Battling Injuries and Setbacks, Eugene Brown Had Major Impact on Men’s Basketball in 2023-24
3/20/2024 1:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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The forward returned home and averaged 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in the blue & white
By: Tyler Gallo
In a perfect world, men's basketball forward Eugene Brown III would have appeared in all 33 games during 2023-24 and been a guiding hand through a tough non-conference schedule.
However, things aren't always perfect. Last season at Ohio State, Brown felt pain in his hip area, which he discovered to be a sports hernia, something he continued to battle as the season progressed.
"I had to play the five due to the situation we had at Ohio State, trying to guard people a lot bigger than me," Brown said. "That contributed to the overall finish of the season. It was tough dealing with that pain every day." Brown during his time at Ohio State
The competitor in Brown played through pain for the remainder of the Big Ten season and NCAA Tournament, opting for an offseason surgery, which Brown said helped, but didn't fully correct the issue.
"It fixed a problem that I had going on, but it wasn't going to clear the pain out entirely," he said. "Once I came back, and I was still kind of having those same pains and once I came here, it got worse. I was trying to figure out the best way to get through it."
During the offseason, Brown opted to pursue an expanded role and entered the transfer portal, landing at Georgia Southern, where that role was more defined. Brown started offseason workouts and preparation, but the pain continued.
He took part in a majority of the team's summer workouts and intrasquad matches, but some days were better than others in terms of pain management. The forward was in and out of practice and drills, until ultimately, he opted for a hernia surgery that would sideline him until the beginning of December.
For Brown, the hardest thing to do was watch from the sidelines. The team struggled to start the season, losing its first seven games in his absence.
"In college, you don't truly have an offseason or enough time to heal, and it frustrates you not being able to play with your guys," Brown said. "It was tough to have the leash put on me because that was around the time I was getting back on the court, and knowing me, I wanted to jump out there and play. The coaching staff and training staff kept a leash on me and how much I was doing."
What followed was a grueling rehab process, one that saw him in the training room every day during October and November. He credits the training staff for finally getting him in game shape.
"It was a lot of stretching, a lot of needles and a lot of everything to make sure I could be 100%," he said. "I was willing to do anything to make sure I could get back."
He finally did return in the team's home opener against Jacksonville on Dec. 2, getting the start and looking like he hadn't missed a beat, scoring 11 points and grabbing five rebounds in 20 minutes, showing the skills he would end up bringing down the stretch to the team.
That milestone meant the world to Brown.
"It felt great to be out there. It felt like the first time I was truly able to move around out there and be healthy and not have constant pain," he said. "Having that constant pain always stayed in the back of my head and affected me a little bit, but as the season went on, I got healthier and healthier."
It wasn't an immediate full return to the lineup, unfortunately. He suffered a setback after the North Florida game on Dec. 9, ultimately being shut down for the final three non-conference games.
It was a much-needed break, and while he still wasn't at full health by the time he returned in the conference opener against Southern Miss, he progressively got better each practice and game.
Asked to be a veteran leader in the locker room, Brown used his voice to guide a young roster through a demanding conference schedule that saw the team on the road for four of the first five games and out in Arkansas and Louisiana in the second week of the Sun Belt season.
"I was trying to bring that voice, especially watching summer workouts and seeing a lack of voice or control in the group. Coaches are going to do their thing, but you also need that on the court," Brown said. "On the great teams I've been a part of, there's always players that are leading the way in that regard. Once I got on the court, that solidified itself and I could have more of an impact."
While he may not have been in full health, the minutes increased and with it came some important performances. Whether it was his first 20-point game of his career at ULM or his 7-9 shooting effort at App. State, those small wins meant a lot to the forward.
"I was still hurting quite a bit during that ULM game," he said. "I had to let my habits and my instincts take over. Scoring 20 points and getting a good win was a huge confidence booster knowing that I wasn't 100%, but I was able to be effective."
One performance in particular really stood out to Brown. In the final road game of the season, the team traveled to take on conference power James Madison.
Sitting at 18 points and eight rebounds with eight minutes left, Brown admittedly was looking at the scoreboard late in the game and trying to get to ten rebounds while not affecting his performance - and he did, finishing with 21 and 10, and going 8-8 from the line, and snapping the team's 29-game drought without a double-double.
That game reinforced the entire rehab process for the Conyers native.
"I was playing freely that game, and definitely trying to force the rebounds late but still playing my game," he said. "If the ball came to me, I was going to get it."
Brown's presence on the roster was sorely needed as the team began to come together down the stretch. The team won three of four heading into the tournament, and Brown saw the change on the roster from the beginning of the season.
Stepping into that leadership role was exactly what the staff looked for in Brown as he brought his experience in March Madness and a tough conference over from his time as a Buckeye.
"When we first got here, it's never easy to come in as a new coach and set the culture with an entire team of new players," Brown said. "There are always [pros and cons] with that. Going through all that [adversity] early on in the season, especially with the tough schedule, that built us up. We were one of the teams in the conference that picked it up towards the end of the season."
The Eagles showed they could hang with the best of the best in the conference. Knocking off eight-seeded and pseudo-home team South Alabama in the first round, Georgia Southern matched up against Appalachian State, the regular season champion.
Despite trailing by ten at halftime, the Eagles stormed back to take a brief lead, but just ran out of gas in overtime, falling to the Mountaineers. The late-game performance by the team showed what could be coming in the next few seasons under head coach Charlie Henry.
"We weren't ready to lose," Brown said. "We had the energy and determination to do everything we could to get the win. While we came up short, I wasn't mad at the effort and how we fought. We all stepped up."
While the points may not have been there for Brown, he affected the box score in other ways, fighting for rebounds and assists, and also having two crucial steals in the last three minutes of the quarterfinal game to hold the lead.
He acknowledged the path they would have to take on their side of the bracket, noting they hadn't yet beaten several of the teams.
"I was just thinking of [the tournament] as a revenge tour, trying to get back at all the teams we lost to," he said. "I wasn't trying to focus on any stats in particular, I'm just trying to do anything I can to help us win. When it's 'survive and advance' at that point during tournament time, nothing else matters except a win or a loss."
While the team's season ended prematurely, the forward can say he had an impact on the roster this season.
