How Jalyn 'Ice' Brown worked her way as the leading scorer for ASU women's basketball
Arizona State guard Jalyn Brown’s style of play has become so engrained in her identity that she rarely is ever called by her actual name.
Since she began playing basketball in grade school, Brown naturally finger rolled the ball and drew comparisons to legendary player George “Iceman” Gervin.
“It was not intentional and I had no idea what I was doing,” Brown said. “When I was in the fifth grade, I had no idea who (Gervin) was, but over time, my coach explained it to me and that was pretty cool. I don’t even think I hear Jalyn. It’s very rare for me to hear my name.”
Since then, “Ice” has heard her full name called out in many arenas as she’s taken the Pac-12 by storm with 24.2 points per game over the last five games. The Louisville transfer has steadily taken over ASU’s offense this season with a team-leading 17.3 points per game, which ranks her fifth in the conference.
Brown has logged heavy minutes on the floor, playing all but 4 minutes and 15 seconds over the last five games. It’s been a stark contrast from her first season of college basketball where she averaged under five minutes through seven games.
What changed for Brown
“She knows how to win, she knows how to score, she’s not afraid of the moment. Ice is a gamer,” head coach Natasha Adair said. “She obviously learned the system here and she learned what her options were and what was required of her. Now she knows that with the ball in her hands, she can score the ball at will.”
Much like last season’s leading scorer Tyi Skinner, ASU once again captured lightning in a bottle through the transfer portal. But this time, ASU had some recruiting help in Skinner.
Brown, who hails from Baltimore, and Skinner, who hails from Washington D.C., have known each other since Brown was a sophomore in high school through the DMV basketball scene.
More Arizona State sports news: What to know about Arizona State point guard Frankie Collins
Once Brown hit the transfer portal, Skinner reached out to see if Brown wanted to be teammates. Through their conversations and Brown’s preexisting relationship with Adair, a fellow DMV native, she knew where she needed to land.
“It was more so the family part. If I wanted to be part of a winning program, I would’ve stayed where I was. I’m the type of player that I need to be around love,” Brown said. “Knowing Coach A and her staff prior, that was big for me because I know that they have a system where I could play. There is opportunity for me where I could play, but overall, I’m going to be mentally sound, happy, and I’m going to be surrounded by people who know what’s best for me.”
Off the court, Brown is bubbling with personality. The self-described "runner child" didn't have trouble adjusting to a cross-country move from her East Coast roots. Her chemistry with guards Jaddan Simmons and Trayanna Crisp points to a deep-rooted connection in a short time.
Brown as a teammate
"She’s electric. She lights up the room with her personality,“ Adair said. "She’s just not short of personality and charisma. I’m just really excited for what she brings to this team, but just her as a person and to continue to watch her grow and develop.”
Brown is a vision on the court, using her speed and agility as a three-level scorer. Her skill set has been welcomed this season as Skinner has been sidelined with a season-ending knee injury. Brown’s drive to elevate her team has led to two performances of 34 or more points, including 35 points against Colorado on Jan. 7 that set ASU’s single-game record.
“Most of the time during the game, I’m looking at the numbers that are the score. I don’t look at what I do and what I accomplish until after the game,” Brown said. “I’m going to always reach for the stars. My grandfather always told me to reach for the stars because if you fall short, you can still be happy about what you do.”
Brown’s 34-point performance helped ASU (9-10, 1-6) earn its first conference win last Sunday at Washington in the finale of four consecutive road games. Since seeing the hard work come to fruition, Brown has some individual goals to reach as conference play continues.
“I’m always going to come out in the next game looking to make things happen,” Brown said. “I did tell the other broadcasters that they didn’t make me Pac-12 Player of the Week, so I was going to do it again and then I did it again. So let’s hope I do it again so maybe they’ll give it to me.”
Forward Maggie Besselink out for remainder of season with knee injury
ASU was dealt another blow to its depth after Adair announced Wednesday that senior Maggie Besselink tore her ACL against Washington State on Jan. 19.
Despite being at ASU over the last four years, Besselink has started in 32 of 42 games played due to injuries. Besselink missed all of last season with injury and played sparingly this season. When healthy, she provided help on the boards with 4.6 rebounds per game.
The Sun Devils have also lost guards Tyi Skinner and Morasha Wiggins to season-ending knee injuries this season.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU women's basketball guard Jalyn Brown emerging as leading scorer
