Dee Brown, one of Illinois’ most legendary basketball student-athletes, claims that it is no big deal for him that he
He turns 40 on Saturday. “I don’t think about it,” Brown said on his birthday on August 17. “I’m actually doing well.”
Illinois’ 2005 first-team All-American previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago before becoming the head coach of the Roosevelt University men’s basketball team in Chicago in 2022. Last season, in his second year as head coach of the Lakers, Brown led Roosevelt to the program’s only regular-season championship in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. As a result, he was named CCAC Coach of the Year as well as Co-College Coach of the Year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. He has
posted a two-season record of 44-15 at Roosevelt. Mike Pearson, author of Illini Legends, Lists & Lore, recently caught up with Brown:
Dee, more than anyone else, your mother Cathy was a huge influence on you early in life. Was she your biggest encouragement?
“Absolutely. My mom has been a big part of my success. I’ve applied a lot of what I saw from her – her work ethic, how she treated people, how she got along with everyone, everything about her core values - to my life. She had a big influence on my decision to go to Illinois. She got along really well with the coaching staff and the fact that Champaign was close to Chicago just made sense to her.”
You were a freshman at Illinois in the 2002-03 season and had a great senior leader in Brian Cook. What memories do you have of him?
“He came from that group with Frank Williams and those guys and he taught us how to perform every day. That was his last year, so as freshmen we wanted to make sure we played well and supported him. He was himself. When he came to practice, he was serious and a man of business.”
What was it like for an 18-year-old in 2002
How important was coach Bill Self to you?
“Bill was a great coach and really knew how to sell the program and the way he played. Everything he told me about coming to Illinois came true. He had a huge impact on me because of who he was and what he stood for. He laid the foundation for us to move on and be successful.”
In that first year you won your first eight games in a row,
including the eighth win against Missouri. What memories do you have of your first Bragging Rights game against Missouri in December 2002?
“I remember that game vividly. I was excited to see what that game was going to be like. I came from Proviso East where we had a lot of rivalry games. I went out and had one of my better games and it was a coming out party for a guy like me to show my Illinois pride. It felt good to play well in such a big game.”
This 2002-03 team was in the running for the Big Ten until a one-point loss in the final game of the regular season.
Wisconsin. Then in the Big Ten
Tournament, the team turned this disappointing loss into a beautiful four-game winning streak at the United Center.
“Our goal was to win championships, so it was heartbreaking to lose that game in Wisconsin. We knew we had a chance to make it in the Big Ten tournament and get a good seed. I thought we were the best team in the Big Ten that year.”
Then comes your second season and the team has a new head coach in Bruce Weber. War Coach Selfs
Is it difficult for you to say goodbye?
“I think it was hard for all of us at the time. I didn’t understand the business. Now that I’m older, I understand why he made that decision.”
Was the transition from Self to Weber
a challenge for you?
“You’re recruited by a coach to play a certain style of basketball, and they know who you are and where you come from. Philosophically, a new coach is either going to limit your role or change your role. They don’t know who you are as a person. This is a relationship business. I didn’t know Bruce and he didn’t know me. He came in with the philosophy, ‘This is my way and this is how we’re going to do it.’ So it took some time to adjust. … Everything was new.”
What was the turning point for you?
“I don’t think I can say for sure. I was here to win. I worked hard every day. … I battled through injuries. … I’m an every day guy. Coaching is very important and I respect coaching. When you come into a program as a new coach, you have to know who the key players are and you have to shape your program around those guys. The adjustment was that there were two different styles. We did things this way, now we have to change things up and go in this direction … and that takes time. It just took time for everything to fall into place … and that’s normal.”
The team of the 2003/04 season started with 3:3 in
Big Ten, then won his last 10
conference games and won a Big Ten title. What made the difference?
“We came together as a team and our chemistry started to improve. Once everyone knew what they had to do, it became a lot easier for us. Our system was based on defense. I know our offense deserves a lot of credit, but we really defended every game. Everyone had a special role with what they brought to the table.”
In the 2004/05 season, one of the first games that everyone remembers is when Wake Forest entered the
Assembly Hall as the top-ranked team in the country. What memories do you have of that game and that evening?
“It was preparation for this game. We had played Gonzaga in Indy the week before and put on a really good show in front of John Wooden. That took our confidence to the next level. The best team in the country was coming to us and we thought we were the best team. And how do you become the best team than to beat the top-ranked team?”
How did you and your teammates
deal with the built-in pressure of being the target of everyone you played against?
“We didn’t feel any pressure. We started the season with the mindset that we wouldn’t lose a single game all year. That was our expectation. So the adjustment was smooth. We focused on ourselves. We knew what we had to do and so it was pretty easy to meet those expectations. We played hard, we played together and we just focused on our goals.”
The team rebounded from a 2005 conference final loss to Ohio State to sweep the Big Ten Tournament and the first three games of the NCAA Tournament. The fourth game against Arizona is considered one of the greatest victories in Illini history. How do you think Illinois was able to overcome such a big deficit and win so dramatically?
“Throughout the season we have been preparing for different situations and four-minute wars. So you see that you can accomplish something in four minutes if you do it right. Our coaches did a great job of preparing us for this moment. When this moment came, everything had to go right. Every player made a play to help us recover. We did well, but we also got very lucky.”
What do you remember about the
Final Four and the stadium in
St. Louis full of orange and blue?
“That’s the support we’ve had all year. Our fans jumped on this train with us and didn’t think we were going to lose. When we needed them the most, they were always there. To me, the Illini fans are one of the three greatest fan bases in the world. We saw their unity and their pride. They made us perform really well.”
In the semifinals, Illinois defeated Louisville and secured the title game against North Carolina.
“Having played Carolina the year before, we were very familiar with those guys. Everyone talks about the refereeing in that game, but it went deeper than that. It was two competitive teams trying to win it all. All the hard work everyone had put in since we started playing basketball came to fruition in that game. We felt that energy when we were on the court.”
What expectations did you have going into your final year?
“When I came back, I heard people saying, ‘What is this team going to look like with just Dee and James (Augustine)?’ I listened and thought, you have two All-Big Ten players back and you’re questioning our roster? That was a grudge against us. We’ve accomplished so much here and they’re still questioning how good we can be? We knew our hard work was going to pay off.”
And today you are a head coach. What have you learned from your previous head coaches, other than the Xs and O’s, that you apply yourself?
“It’s all about the personnel. I chose Proviso East because of the personnel. I chose the University of Illinois because of the personnel. You have to get good players that fit what you’re trying to accomplish. Personally, I just want to get the right players. Every coach I respect does that at a high level. I’m a blue-collar Chicagoan. You have to work hard and show up every day. That’s in my blood; that’s just what I’m going to do. I’ve had some phenomenal coaches along the way. I’ve taken a little bit of everything they did, but what I’ve learned from every single coach is that the players have to be in top shape and you have to have the horses. Here at Roosevelt, we’ve done a good job of getting the right guys and training them really hard. Our goal every year is to win.”
Illini Birthdays:
➜ Saturday: Eugene Wilson, Football (44)
➜ Sunday: Brandon Hansen, football (18)
➜ Monday: Lon Kruger, basketball coach (72)
➜ Tuesday: Don Hansen, football (80)
➜ Wednesday: Jocelynn Birks, volleyball
➜ Thursday: Tyler Underwood, Basketball (28)
➜ Friday: Ben Plumley, Baseball (21)
By Mike Pearson, author of Illini Legends, Lists & Lore (third edition available online). For more Illini birthdays, trivia and historical anecdotes, follow him daily on Twitter @IlliniLegends. His websites are www.SportsLLL.com and www.IlliniPosters.com.
