Girls basketball: Kaneland shooting star Kendra Brown working to expand her game

OSWEGO – Kendra Brown already has carved out a reputation as a shooting star for Kaneland.

The next step? Expanding her game.

Brown, a junior guard, has spent the summer working to grow her game beyond the perimeter and 3-point line.

“I’m trying to get better at taking it to the rim, drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line,” Brown said. “Just being more aggressive.”

Brown and the Knights concluded a busy June schedule at the Oswego Shootout. Kaneland also competed in shootouts at Batavia and Ottawa and played in the Geneva Summer League.

“Out of 26 schools we’ve played, maybe three of them were smaller than us,” second-year Kaneland coach Brian Claesson said. “It’s great competition, seeing a lot of the things we want to see. It’s been a great summer. It’s been night and day compared to last year. We already have a foundation set.”

That foundation is built on Kaneland’s returning backcourt of Brown and Lexi Schueler, a senior and Benedictine commit.

“Kendra has all the skills that you want and is a hard worker,” Claesson said. “Lexi is a typical point guard that every coach dreams of, a leader, understands everything you do, basically is like a coach on the floor. We go as she goes.”

Brown emerged as a player to watch alongside Schueler during an all-conference sophomore season. Brown averaged 13.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals. Her 76 3-pointers were four off the school record. Brown scored 29 points and hit five 3-pointers in a win over Sycamore in December that snapped the Spartans’ 51-game conference winning streak.

Claesson said he’s talked to Brown about building off that strong base. Brown has put in the time in the weight room and her coach said she is stronger than a lot of girls.

“We want her to be a little more aggressive. We don’t want her to just be a spot-up 3-point shooter,” Claesson said. “She’s a great shooter, but we want her to be able to get to the rim and get to the free-throw line. That’s the next step, striving to become a playmaker and also get some points in the paint.”

Kaneland graduated three seniors from last year’s team, but Brown likes the way the newcomers have stepped into roles and stepped up. She’s worked to take on a more vocal role heading into her junior season.

“I have to step up, be a vocal person,” Brown said. “When I’m on the bench, I cheer on our girls. If someone misses a layup, I’m like, ‘Hey, you got it the next time,’ all that stuff.”

As talented of a scorer as Brown has proved to be, she is not always overly quick to call her own number. Brown showcased an unselfish mindset in a game against Plainfield South at the Oswego Shootout, letting the game come to her.

“I definitely need to work the ball around,” Brown said. “I’m not the only one that can shoot. Other people can shoot, other people can drive. I need to work within the team.”

Schueler and Brown will lead the way for Kaneland this season, but Claesson likes how other girls are finding their niche on the team. He said Emily Kunzer, a soccer player, is starting to realize she’s a good basketball player, too.

“We are very encouraged with what we’ve seen,” Claesson said. “We’ve played a lot of good teams, but they’ve battled. We have some other girls who were role players last year stepping up as seniors. They are taking the right steps.”