An Experienced Hand : Brown Gives Ventura Leadership as Sophomore Guard

For a seemingly quiet fellow, Stephane Brown can say a mouthful. And with plenty of conviction.

“Ain’t no doubt in our minds that we are No. 1,” said Brown, captain of the Ventura College men’s basketball team. “A lot of people probably think we are arrogant, and I guess we are on the court. But off the court, we are different than that.”

Especially Brown.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard from Channel Islands High is the voice of experience and reason on a squad loaded with talent and high expectations.

The Pirates (35-1), the top-ranked team in California, will open play today in the eight-team junior college state championships that run through Saturday at the University of San Francisco. Ventura plays San Jose City (26-7) at 6 p.m. in a quarterfinal game.

Brown, 20, is the only Ventura starter who played in last season’s state championships and has been one of the main contributors to the team’s remarkable success the past two seasons. Ventura is 68-6 with Brown on the team.

But nobody who has seen him play would call him a chatterbox--at least not on the floor.

From the opening tip, Brown goes about his business without fanfare. He dishes off passes with precision--Brown averaged 6.2 assists during the regular season--and can burn an opponent with a quick left-handed jump shot that is difficult to defend. Brown also averages 4.0 rebounds.

“He’s a very tough kid and he plays very aggressive, especially defensively,” Moorpark Coach Al Nordquist said. “He’s a Division I player. He has the toughness to play at that level.”

Several Division I schools have noticed. The list of those recruiting Brown includes UCLA, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Cal State Fullerton, Oregon State and Texas Christian. But Brown, who carries a 3.0 grade-point average and hopes to pursue a career in sports broadcasting, says the future can wait. His job at Ventura isn’t finished.

“I’m telling all the young guys (teammates) that it’s not going to be easy,” Brown said of winning a state title. “Everybody is going to be after us. I’ve been telling them not to get down on themselves if they make a mistake.”

That kind of leadership was one of the qualities that impressed Philip Mathews, the Ventura coach, when he recruited Brown in high school. Mathews knew, like everyone else, how well Brown could shoot and pass and streak down the court. But Mathews was after the intangibles, and Brown possessed a valuable trait.

“He’s our team leader,” Mathews said. “He was one of the guys we had to have. It’s no coincidence we’ve won over 60 games with him in the lineup.”

Last season, Brown averaged 11.3 points and 2.8 assists in helping Ventura to the Western State Conference North Division title and a 33-5 record.

This season, Brown averaged 12.7 points during the regular season and was voted to the all-conference team. In a 111-83 victory over Rancho Santiago in the second round of the Southern California regionals, Brown scored 17 points. Three days later, he scored 16 in an 84-72 victory over Compton in a third-round game.

Brown says he chose Ventura for various reasons, but primarily for the school’s athletic and academic reputation.

“I like to go in practice against guys who are as good as me,” Brown said. “Another factor was Coach Mathews. He’s got a good academic track record.”

At Channel Islands, Brown averaged 21.4 points and was named the Marmonte League co-most valuable player his senior season. It was the only season he played with the Raiders after moving to Oxnard from his native Columbus, Ohio, to escape what he says was an unhealthy environment. He has been living with his grandmother, Christine Brown, since the summer of 1989.

“The atmosphere in Columbus was getting pretty bad,” said Brown, who has two brothers and a sister. “All my role models were starting to do other things, selling drugs and stuff like that. I was starting to get persuaded into the street life. My grandmother talked me into coming. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.

“My grandmother is my No. 1 supporter. She’s like a coach. She tells me what I’ve done wrong after games.”

Brown says his grandmother and an uncle will be in San Francisco to root for him and the Pirates, who are making their second consecutive appearance in the Final Eight. Ventura lost in the semifinals last season and Brown, who led the team with 38 points in two games, doesn’t want to go through such disappointment again.

“We were counting on winning state last year,” Brown said. “We struggled a little bit in the (Southern California) regionals. Some of the guys were unsure of themselves and we didn’t execute in the end. As long as we execute (this time), we probably should win.”