Marcus Brown named 5A Coach of the Year
Coaches Association taps Blue Devils’ head coach for honor
WM School District Just two days after his team was declared co-state champions by the Arkansas Activities Association in the middle of the dreadful social distancing caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, West Memphis Blue Devil head coach Marcus Brown received more exciting news.
Brown was named the Coach of the Year by the Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association.
The Blue Devils (26-4) advanced to the Class 5A state championship game after three straight wins in Russellville the week of March 3-7. Then the pandemic shut down all public events in America, including the team's forthcoming March 14 showdown with Jacksonville for the state championship.
On Tuesday, the AAA announced that all Class 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A boys and girls basketball finalists would share the state championships.
Now, Brown has won his first coach of the year honor in just his third year as a head coach.
'I'm excited and I'm humbled all at the same time,' said Brown, who is 79-14 in three years on the job at his alma mater. 'I share the honor with all the kids and my staff as well as having Coach (Larry) Bray in my back pocket along with all the support staff.'
Brown's squad won their second 5A-East Conference championship in the last three years by going 13-1 in league play in 2019-20.
'I'm just real proud of the kids on my team,' said Brown, himself a Blue Devil standout from 1990-92. 'I'm a lot to put up with. Some people don't know the amount of preparation and the work the players put in. Plus, we hold our kids to a high academic standard, and that also takes a lot of work.'
The Blue Devils this season used a powerful inside attack, led by four-time allstate choice Chris Moore, along with the leadership in the backcourt from junior point guard Jordan Mitchell.
'I think the thing that set us apart from a lot of teams was our defense,' said Brown. 'We had a bunch of guys who bought in from the start the way we teach defense. Plus, our guys played hard in every game we played.'
Like the rest of America, life style has changed recently for the Blue Devil Boss, what with the social distancing from the pandemic.
'For me, I'm a home body anyway,' he said. 'I like being on the couch and watching TV and it's been great getting up in the morning and making breakfast for my family. It's been a good balance because I've been able to get some stuff done around the house that I probably wouldn't have been able to do. My wife (Raven) and I work well together.
'I've also watched some game tape from this past season and set my expectation level for the players we have coming back. But I miss seeing my players and the camaraderie we all share. Maybe I needed this break.'
Photo by Billy Woods
