Basketball: Rogers High senior Brown has tireless work ethic

Samantha Brown, Rogers senior, shoots Wednesday against Siloam Springs at Panther Gymnasium in Siloam Springs.
Samantha Brown, Rogers senior, shoots Wednesday against Siloam Springs at Panther Gymnasium in Siloam Springs.

ROGERS -- Samantha Brown leads a busy life, even for a high school student.

When school ends each day, the Rogers High senior heads off to basketball practice for a couple of hours. When practice is done, Brown is usually one of the last to leave King Arena as she cleans up the gym and Lady Mounties locker room.

Samantha Brown

SCHOOL Rogers High

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 5-7

POSITION Forward

NOTABLE Only senior on the Lady Mounties’ roster. … Averaging 6.6 points a game and is the team’s third-leading rebounder. … Has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, and is questionable for tonight’s game.

On The Web

For more on Samantha Brown’s story, see the related video produced by Rogers Public Schools at www.nwadg.com and arpreps.com.

Then she heads off to her real job at Cavenders western wear store.

Despite the hectic schedule, Brown excels on the court and in the classroom. She can also put you in a nice pair of boots with a matching belt.

"Many people think it is hard to do, but it really isn't that hard to do," she said. "I just have to manage my time. Work is work. It's really not juggling -- you just go and do it. Sometimes I get tired; it is only human. But I have been blessed with good health.

"I have been blessed with the ability to play basketball, go to school and learn new things."

Brown is averaging six points a game for Rogers, and she is the team's third leading rebounder. She scored 18 points in a key win against Fort Smith Southside earlier this year that helped keep the Lady Mounties in the thick of the race for a Class 7A State Tournament berth.

She's missed the last two games, and most of the recent game against Springdale Har-Ber, after coming down awkwardly and severely injuring her ankle. Brown missed games against Fort Smith Southside and Rogers Heritage. She is likely to miss tonight's game against Fort Smith Northside but is hopeful she can return to the court on Friday at home against Bentonville, she said.

At Cavenders she often picks up shifts from fellow employees to get additional hours. Rogers coach Preston Early said that's another thing that makes Brown so special.

"One of the things that caught my attention early on is she has a full work schedule around basketball," Early said. "She sacrifices a ton of personal time for either basketball or work. She is working to make money to save money for college. She is someone who truly understands the value of hard work and you have to go get what you want. She knows things will not be given to you.

"She will leave here 30 minutes after practice, and she will close them (Cavenders) down. But she has always been her positive, productive self for us. She never misses a beat, and I think that is a rare skill for a teenager to manage those demands on their time at both places."

Brown, a 5-foot-7 post player, is the only senior on the Rogers roster. Early said she emerged as a leader and key player during workouts last summer.

"With all the attrition, I have seen her take on a different level of ownership," Early said. "I have been so impressed with what she tries to bring to our team. She tries to serve her teammates, and I don't know if we have had a player do a better job about caring about others. She tries to be a source of positive support.

"She needed to be more productive, and she needed to be more vocal. She needed to be just a little of everything. We have a sophomore class that needed her for positive reinforcement."

Brown said that she knew that she would have to be a leader for a Lady Mounties team dominated by juniors and sophomores.

With her leadership qualities and tireless work ethic, she was a natural to step into that role, Early said.

"I love my team so much; they are such a great group of girls," Brown said. "Leadership is service, and that is something I would like to pass on. I love the sophomores; they are a good group. I'm trying to teach them a few things and contribute in their lives. I want to set a good example."

Early said that Brown is one of the Lady Mounties' anchors on defense.

"She anticipates well, and she helps keep us in the right spots," Early said. "She has a way of talking to her teammates that is not barking at them. It is really effective."

Sports on 02/16/2016

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