Freshman point guard Gary Browne continues to make more and more of an impact every game. On Saturday, Browne hit one of the biggest shots of his young career making a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to tie the game against Cincinnati.
Over the weekend, Browne’s high school, Arlington Country Day, was in town to take part in the Remember the Miners Mountaineer Showcase. ACD head coach Rex Morgan had a chance to catch up with Browne and said he’s very proud of what his former point guard has accomplished at WVU.
“It’s just wonderful to see him making it,” said Morgan. “I think he told me he got a 3.0 GPA so he’s doing good in the classroom. That’s important.”
((Below is an interview with ACD Head Coach Rex Morgan))
Browne was the last freshman to commit to the 2011 recruiting class and signed with WVU during the late signing period. Even though he was the last freshman to sign his letter of intent, he hasn’t lacked any effort this season, and Morgan says that does not surprise him at all.
“I knew that Gary was going to work hard and he was going to be one of the hardest workers there,” said Morgan. “He’s got a great attitude and I knew everybody on campus was going to like him. He’s just a very personable kid.”
“He brings a lot of energy and I think he’s doing an excellent job on the boards,” said Morgan. “I think he’s one of the better rebounders WVU has.”
Browne has averaged 23 minutes per game and leads all freshmen in rebounding with 4.1 rebounds per game. He has been very productive for WVU and one of the things that amazes Morgan is Browne has done all of this while still learning the point guard position.
“He played point for me and what people don’t realize is that was the first time [point guard],” explained Morgan. “He’s playing the point and he’s been a shooting guard all of his life. I think he’s making the adjustment and I know coach Huggins is working well with him.”
The minutes Browne is getting has surprised Morgan the most. He knew Browne would get some playing time, but he didn’t think he would make the talented freshman would play this much so early in his career.
“They’ve got a lot of young kids so I knew that somebody was going to play for them and I was hoping Gary would get minutes,” said Morgan. “But did I think he would play 32 [minutes] against Marshall? No I didn’t think he’d get that many minutes.”
“If your getting minutes as a freshman with coach Huggins you’re doing OK.”