George Washington senior Charles Brown is a big reason why his team is off to an unbeaten 8–0 start, averaging 17 points per game this season. Brown scored 25 in Thursday’s 58–47 road win at Southern. BILL ACHUFF / FOR THE TIMES
Just like his shots on the basketball court, Charles Brown chooses his words carefully. The George Washington senior is a young man of few words, which is just fine for the Eagles, so long as Brown’s play on the hardwood continues to do all of his talking for him.
The Eagles are off to an unblemished 8–0 start to the 2014–15 season, and Brown, a 6-foot-6 combo guard-forward, is a big reason why. He’s averaging 17 points per game, and his overall length, combined with his ability to score from long range as well as at the rim, has turned him into a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
Just ask the South Philadelphia High School Rams, who found out firsthand on Tuesday just how big of a terror Brown can be to try and contain in Washington’s 58–47 Public League Division B road victory. He did a little bit of everything for the Eagles, scoring a game-high 25 points (7-for-13 shooting), along with six rebounds, three blocks and a crucial fourth-quarter steal after the Rams had turned a 15-point deficit into a one-point lead. Brown’s inside-outside game was on full display, as the lanky senior with a freakishly long wingspan connected on four of his five three-point attempts, interspersed around two ferocious dunks. Brown also made all four of his fourth-quarter free throws (GW went 7-for-8 as a team in the crucial final frame), displaying a cool head when it appeared the upset-minded Rams might be up to the task of dealing Washington its first loss.
“We’re really stepping it up,” Brown said of the Washington hoops program, which is showing that the school is no longer a football-only powerhouse. “A win like this gives us confidence. Whatever the defense was giving me, I was willing to take. We’re going to go very far, so long as we keep up the defensive intensity.”
The latter part of that last sentence is what makes Brown a dream to coach for third-year hoops coach John Creighton. In an era of high school basketball where defense is often discarded as an afterthought, Brown and his teammates love to work hard on that end of the court. They swarm the ball and disrupt the opposition’s shot-flow on nearly every possession, which explains why the Eagles are giving up just 37 points per game; and they’re not just beating cupcake opponents either, as Washington has already taken down St. Joseph’s Prep and Chester on the road (ending the latter’s 45-game home win streak), as well as Archbishop Ryan at home.
“We’re all defense, that’s it,” Brown said. “That’s how we got back into the game today. Defense is very important, especially for a player like me. Teams don’t like seeing long players up top. It disrupts their flow.”
Washington collected 12 steals against South Philly, none bigger than the pass Brown plucked away late in the fourth quarter. GW had just re-captured the lead, 46–45, after relinquishing it for the first time all game. Brown roamed near the top of the key and pounced on a lazy Southern pass, gliding toward the Rams’ basket for a sure-fire dunk; he was fouled instead, and calmly sunk both free throws. Washington never trailed again, pushing the Eagles to 3–0 in division play.
“We’ve really tried to explain to them that the effort you put in on defense will get you easy points,” Creighton said. “Having him up top at 6-foot-6 with his wingspan, he gets a ton of tipped balls. It disrupts the flow of their offense, and if someone else gets a steal, Charles is off and running. It goes back to the time and effort he and everyone else put in in the offseason, getting them to believe that defense can win games. Some days the shots won’t be falling, like they weren’t today in the third quarter when they got back into the game. Good defense keeps you in the game no matter what.”
In addition to Brown, Creighton has a host of experienced players that have positioned the Eagles as one of the favorites to win Division B. Northeast transfer Elmange Watson, who averaged 23 points per game last season, contributed nine points, while fellow seniors Asante Ali and Jerome Blume added 7 while mixing in strong defense. In two-plus seasons, Creighton, also the school’s boys lacrosse coach and a soccer assistant, is 37–16 overall; as a result, the Eagles are making some serious noise, as one set of recent rankings by pennlive.com had them ranked sixth in the entire state. With Brown playing the way he is and the rest of his teammates following suit, it’s not difficult to envision many more positive moments for Washington as the season rolls along.
“First and foremost, Charles takes pride in all aspects of his game,” Creighton said. “He’s very unselfish and doesn’t force shots; he has no problem giving the ball up if he’s not open. As long as we get the win, that’s what he believes is truly most important. He gives us a ton of versatility, and he’s just a pleasure to coach.”
When Brown strided to the line late in the fourth quarter with the outcome no longer in doubt, a South Philly fan said aloud in an exasperated tone, “He’s gonna make these; he’s college bound.” And while Brown hasn’t committed to a collegiate program just yet, more performances like the one he had on Thursday is sure to get the attention of recruiters.
“We’re just trying to stay consistent as a family,” Brown said. “That’s how we adapt and stay together on the floor. A win like this, it was fun. It gives us very strong confidence going forward.” ••
