As Ryan Brown tried to crack Waukegan’s rotation this season, the odds seemed stacked against him.
The 6-foot-3 senior guard/forward had transferred from Homewood-Flossmoor, where he didn’t even play basketball last season, and the Bulldogs were loaded with veterans who had won 41 games and a North Suburban Conference title over the previous two years.
“I was overthinking it at first,” Brown said. “Being around good players and not knowing each other very well got in my head. I needed to let my game find me instead of forcing it.”
But as the regular season winds down, Brown is starting for the Bulldogs (20-7, 9-3), who are in second place behind Warren in the North Suburban Conference. Regionals begin in less than two weeks.
“I feel like right now I’m starting to play my best ball,” he said.
Brown, who made his varsity debut as a sophomore at South Elgin, points to a nonconference loss to Oswego East on Dec. 20 as a turning point. Waukegan began its successful defense of the Elgin Holiday Tournament two days later.
“I remember hitting some shots and helping us try to come back,” Brown said. “I felt really comfortable that game playing with the guys.”
Brown’s teammates believed that time would come.
“At the beginning of the year, he probably had a lot on his mind,” Waukegan senior wing Simereon Carter said. “But he’s improved a lot. He’s been great. He comes in and gives energy and does all the stuff we need to win.”
Brown, who has also overcome a sprained ankle this season, embraces that role.
“Whatever helps the team win, that’s what I’m here for,” he said. “The main focus is helping us make a run, not on individual stuff. At the beginning of the season, I had to find my own groove and get acclimated back to varsity basketball. It took awhile, but once it clicked, everything’s been smooth.”
Waukegan coach Ron Ashlaw hoped Brown would have that kind of effect.
“We were looking for some smoothness and fluidity in our offense, and we came to the conclusion that he’s a guy who helps provide that,” Ashlaw said. “He’s a guy who makes sure the ball doesn’t stick in his hands. He either shoots it or keeps the ball moving. Sometimes you need a guy out there to keep it flowing.”
Brown recognizes how he helps make the Bulldogs’ offense operate at its highest level.
“We have some scorers who can go off for a lot of points,” he said. “When we’re running offense, sometimes my good shot can be a great shot for someone else. Whoever has the hot hand needs to get the ball.”
But Brown is more than capable of putting the ball in the basket. Over the five games before Waukegan’s conference win over Mundelein on Tuesday, Brown shot 65.8% overall and 43.8% from 3-point range. During the same span, he averaged 2.8 rebounds and 3.2 steals and deflections combined.
Brown couldn’t have asked for more.
“Things at Waukegan have been pretty cool,” he said. “The coaches made it easy on me at school the first couple of weeks, and my basketball teammates really helped out. I was just excited to hopefully be a part of a team with a winning atmosphere where people take winning seriously.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
