February 1, 2006
DAVE BROWN BECOMES ALL-TIME
WINS LEADER AT SEWARD COUNTY C.C.
FOUR NCAA COACHING ICONS
DISCUSS BROWN’S LEADERSHIP AT SCCC

By: Scott Lacefield , Seward County C.C./Sports Information Director

Wednesday night, Seward County Community College Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Dave Brown became the college’s all-time wins leader in his 10th year as head coach. Brown won his 225th game at Seward County since taking over as head coach in 1996-1997, replacing former Saints head coach Dale Reed, who left the SCCC sideline with 224 wins in his career, the record that Brown currently broke.

Dave Brown

Brown and the Saints defeated Barton County Community College 72-57 in Liberal, to give Brown the most head coaching wins in Seward County Community College men’s basketball history.

Brown has proven his abilities as a head coach with not only winning basketball games at a high rate, but also producing some of the top talent in the NJCAA Region VI. Brown has coached four NJCAA All-Americans, five Jayhawk West Conference Most Valuable Players and 17 NJCAA All-Region VI selections. Additionally, Brown has coached over 40 players that have transferred from Seward County and played at NCAA Division I level programs.

After establishing a predominant basketball program in the 1990’s, Brown has been noticed by coaches at elite NCAA division-I universities who have recruited and coached Brown’s former players.

Four current NCAA Division I basketball coaches, Bobby Knight (Texas Tech University), Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State University), Bill Self (University of Kansas) and Billy Tubbs (Lamar University) took the time to give their perception of Dave Brown as a head coach and now becoming the all-time wins leader at Seward County Community College.

Hall of Fame Texas Tech Head Coach, Bobby Knight, who currently owns the most overall wins of any active NCAA coach (832 wins), recruited Devonne Giles, who played at Seward County for Coach Brown from 2001-2003, and was an NJCAA All-American in 2003 for the Saints.

Knight noticed the intangibles that Brown brought to his program not only as a basketball coach but as a mentor to his players.

“Clearly, Dave has been a positive, profound influence on the lives of his athletes,” Knight said, “What Dave has taught his athletes carried well beyond their time on the basketball floor.”

“Dave’s outstanding accomplishments are based on his experience as a coach and as a great leader.” Knight said.

In 1999-2000, Brown coached Melvin Sanders, one of the finest athletes to every come-out of Liberal, Kan. Sanders was an All Jayhawk West performer and an NJCAA All-Region VI selection for Coach Brown and the Saints in 2000. Oklahoma State University Head Coach, Eddie Sutton, traveled to Liberal while recruiting Sanders, who appeared to be the next up-and-coming talent that Sutton was determined to have in his program.

Sutton, a future coaching Hall of Famer, noticed the development Sanders underwent in his one season at Seward County while playing for Brown.

“Having recruited Melvin Sanders, he is living proof that when he arrived here ( Oklahoma State ) he understood the team concept and was very sound fundamentally,” said Sutton.

“I have always been impressed with how hard his (Brown’s) teams play and how he gets them to play as a team. I think a lot of Dave Brown . He is a really good coach and a good guy.” Sutton said.

Former Saints point guard, Tony Heard, played two seasons for Brown and helped lead the Saints to the NJCAA National Tournament in 1998, with a 35-3 overall record, marking the Saints second appearance ever and Brown’s first at the National Tournament. Heard graduated from Seward County C.C. and finished his college career at the University of Tulsa , while playing for current University of Kansas Head Coach, Bill Self.

Self coached Heard for two seasons at Tulsa , while the Golden Hurricanes set the school record for wins in a single-season (32 wins) and made an NCAA Tournament “Elite Eight” finish in 2000.

“Dave has always done a good job at Seward and it is certainly a great program from which we have successfully recruited players,” Self said. “Tony (Heard) may have been the toughest player I have ever coached. Tony was a pitbull that knew how to play hard and a big part of that is because he went to Seward County and played under Coach Brown.”

Another NCAA coaching legend that took notice of Brown and his team in 2000-2001 was Billy Tubbs, who at the time was head coach at Texas Christian University (TCU). Tubbs recruited and signed former Saints All-American, Jamal Brown, to play at TCU from 2001-2003.

Tubbs was impressed with not only Jamal but also Coach Brown, while seeing the type of person that Jamal was away from basketball and also the competitor he was on the court.

“Jamal was a guy who played really hard all the time, and that isn’t necessarily common,” Tubbs said.

“Coach Brown’s players are really loyal to him and his program. I think that says a lot about Coach Brown. His players really believe in him. Coach Brown does a great job making sure his players make their grades and do a good job of taking care of business in the classroom,” he said.

Tubbs also realizes the job Brown has done recruiting some of the top players not only in this state and region of the United States , but bringing in players from coast-to-coast to Seward County C.C.

“I think Dave Brown has done a miraculous job recruiting in a tough part of the country.” Tubbs said.

With Brown leading the Saints to another successful season (17-5 overall- No. 3 NJCAA ranking earlier this season), he will continue his journey as the head coach of Seward County, and not only look to keep amassing victories, but to also put young men on a path to successful lives on and off the basketball court.