By Joanna Chadwick
Derby junior Addy Brown is in Alabama at the Adidas nationals, a huge tournament that college coaches frequent for recruiting.
But it’s just one stop of many this summer.
She’s still got a tournament in Georgia later this month, as well as another in Texas in August. She took unofficial visits to Drake, Missouri State, Oklahoma and Nebraska, and she plans to take more in the fall.
“It’s been crazy,” said Brown, who has 15 Division I offers, with the majority from Big 12 schools. “I don’t think I was expecting all this attention…. It’s every kid’s dream to be highly recruited, and all the hard work is paying off.”
Brown knew what to expect because she had watched her older sister, Kennedy, go through it. Kennedy Brown plays at Oregon State.
“Seeing her being on the phone with multiple coaches every night, all the mail… seeing that it’s exhausting,” Brown said. “It prepared me.”
But Brown’s recruiting has been different from her sister’s.
They’re two different players, there’s the transfer portal, there’s the extra year given to players due to Covid-19.
“That’s a struggle, a little bit of a challenge for everyone,” Brown said. “I’m enjoying the process, though, and you only get it once. I don’t want it to be a bad experience, and I have a positive look on everything.
“I’m not in a rush to make a decision.”
There’s plenty of pressure that comes with recruiting, including constantly being at the top of your game.
“It can definitely get to some people,” Brown said. “It’s important to play your best, especially in July. Everyone has bad games, but it’s how you respond. It’s more than how much you score; they want to see the little things.
“I always say that I want to control the controllables. If I can’t make a shot to save my life one game, I’ll do something else to stand out.”
Brown’s definitely got game. She’s a versatile player, which college coaches love.
“If I have a smaller player on me, I’ll take her inside and score,” Brown said. “If she’s bigger, I’ll take them out to shoot or go right past them. Playing multiple positions is key for me. I don’t have to be stuck in one position ever because I see the floor well and I pass well.”
