for Lovett, which would make my senior year truly great,” she said.
Thus far this season, the Lady Lions (16-4 overall, 10-0 Region 5-3A) have been a dominant force on the court as the team entered last Friday’s game at Pace Academy atop the region standings.
Kennedy did not mince words when describing Brown, saying that despite her high point and rebound totals, she brings experience to the squad and another element the coach said is even more important.
“Her work ethic is absolutely great, and has really rubbed off on our team,” Kennedy said. “The level of play, hustle and enthusiasm Jenna brings to our team has been outstanding, as it has had a positive effect on our team.”
Being nominated to the All-America team is only the first hurdle those selected to the squad must achieve as they must survive four additional selection rounds.
According to the McDonald’s All-America team website, from 900 to 1,200 girls from throughout the country are nominated for the team.
After a verification process in which the staff of Sports America contacts each player’s high school in order to confirm with the coach or athletic director that the nominee is indeed an eligible senior, the selection process begins. The players nominated and deemed eligible then go through the other selection rounds.
Having made the team, Brown said she wants to play her best on offense and defense in that game, and is glad the game will be in Atlanta so her family and friends can attend it.
Brown received more than 50 basketball scholarship offers from colleges throughout the country but committed to Stanford. She said it was the best fit for her academically and athletically. Stanford’s success in women’s basketball, a program that has won two national titles and has appeared in the Final Four 13 times, also drew her to the school.
The work ethic Brown brings to the basketball court carries over to the classroom, where she has an average of 101 on Lovett’s 100-point scale and her favorite subject is economics.
“I have always found economics to be interesting, and it plays such an important role in the continued development and prosperity of anything, whether it (is) a small business or a country,” she said.
In her free time, Brown enjoys being with her friends and family, and said they have been a cornerstone of her development and success on and off the court.
“I also like to read and draw. I find it very relaxing to read, and I enjoy the freedom of creativity that drawing allows me,” she said.
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