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December 19, 2012

OSU's Brown learns to be more steady

By Jason Elmquist Stillwater NewsPress

— Markel Brown has been biding his time at Oklahoma State.

He knew how it would work coming in behind one of the top scorers in Cowboy history, Keiton Page.

“When Keiton came in his freshman and sophomore years, he took the backseat to Obi (Muonelo) and James (Anderson) and once he became a junior and senior, he had to step up and become the leader of the team,” Brown said.

“I think with the talent we have on this team and the different weapons we have on this team, I think it’s important for me to go out there and take care of business now. I think I just need to stay consistent this year for us to be able to make a run.”

Last year, Brown was OSU’s third scoring option behind Page and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Le’Bryan Nash and averaged just 10.5 points per game — most of due to some big games at the end of the year. But now Brown is a junior, the most veteran member of the 24th-ranked Cowboy club, and it’s his turn to score.

And so far, he’s done just that. He’s the second-leading scorer on the squad with 14 points per game — behind Nash’s 16.6 per contest. But the biggest difference between Brown last year and now, is he’s been more consistent scoring the ball.

As a sophomore, Brown had just 14 double-digit scoring performances, while also having 10 games where he scored 7 or fewer points. This year, the junior from Alexandria, La., has scored double figures in eight of the first nine contests — with his lone low outing being a 6-point game against North Carolina State in which he picked up four fouls.

“He really worked hard over the summer and improved his jump shot,” OSU coach Travis Ford said.

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