Sitting out the first month of the season due to a broken collarbone suffered while playing football, Marist’s Stephen Brown could not wait to get back on the basketball court.
While his teammates had success without him, Brown — a 6-foot-8 junior forward with offers from Illinois and Miami — knew he could make the RedHawks an elite team.
“The toughest part was seeing my guys on the court, watching them play the sport that I love,” Brown said. “It just hurt watching them play and knowing I couldn’t contribute.
“I bring a different energy to the team. We’ve all got energy and my team is great, but I wanted to bring more energy when I got back.”
Brown’s ability to be a difference maker was evident Tuesday night. He scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead host Marist to a 56-51 come-from-behind win over Brother Rice in the Battle of Pulaski in Chicago.
Adoni Vassilakis also scored 11 points, while Karson Thomas finished with 10 points and six rebounds for Marist (19-2), which beat the rival Crusaders for the first time since 2018. TJ Tate tallied seven points, Ryan Lawlor added six points and Marquis Vance chipped in with six points and seven rebounds.
The Citadel recruit Marcos Gonzales led Brother Rice (17-3) with 22 points and five rebounds. Jack Weigus scored 18 points on six 3-pointers and Caden Workman ended up with seven points and 11 rebounds.
Brown, who had three catches for 33 yards in Marist’s 34-27 overtime win over the Crusaders in football last fall, was thrilled to double up on Battle of Pulaski victories.
“It feels great,” Brown said. “I was really hoping to do it sometime in my high school career.”
Brother Rice started fast Tuesday, jumping to a 25-12 lead after one quarter. With the RedHawks down 33-23 at halftime, Brown helped them to start chipping away by scoring seven points in the third quarter.
The RedHawks turned it on in the fourth quarter and Brown delivered a huge momentum-shifting play when he blocked a shot to erase what looked like an easy layup for Brother Rice.
Marist coach Brian Hynes called it “the turning point of the game.”
“I think that got our crowd going,” Hynes said. “I haven’t coached many kids who could make that play. Stephen’s always going to be the best athlete on the court.”
Thomas, playing in the rivalry game for the first time after transferring from Lincoln-Way East, was perfect on four free-throw attempts in the final 18 seconds to seal the win.
“It’s very loud in here,” Thomas said. “I didn’t even try to think about the crowd. I just tried to focus on trying to win the game for the team and for the whole school.”
Brown’s return has the RedHawks feeling like they can beat anybody.
“It’s awesome having him back,” Vassilakis said. “His length, blocking shots, he can hit shots. You notice when he’s on the court. He makes a big difference.
“You could tell when he was out how badly he wanted to be back, but he knew he had to trust the process and he’d be back in due time.”
Brown returned just before Christmas. He said he’s playing at “around 85%” but feels ready to showcase a new set of skills.
“I feel like I’ve developed my game,” Brown said. “I’m more of a player than just a scorer. I know what I can do on the court and I know I can make plays for others.”
Hynes has seen that as well. While Brown needed some time to get back in sync, things are clicking now.
“It’s taken him a little bit of time because he hadn’t really played basketball in four or five months,” Hynes said. “I think when you have those injuries, mentally you still worry that you’re going to get hurt again.
“The last two weeks we’ve noticed that it feels like Stephen Brown is back.”
