Brown adds heat to UK-WKU women's rivalry

Troubled transfer making immediate impact

By Jennifer Smith / jsmith3@herald-leader.com

Matchups
KENTUCKY (4-2)
Probable starters — Carly Ormerod, 5-8, Sr., G (8.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg); Amani Franklin, 5-11, Jr., G (9.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Amber Smith, 5-5, So., G (7.5 ppg, 3.3 apg); Victoria Dunlap, 6-1, So., F (12.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg); Eleia Roddy, 6-3, Sr.. C (8.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg).
Top reserves — Lydia Watkins, 6-1, Jr., G/F (5.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Carly Morrow, 5-11, So. G (3.0 ppg); Catina Bett, 6-5, So., C (2.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Brittany Edelen, 5-9, Jr., G (2.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg).
Western Kentucky (4-2)
Probable starters — Amy McNear, 5-8, So., G (8.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.3 rpg); Kenzie Rich, 5-7, Jr., G (14.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Arnika Brown, 6-2, So., F (17.2 ppg, 13.0 rpg); Jessica Magley, 6-0, Jr., F (2.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg); Dominique Duck, 5-11 Sr., F (9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
Top reserves — Caitlin House, 5-9, Fr., G (7.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg); Hope Brown, 5-8, So., G (6.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg); Jasmine Johnson, 6-3, Fr., C (5.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg); Teranie Thomas, 6-0, Fr., F (4.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg).

There has never been a shortage of subplots and story lines when Kentucky plays Western Kentucky in women's basketball.

It's always been a heated rivalry. The schools don't even agree on the overall series record.

Five of the teams' past seven meetings have been decided by six points or less, including two that went to overtime.

But Thursday night, when UK heads to Bowling Green for the first time since 2003, one saga in particular will continue to tug at both programs.

That comes courtesy of Western star Arnika Brown, who originally signed to play at Kentucky before leaving a few weeks later and eventually landing in Bowling Green.

UK Coach Matthew Mitchell acknowledged Wednesday that the 2006 Miss Basketball's presence on the court does add some drama to an already dramatic game.

"I would have to believe there's going to be some emotion there," Mitchell said. "That's just human. ... I would believe that could possibly play a factor."

Unprompted, Mitchell followed up with his own issues with Brown and WKU Coach Mary Taylor Cowles.

He said he was disappointed in comments the two made last year, saying that Kentucky was a bad fit for the 6-foot-2 forward and that she was better off at Western Kentucky.

"That made me sad to see her comments about Kentucky, a place that I think gave her some opportunities a couple of times," said Mitchell, who was an assistant at UK during Brown's recruiting process but left to take the head coaching job at Morehead State before she got to UK.

"Knowing the opportunities she had here, I was disappointed that it was portrayed by her and her coach that she somehow did not receive the care or the type of support that she should have here at Kentucky."

He pointed out that UK did not have to, but did decide to allow Brown to transfer wherever she pleased even though it was Western Kentucky.

As a transfer, Brown had to sit out Western Kentucky's games during her first semester at the school last season, including the Hilltoppers' 78-74 overtime win over UK in Rupp Arena.

Brown, who has double-doubles in five of the Tops' six games this season and leads them in scoring (17.2 ppg), field goal percentage (50.7 percent) and rebounding (13.0 rpg), said she hadn't even thought about playing UK yet.

"I just go out there and play," she said. "That's pretty much what I'm known for. To me it's just another ball game.

"I don't have no mixed emotions about anything. I play at Western Kentucky University. I'm going to represent Western Kentucky University to the fullest."

Cowles said Brown's brief affiliation with UK hasn't even come up.

"Nothing's been spoken," Cowles said. "It's a situation where we haven't had a whole lot of time to talk about it. She's played so maturely this year. I would believe it's just another game on our schedule for her to prepare herself for."

However, the coach refused to comment about Brown's most recent off-the-court drama, which involves 11 pending felony counts of counterfeiting.

Brown was indicted on Oct. 29 on charges stemming from an Aug. 9 incident where police said she used counterfeit money at five businesses in her hometown of Hopkinsville.

The player faces 11 counts of possession of a forged instrument and five counts of theft by deception under $300, according to published stories citing police reports.

If Brown is found guilty on all counts, she could spend up to 20 years in jail.

Her next court date was originally set for Nov. 7, but it conflicted with a WKU game in Florida and was moved to Jan. 21, her attorney Rick Boling said Wednesday.

He said they are "working on a resolution on the case," which could take a long time because there are co-defendants involved.

Despite the pending charges, Western has opted to let Brown, the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, stay with the team pending the trial.

In a statement released in November, Western Kentucky Athletics Director Wood Selig said "it is important to remember an individual is innocent until proven guilty, and it is important to remember each situation has its own unique set of circumstances that must be considered."

After extensive discussions with athletics officials around the country, Selig said he learned that "policies and procedures (on these matters) literally vary between each campus and conference."

Howard Bailey, the school's vice president for student affairs, also weighed in on the issue. He said WKU officials applied the same standards to Brown as they would to the average student who has legal charges pending.

"In those cases where, as here, the charges did not involve allegations of conduct that posed any threat to the health or safety of the campus community, these individuals have been permitted to attend classes and participate in campus extracurricular activities," Bailey said in the statement. "It would not be prudent for our university to enforce a set a standards in this case that we do not enforce on our student body at large."

Brown said she's grateful for the opportunity to keep playing basketball.

"I haven't been home since everything happened," she said. "I just stay here and that was the agreement. This school has been great to me."

In fact, Brown said she hasn't "even thought about it."

"I just take it one step and one day at a time," Brown said. "There's nothing I can do about it. I just pretty much do what I need to do here. I'm not even worried about all that, to be honest with you."

Series disagreement

Kentucky says it holds a 15-13 advantage in its series against Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers say that advantage is 17-14.

The discrepancy comes from the fact that UK does not recognize games played before the school began recognizing basketball as a varsity sport in 1974.

UK women's scores, schedule

Date Opponent Time/result

Nov. 5 x-KY. STATE W, 99-28

Nov. 9 x-BELLARMINE W, 72-69

Nov. 15 MICHIGAN L, 70-60

Nov. 17 CINCINNATI W, 58-55

Nov. 23 GEORGE WASHINGTON W, 67-48

Nov. 28 a-Yale W, 87-82

Nov. 29 a-Long Island W, 46-43

Dec. 2 at Xavier L, 67-44

Dec. 4 at Western Kentucky 8 p.m.

Dec. 6 FURMAN 2 p.m.