Elijah Brown gets it. He understands who he is and how people will react.
St. Edward sophomore Elijah Brown often hears mean chants from opposing fans about his father, former Cavs coach Mike Brown. - (Joshua Gunter l PD)
Elijah Brown gets it.
He understands who he is and how people will react.
He realizes people can be rude and cruel and even downright mean. And he understands there is little he can do except let his actions speak louder than the voices in the stands.
Athletes play through physical injuries, and Brown, the oldest son of former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, accepts that he will have to play through injuries that are emotional as well.
"People are going to talk, they are going to say things and try to get inside my head," said Elijah Brown, who has developed into a starting shooting guard this winter as a sophomore at St. Edward and is one of a handful of area boys basketball players with family ties to the NBA. "My dad and I have talked. There is nothing I can do to control what people are going to say. I only have control over what I can do."
The taunts and barbs are frequent, especially at big games. Most are digs against his father, dismissed as coach of the Cavs last summer after leading them to a 272-138 record -- the highest winning percentage of any coach in team history -- and five trips to the playoffs in five seasons.
"Who's your daddy? He got fired."
That was chanted in the regular-season finale last Saturday at Mentor, where the Eagles outlasted the home team, 108-105, in an epic game in which Brown -- on his 16th birthday -- led St. Edward with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
"San Antonio, San Antonio."
That was the catchphrase earlier this year at St. Ignatius, a reference to Mike Brown being rumored as returning to the Spurs.
"Where ya gonna go? Where ya gonna go? Indiana, Indiana."
Another time, another gym. Same-old story. And those were some of the mild ones.
Through it all, Elijah never reveals his emotions. The expression on his face never changes. Again, he gets it. Basketball is a business, even at the high school level, and to succeed, a player has to take care of business.
"He's always been on an even keel," said his father, sitting in the balcony level of the bleachers at St. Edward, which is where you usually can find the former coach when the Eagles practice. "We've talked. He understands."
Elijah Brown, who stands 6-3, is averaging 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists against 2.6 turnovers per game. He is shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers, 44 percent on 2-point attempts and 73 percent from the free-throw line.
On the move?
Elijah Brown's biggest fear following his father's dismissal was the family would be forced to move and he did not want to leave the school.
"At first, it was very tough," he said. "I was never worried that my dad wouldn't get another job because he had great success here. My fear was that he would get hired right away and we would have to leave town, and I don't want to leave. I love it here. And my dad has always said he would try his best to keep us here, whatever it takes, as long as I do my part. But, I really try not to think about it."
Elijah Brown said he uses the taunts as motivation.
"It's like, I've heard it all. There isn't anything else anyone can say," he said. "Actually, I use it as a motivator. I love it any time people are against me and our team. But, I know it's all talk. It doesn't hurt me. People are going to say whatever they want. It adds fuel to my fire. And it makes our team play above the level of our competition."
Make no mistake. Elijah Brown is a competitor and said he loves a challenge. That's evident when he plays and during practice. And it's seen through his work ethic.
"He is very competitive," said St. Edward coach Eric Flannery, whose team is 15-5 and ranked second in The Plain Dealer Top 25 poll. While the Northeast Ohio boys basketball playoffs begin Saturday, the top-seeded Eagles received a first-round bye at the Division I sectional/district tournament at Brecksville and will play the John Marshall/Parma winner on March 4.
"If someone competes with him and pushes him in practice, he gives it right back. And as a coach, you love to see that."
In order to prove to his father he is willing to do his part, Elijah is out of bed every day at 5:30 a.m. and heads from the family home in Westlake to a nearby recreation center, where he works out with Kyle Triggs, an assistant coach at Walsh University, before heading to school.
"The only times we don't let him go is if he was up too late the night before doing homework, if he is sick or if school has been canceled," his father said of the routine that began last summer. "To Elijah, not going to the gym is like a punishment. And he gives you that teenager's look, like, 'What, how come?' "
Mature decisions
It wasn't until last summer that the younger Brown made a commitment to becoming a better player. That came after he had failed to earn a starting spot and saw limited playing time as a freshman.
"His freshman year here was tough for him," his father said. "He had never sat before. He got frustrated. But I think it taught him a life lesson. I think he realized that if you want to succeed, you have to go to work. More than anything, that has fueled the season he is having."
So, too, has maturity.
"He has become very mature," said Flannery. "He has a presence about him. Given his circumstance, he handles himself very well. He is the only one who knows what he hears. But I hear it, and I have to say he handles himself very well, extremely well.
"What helps is that Elijah sees Mike only as his dad, not as a coach, and that's as far as he takes it. That's a sign of maturity."
When Mike Brown was away from home so much, he hired someone to film the Eagles' games so he could evaluate his son's play.
"Elijah has 100 times the skill I had," he said. "I was a grinder. He didn't like watching those tapes. We butted heads. Finally, I realized I had to back off. I had to separate between being a dad and being a coach. There were times when Elijah preferred to ride home with his mother instead of me after games. He got tired of listening to what I had to say."
That's why these days, Brown sits quietly in the balcony at St. Edward practices. He greets everyone -- player, coach, administrator, student trainer -- with a smile, a handshake and a hug. Other than that, he sits and watches. His dedication to attending practice is such that when ESPN's Jim Rome wanted him as a guest last week on "Jim Rome is Burning," Brown agreed only if the show was shot at St. Edward because that's where he was going to be.
"The show and practice run about the same time," he said. "I wasn't going to miss practice. They agreed, and they were great about it. And it was nice that we were able to get a little publicity for the school and the basketball team."
The right choice
Brown, who rarely misses a game, hears the taunts directed at his son and admits it was a concern.
"It wasn't so bad when I was still coaching," he said. "But this season, it was. My wife [Carolyn] and I talked about it. Nobody wants to see their children go through that. On the day I was fired, there were TV crews and news people outside our home. I thought it might be time for us to leave town."
Brown's understanding of his son's happiness changed his mind.
"He really likes it here, he seems to get along with everyone and he loves the basketball," he said. "I love the culture of this school. Two weeks into his freshman year, they had a pep rally for the football team that day at school. He came home all pumped up. He was excited. He said he loved it here. That's when we knew we had made the right choice."
It could change.
"Elijah understands there may come a time when we have to leave," Mike Brown said. "My wife's twin sister lives in Texas. I have family in Texas. But, I have told the boys that we will make every effort to stay here as long as we can."
Their other son, Cameron, is an eighth-grader at Burneson Middle School in Westlake. Unlike his older brother, Cameron is into football.
So, is having a former NBA coach as your dad a plus or minus?
"I'd say it's a plus for the most part," said Elijah, who speaks softly and chooses his words carefully. "Sometimes, though, he's just in my ear constantly. He obviously says the right things because he knows what he's talking about. But, sometimes it's hard hearing the same voice over and over and over again. It gets repetitive. But, I wouldn't trade it for anything because of all the experiences I've had and all the knowledge he's given me."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: trogers@plaind.com, 216-999-5169
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