Brown To Wear Maize and Blue Next Fall

 Hailey Brown (6’2”, F, TRC Academy) of Ancaster, ON has committed to play with the University of Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten conference in the Fall of 2017.

“It feels great to finally be committed to a school”, said Brown about finally getting the weight of making such a big decision, of of her shoulders. “Playing [NCAA] Division 1 was something I have always dreamed of since I started playing basketball, so the fact that I get to play for U Mich on a full academic scholarship is huge.”

Brown has been a highly sought after recruit since she made her summer travel team debut with Team Ontario during the summer of 2013, the summer of her Grade 8 year. And, although she has had a ton of interest from many high and mid major schools, reminder herself of some of the keys to what she is looking for helped her to stay grounded before ultimately picking the Wolverines as the place where she will continue to play.

“While I was being recruited, I had to keep on reminding myself to go to a school that needed me and not get caught up in all the noise. I chose Michigan because they need my position, so I will be able to play a lot in my freshman year, which is important to me.”

Making the decision to play with Michigan came to be from the connection she made with the coaching staff early on in her recruiting process. It later led to an unofficial visit to the Ann Harbor, MI campus last year. Ultimately it paved the way for Brown to build a great rapport with the team, solidified during the first of her first of several official visits to different schools, back on September 9. After weighing the information she had, the relationship she forged and the chance to be a bit of a trailblazer were what clinched the decision in her mind.

“The coaching staff have been following me since my freshman year in high school, so I was able to build a strong relationship with them. I got along very well with the girls. The team is very family oriented.”

“I’ve always been a proud Canadian and a person that likes to create their own footsteps, so it was important for me to go to a school where I would be one of the few females to represent Canada as well as a Michigan Wolverine.”

Brown had developed a strong work ethic early in her elementary school years when it came to basketball to go along with a lot of favorable physical attributes including size and strength, all of which allowed her to make an impact early and keep her at the top or near the top of her Class throughout her high school years. Even at 6’2”, she is no stranger to perimeter play with the ball with her ability to drive, shoot from beyond the arc and her mobility as a face-up 4. Couple that with her ability to work on the block with her back to the basket, it shows her versatility in how she can hurt opponents.

Now that this decision is now made, Brown can channel her energies on continuing to develop her game at the new prep school she now attends, TRC Academy, and focusing on getting good grades.

The aspiring communications major can also start to start to take a sneak peek at what her longer term future may also have in store for her.

“After my basketball career is over, I would like to become a sports broadcaster and specialize in public relations”, said Brown, who also hasn’t ruled potential marketing or communications roles at sports companies.
“But right after I graduate from Michigan, my goal is to be drafted into the WNBA as well as play professionally overseas. On top of this, another one of my goals is to play in the 2020 Olympics.”

High yet achievable hopes for this player with all the potential in the world, and an upcoming four-year lesson in Big Ten conference play.