Dwayne Brown Jr. has been instrumental in Aggies’ early success

Although Sam Merrill stole the show in the Aggies’ season opener when he put up 37 points, senior forward Dwayne Brown Jr. quietly had a good night as well. He was the only other Aggie in their match up with Montana State that scored in double digits, putting up 15 points.

Brown continued his scoring prowess on Friday night by tying a career high with 24 points, 19 coming in the first half alone. Brown also pulled down six rebounds which was good enough for third on the team. But efficiency was the key to his success tonight, shooting a remarkable 75% from the field going 9-12 and making all five of his free-throw attempts.

The Aggies went down early when Hartford came out and hit three consecutive three-point attempts to jump out to a 9-0 lead. A catalyst off the bench is exactly what they needed to turn things around and in came Brown with 16:36 left in the first half. This kick started a 14-3 run for the Aggies with Brown in the game. His impact was crucial to their success, and his versatility being able to play multiple positions was something that the Aggies needed when they got into early foul trouble.

Tim Carpenter

Towards the end of the first half, Utah State took forwards Quinn Taylor and Neemias Queta out after both grabbing their second fouls. This forced them to them to go with a small lineup and play Brown at the five position. This was probably Utah State’s most effective lineup as they scored 26 points to Hartford’s 14 to close out the half. This is where Brown really shined, scoring 19 points in the half. Playing the five, he was able to use his athleticism to blow past Hartford’s bigs and get to the hoop with ease.

Brown spoke about his ability to fill in where the team needs him.

“That’s a strong suit for me,” Brown said. “If bigs try to guard me I’m a lot quicker than them, and if a little person tries to guard me, even if they do try to cut me off I’m strong enough to get through them and finish at the top of the basket.”

Having to step in at the five, and being one of only two seniors on the team, Brown took up more of a leadership role with fellow senior Quinn Taylor being sent to the bench. Brown shared his thoughts on the mindset they have on the court when faced with adversity.

“I think we played well defensively, I think it all starts on defense,” he went on to say. “For us, as a team, we all talk about playing for each other.”

It didn’t take long into the second half for Brown to tie his career high. Just four minutes into the half he had already put back two offensive rebounds and a free-throw to take his total to 24 points. From that point on in the game, he only attempted one shot and never really looked like he was concerned about setting a new career high. Brown said he wasn’t aware of his statistical career night.

“Nah, I just go at people. It’s kinda like a hunger thing for me when I play basketball,” Brown said about his mindset. “It’s like I just wanna go at everyone I’m playing against. Nothing disrespectful, I just like being a competitor.”

Although he was the star of the first half for the Aggies, Brown wasn’t asked to do nearly as much in the second half for his team to see success. This was one of the Aggies real strengths in the game.

On a night where Sam Merrill only took seven shots for 14 points, Utah State relied heavily on their bench to carry them to victory, thanks in large part to the efforts of Brown.

While Brown has played like a starter, he said he enjoys being able to come off the bench for the team.

“Yeah I do actually, cause I can spark,” Brown said when asked if he likes his current sixth man role. “You know it’s fun, like if the team doesn’t start off well, I can come in with a spark.”

A spark indeed. Reaching 15 points is a feat he accomplished only six times last season, and he has now done it in back-to-back games to open up the season. The Aggies looked like a much more explosive team with Brown on the court, and especially when playing their small-ball lineup.

No matter what role Brown ends playing in the squad, he’s likely going to be a huge contributing factor this season and an important leader for a team with made up mostly of freshman and sophomores.

Twitter: @dren_sports