Hawken guard is LEC bound

Hawken senior point guard Hugh Brown verbally committed to Lake Erie College, a decision Brown announced on Twitter on Nov. 22.

Brown made his decision based on his relationship with new Storm coach Kyle Conley after he was recruited over the summer.

“When I went to his camp, I instantly felt the connection between me and him and the guys on the team,” Brown said. “I sat down with him during my visit to Lake Erie and he was telling me about his philosophy, how he expects his guys to play at the level and how he prepares his guys.”

Brown averaged 14.8 points and 3.3 assists per game for the Hawks as a junior. Brown earned honorable mention honors among the area’s 2016-17 all-stars. He helped lead Hawken to a Division II Ashtabula District semifinal, where the Hawks lost to Lake Catholic in overtime.

Brown also had interest from John Carroll, Notre Dame College, Walsh, Findlay and Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla. Brown brings a savvy game to Lake Erie, and is a player willing to pass up a good shot for himself to create a better chance for a teammate.

“I hope I can be a guy that’s counted upon by Coach Conley,” Brown said. “I hope that I can get his confidence to put me in the game whenever he needs someone to bring the ball up or someone to make a crucial play, or to create plays for other guys.”

Lake Erie competes in D-II and is a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Storm has started its 2017-18 season 3-4.

Hawken coach Shawn McGregor said Brown’s work ethic and passion helped him earn the opportunity to play college basketball.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him for setting his goals and putting in the work necessary to accomplish those goals,” McGregor said. “He’s a gym rat, obsessed with improving himself day in and day out as a basketball player, and with his high basketball IQ he’s as good as any guard in Northeast Ohio, in my opinion.”

In the meantime, Brown hopes to lead Hawken back to the district level.

“I hope we can make another run like that,” Brown said. “I feel like we’re young in terms of guys who have experienced varsity, but I feel like at the same time we have guys who can make plays and we have a lot of talent, similar to last year.”