Friday, December 29, 2006

Lil' B comes up big vs. Poly

His first dribble of the game, off the opening tip, was a showy albeit nonchalant blur between his legs as he crossed over and danced his way up the floor.
His first shot a few seconds later, from about 20 feet out and directly in front of where Cal Poly head coach Kevin Bromley was sitting, slipped through the net without even thinking about grazing the rim on the way by.
Cal State Fullerton’s Bobby Brown, wearing socks that donned the NBA logo on each side, has the flashy game to go with the flashy name. And the 6-2 senior guard had it all going in Thursday night’s Big West Conference-opening win over the Mustangs.
A game-high 28 points. A game-high eight assists. Zero turnovers.
“L.B.,” as his coach Bob Burton calls him, “was absolutely terrific in all phases of the game.”
Yes, Burton and the Titans feel lucky to have “Little B” this season after testing the NBA Draft waters following his junior season. Brown later withdrew his name from the pool but not before working out for the Clippers and Lakers and attending a Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando.
His game has been evolving ever since.
When Brown wasn’t sinking five of his eight three-point attempts Thursday, the true-point-guard-in-the-making was tossing alley-oops to his high-flying forwards. When he wasn’t supplying the highlight-reel feeds, he was coming up with steals and uncontested throwdowns at the other end.
It’s just one game, but Brown has emerged as the frontrunner for Big West Player of the Year honors.
Then again, he might’ve won that earlier this month when he dropped a school-record 47 points in a game, hitting 11 threes in a win over Bethune-Cookman earlier this year.
“I’m just having fun out there, man,” Brown said. “Every time I go out there I’m having fun with my teammates because I’m playing with a bunch of guys I’ve grown up with. This is something I’ve been planning and wanting to happen for a long time.”

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