LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When we’d last seen Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr., he was on the court in an empty KFC Yum! Center, working through things one shot at a time after a 2-for-12 performance in an exhibition loss to Kansas.
Next time out, he didn’t need the overtime session.
Instead of firing a three five seconds into the game — as he did against Kansas — Brown floated a lob to Sananda Fru for the opening basket. It was a small statement But a telling one.
From there, he let the game come to him, and then let it fly.
Brown hit 8 of 11 threes, scored 28 points and handed out a team-high six assists in Louisville’s 99-76 exhibition win over Bucknell.
The Cardinals made 23 threes as a team and moved the ball like they’d been playing together for more than two games.
It wasn’t just shot-making. It was shot-creating. Drive, kick, skip, swish. Repeat.
“You’ve got to continue to get better.”
Brown was reflective afterward, not rattled.
Louisville's Mikel Brown dishes out one of his team-high six assists in an exhibition win over Bucknell.
“Obviously, I didn't play to my standards and the team standards, looking back at it,” he said. “But I think it was kind of needed just because it shifted my mindset back into, ‘You’ve got to continue to get better.’ Those days are going to happen in this in this game, and and my teammates just kept instilling confidence in me and kept telling me to be myself.”
He said the film showed him what he already suspected — he wasn’t getting into the paint enough. He wasn’t putting pressure on the defense. And he wasn’t setting the table early for his teammates.
“I got to be able to touch the paint and make plays for my teammates,” he said. “And making plays for them kind of gets me in a rhythm.”
“That cat didn’t blink an eye.”
Louisville coach Pat Kelsey knew it wouldn’t take long.
“That kid is way beyond his years in terms of maturity,” he said. “Unbelievably hard working… detailed in every bit of his life and his game. And I've told you guys what a phenomenal teammate, human being he is as well. So I mean, that cat didn't blink an eye.”
Brown wanted to stay and shoot after the Kansas game. Kelsey told him to shake it off.
“There’s diminishing returns at some point,” Kelsey said. “Make sure you get some sleep. Get something to eat. But that’s just his mentality. He’s wired that way.”
And Tuesday, so was the scoreboard. Brown was dialed in, not just shooting, but sharing. Not just scoring, but steering.
It’s early. But in two exhibition games, we’ve seen both sides of a freshman learning curve. And it’s instructive that Brown didn’t run from either one.
Quick sips
CONTROLLED CHAOS: Kelsey gave some insight into the offensive “randomness” that led to what would have been a school-record 23 three-pointers had Tuesday’s game been in the regular season. Read it here.
HOOSIER HALLOWEEN: No. 2-ranked Indiana is back at it Saturday at Maryland. The Hoosiers are projected as the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoffs by USA Today, awaiting the winner of Georgia Tech-Oregon in the Cotton Bowl. Don’t expect Curt Cignetti to allow is team to look ahead. Read more here.
The Last Drop
“All of it was the little things. The 50-50 balls. We were doing our job offensive rebounding and getting extra shots. Obviously, they didn’t go in the basket. But looking back at it, I think we honestly beat ourselves, in a sense, not playing to our standard. And that showed us, he showed us that on film constantly, and we learned from it.”
Mikel Brown Jr., on Louisville’s loss to Kansas
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