KIRSTY BROWN: A PRO

The Making of a Professional: Kirsty Brown's Approach to the Game

FEATURE BY TERENCE YEE

Thirty minutes before her 2 p.m. workout, Kirsty Brown is already in the Kenny Hatch Basketball gym, stretching and getting her body ready. She watches film before picking up a basketball and starting to dribble.

For the fifth-year professional, whose career has taken her to the United Kingdom, Scotland, Kosovo and Lithuania, professionalism isn't just a routine. It's a mindset.

“I think one of the first things that comes to mind when I think about being a professional is being a role model and a mentor,” Brown said. “You have so many eyes on you at all times, especially when it comes to being a kid or just being someone young and aspiring to be an athlete or be in the sports world. Putting in the work, doing all those little things, how you speak to people and how you interact with people is so important.”

That philosophy was shaped in part by Brown's experience growing up in the Bay Area. The Pleasanton native was a standout player at Amador Valley High School before playing at Cal Poly and beginning her professional career overseas.

“It's something to be super prideful about,” Brown said of being from the Bay Area. “I don't just say I'm from California. I say I'm from the Bay. There's so much going on, and everyone is so supportive of everything that you do, every endeavor that you have.”

That sense of community has stayed with Brown as she has continued her career overseas.

“I think that's one thing they do really well in the Bay is building that community within sport,” she said. “Getting to really be integrated with that is also a major part of being professional about it.”

For Brown, that standard starts with the habits that happen before and after practice.

She prioritizes sleep, nutrition and hydration, arrives an hour before practice to complete prehab work and can stay two hours afterward to stretch, rehab and ice.

“I don't think people realize how much of it is,” Brown said. “They're like, ‘Oh, you have a two-hour practice,’ but it's like, OK, I have to put the time into my nutrition so that I'm ready to go and fueling myself properly for practice, making sure I'm properly hydrated and getting enough sleep.”

Those standards can be demanding, and they can also create frustration when Brown feels she hasn't met them.

“If you set yourself such a high standard and you don't hit it in the way that you think you should, I feel like that builds,” Brown said. “Even though people around you might think, ‘Oh, you're doing really well,’ in my head I'm like, ‘Well, I should have made that.’”

That mindset can be especially challenging when things aren't going well on the court.

Brown remembers returning from an ankle injury in January and struggling during a game. She missed several open layups and finished 1-for-10 from the field.

As the frustration mounted, Brown realized she needed to change her approach.

“I just need to pick something else to focus on because clearly I'm not making baskets today,” she told herself.

Instead of continuing to dwell on her shooting, Brown focused on the things she could control.

“The big thing for me is I feel like I've always been a very big hustle player,” she said. “So if I'm struggling to score, I'm just going to go rebound or give it to somebody who can score because right now it's not me that's scoring. I just kind of switch my mentality.”

Sometimes, that change in focus can lead to a breakthrough.

“Maybe I'll get an easy layup, and that'll get things going,” Brown said.

Brown has also worked with a sports psychologist to develop strategies for avoiding a negative spiral and strengthening her mental discipline.

Her support system has played a role, too.

“Having coaches and trainers and other staff members that are very supportive of you and can help you when you're in those situations,” Brown said. “I'm fortunate to have that with the people I work with, but also with my family. I know I can go and talk to them if I'm struggling to stay motivated or anything like that.”

Brown met Hatch while back home in the Bay Area preparing for an opportunity to represent Team Scotland at the 3x3 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She has also competed for Great Britain in a couple of FIBA EuroBasket qualifying campaigns.

While Hatch has helped Brown with her skill work, she said his impact extends beyond the basketball court.

“Whenever I miss shots or make mental mistakes, he's always there to support me and brush it off,” Brown said. “He tells me, ‘I'm here to help you figure things out,’ and he's been super supportive.”

Hatch sees the same qualities in Brown that she describes herself.

“She’s professional in the way she prepares for workouts, always showing up early,” he said. “She continues to be in shape, in the weight room, and is always asking for feedback, understanding why she’s doing a particular drill.”

That preparation has also translated into a leadership role with her younger teammates.

“I’m there for my teammates, just to support them,” Brown said. “When a player makes a mistake, I just remind them that I’ve made the same mistake, too, and to keep their head up and move on to the next play.”

For Brown, being a professional is about more than how she prepares or performs. It's about the example she sets for the people around her.

Brown recently signed a new contract with the Tokyo Haneda Vickies of the Women’s Japan Basketball League. As she prepares for the next chapter of her career, she hopes the example she sets continues to extend beyond the basketball court.

“Whether I’m scoring or rebounding, I just want to make sure I’m supporting my team,” Brown said. “I hope they can also see how much I’m having fun playing basketball and how hard I work.”