It all happened so quickly. Then again, everything happens quickly for them.
One steal became two. Two turned to eight. Eight multiplied to 16. By the time the game was over, Proviso East’s quick-as-a-blink backcourt of Daniel “Dee” Brown, Charles Richardson and Shannon Brown had recorded 13 of the team’s 22 steals, helped force 31 turnovers and held Larkin to 18 points, a record low in the 40 years of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.
“We get spurts on defense just like we get spurts on offense,” Shannon Brown said. “Once we get one steal …”
Indeed, turnovers can snowball when Dee Brown, arguably the Chicago area’s quickest guard, is zipping around the court. Add in Richardson, a relentless ballhawk who’s equally as quick, and Shannon Brown, with his long arms and swift feet, and opposing ballhandlers are in for a long game.
They’re so natural, so explosive that it’s easy to forget they’re only two sophomores and a junior. Despite their youth, Dee and Shannon Brown (no relation) and Richardson provide the jet fuel that helps the 20th-ranked Pirates take flight. They are the reasons Proviso East (9-3) is again talking about going Downstate–where it hasn’t been since 1993.
“I think we have the best defense in the state,” said Dee Brown, a junior who was the first player in the school’s storied history to start as a freshman. “People forget how young we are. Me, Shannon and Charles do 75 percent of our scoring, and we’re all coming back. That’s pretty scary.”
Even scarier is that the guards are still in the embryonic stages of playing together, not to mention Shannon Brown and Richardson are just learning to compete on the varsity level.
But what they lack in experience–and size (Richardson checks in at 5 feet 7 inches, 135 pounds; Dee Brown is 5-11, 140, and Shannon Brown 6-2, 140)–they make up for with their speed, darting hands and steady heads.
In 12 games Dee Brown has 62 steals, Richardson 49 and Shannon Brown 29, combining for 133 of the team’s 168 thefts. Following their first-round Proviso West tournament victory over Larkin, the Pirates forced 22 turnovers and held a solid Schaumburg squad to two third-quarter points en route to a 77-56 win.
“We’re going to come at you,” said Pirates coach Andrew Johnson, whose team typically employs a strict man-to-man trapping defense. “We’re going to play the way we play.”
That’s not to say the style of play always works.
Earlier in the season, New Trier didn’t make the mistake of trying to dribble through Proviso East’s vortex defense and scored a 73-63 victory. At Proviso West the Farragut backcourt turned the tables as the Pirates lost in the semifinals before falling to Evanston in the third-place game.
Johnson said his team, which has only four seniors, showed its age at the Proviso West tournament.
“It’s good to have them out there but you have to be patient with them,” he said. “They’re only sophomores and they will have more bad times.”
Even so there have been more good times than bad.
It all starts with Dee Brown, who is being recruited by Illinois, Michigan State, DePaul and Seton Hall, to name a few. The electric playmaker is averaging 19 points, seven assists and 5.6 rebounds. He leads the team in offensive boards.
“With the ball I don’t think there’s anybody faster than Dee Brown,” Johnson said. “He’s not going to get caught unless he’s tired. He’s a flat-out burner.”
Richardson will be the first to tell you, however, that he not only can keep up with Brown, but he can tire him out as he has done with many point guards this season.
“Defensive-wise, I’m quicker, but on offense, Dee’s quicker,” said Richardson, who’s averaging eight points and 4.2 assists. “I tire him out most of the time, but he’s getting better. His skills on offense allow me to better myself on defense.”
“Charles is a college coach’s dream,” Dee Brown said. “He pressures you for 90 feet the whole game.”
Shannon Brown is a gifted scorer. By the time he’s a senior, he may be one of Proviso East’s most prolific offensive players. With a smooth jump shot and obvious athletic ability, Shannon is averaging 14 points and 4.3 rebounds a game.
“His explosiveness reminds me of [former Proviso East guard and NBA veteran] Glenn Rivers,” Johnson said. “He has a body like Glenn–he’s all legs and arms.”
Dee Brown has been impressed with the play of his sophomore teammates.
“Looking at Shannon and Charles, they’re two of the best sophomores in the state,” he said.
“These young guys are something special.”
As they have done on the court, the sophomores have taken Dee Brown’s lead in the classroom as well. Richardson holds a 4.0 grade-point average and Dee Brown has a 3.5. Shannon Brown maintains a 3.2.
Johnson believes their academic success has helped them adjust more quickly on the court.
“Because of our skills on the court, people think we play like seniors because of our court sense,” Richardson said. “By the time we’re seniors, no one will be able to guard us.”
The more pressing issue at the moment for opposing teams is how the Proviso trio guards them. Dee Brown has some advice.
“The whole week in practice,” he said, “you’d better work 30 minutes extra on your ballhandling.”
