FARMVILLE, Va. – Daeisha Brown remembers the first time she met
Raven Williams. The two were 13 years old and teammates on an AAU team, Three Point Line Sports, in the Richmond area.
"I was the quiet one. She was the funny one, the outgoing one," Brown recalls.
Things have not changed in that regard for the two sophomore guards for Longwood, who ended up as teammates on another AAU team, the Virginia Storm, before heading to Farmville.
Brown remains soft-spoken, while Williams admits, "I like to hype the team up."
What has changed is that while Brown and Williams played against each other in high school – Brown at Huguenot and Williams at Monacan – the two are now teammates on a Lancers squad that has 12 freshmen and sophomores and just one junior and one redshirt senior.
Since they have played with one another for so long it has been easy for Brown to know where Williams is on the court, and vice versa. "They have played together their whole life," said redshirt senior forward
Heather Tobeck.
"I always look for her" on the court, Brown said of Williams.
Brown, at 5-foot-3, is one of the top point guards in the Big South Conference, while Williams is a 5-8 shooting guard who scored in double figures in the first three games of the season before sitting out with an injury. Last season, Brown led all Big South freshmen in scoring and was a preseason all-conference pick this year.
"We hardly recruited her," head coach
Bill Reinson said of Brown. "We felt she was going much higher (in Division I). She was the player of the year in the Richmond area. Fortunately for us, a lot of people had issues with her size."
Brown had a career-high 26 points in the milestone win at Xavier on Nov. 21 and then followed that up with 22 points, three assists, two steals and five rebounds in a last-second loss at George Mason's Patriot Center on Nov. 26.
She also had the presence of mind to execute plays that would make a senior guard envious. In the closing minute, she missed a shot as the Lancers trailed by a point. But she had the court savvy to get in the passing lane of a George Mason player and force a turnover in the backcourt that gave Longwood the ball with 50.9 seconds left. Longwood could not capitalize, but Tobeck feels confident with Brown running the show on both ends of the court.
"She is a really great point guard," said Tobeck, who had a career-high 21 points at George Mason. "When we need her, she is there. When we need a bucket, she gives us a bucket. When we need a stop, she gives us a stop. Her quickness makes up for (lack of height). If she is going as fast as she can, no one can stay in front of her."
Brown played in 32 games with 29 starts as a freshman and averaged 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and nearly two assists per game.
She is a lefty who admits she needs to work on dribbling with her off hand. She also realizes her role on a young team. "Not that I have to lead this team, but I need to know certain things. I need to direct the team as a guard," she notes.
Last season Brown helped Longwood advance to the Big South Tournament title game before losing to Liberty. "Honestly, I don't think it was a surprise. We just had to get the team together and once we did that we were good to go," Brown said.
Williams played in 33 games (three starts) as a freshman and averaged 5.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest. She had 20 points in the season opener this year at Seton Hall, 11 in a win against William and Mary and 11 in a win against Utah Valley.
"What we saw was a talented player who was being under-recruited," Reinson said of Williams. "She has the ability to play at this level. People missed out on her and she is proving them wrong."
"She is just an all-around player. She is a leader," Tobeck said of Williams. "She is a very good all-around player and that shows in her stats."
Williams said having several upperclassmen on the team last season was a big help. The Lancers were 14-19 overall last year and then began this season 3-1 for its best start at the Division I level before the loss at George Mason.
"My freshman year was a learning year for me. We had four seniors and I learned a lot from them at practices, games and off the court. Now we have one senior and a lot of sophomores," Williams said. "We have to learn on our own" without a lot of upperclassmen.
Brown would have never guessed she would end up as teammates with Williams at Longwood. Williams looked at other schools, such as North Florida.
"I honestly didn't think we would go to the same college, but it is a great feeling," said Brown, who liked the idea of knowing someone when she enrolled as a freshman in Farmville.
"It is close to home," Williams said of Longwood. "When I came for my visit, I loved the campus. I felt I could adapt quickly."
Certainly that has been the case for Brown and Williams, who have relied on years of adapting on the court to each other's style of play.
"The seniors really helped them (last year). They have taken the reigns and are running with them," Reinson said.
Editor's Note: Special consultant David Driver is a Virginia native and has covered college sports in the state for more than 20 years. He has been a staff writer for newspapers in Arlington, Springfield and Harrisonburg and has contributed to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Washington Post, Stafford County Sun and The Potomac News in Woodbridge. He was also the first sports editor for the daily Baltimore Examiner. He will continue contributing special feature content to longwoodlancers.com throughout the upcoming 2013-14 academic year as well. A former Division III baseball player at Eastern Mennonite University, David can be reached at www.davidsdriver.com.
Previous 2013-14 Special Features
From South Africa to Longwood
Longwood Head Coach Jayson Gee Introduces PACE
Soccer is a family affair for Kelsey Pardue
Milestone win gives young team confidence
