By James Joseph
WSL Senior Features Writer

When Rockhurst Jesuit head coach Jay Coleman first watched Scott Brown play for the school’s freshman team in 2007, he figured the goalie never would make a serious impact for his varsity squad.

After all, according to Coleman, Brown was “probably 50-70 pounds overweight.”

“He had quick hands, and I knew there was something there,” Coleman said. “But there was no way at that point I thought that he could play lacrosse at the varsity level.”

But over the summer, Brown, according to Coleman, decided to “change his life.”

“He worked out all summer, ran, lost all the weight and by the time he came back as a sophomore, he was in tremendous shape,” Coleman said. “I kind of recognized him, but it was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing what you did.’”

Brown had to sit behind a two-year starter as a sophomore. As a junior he played occasionally as a backup. Then last summer, according to Coleman, Brown “really kind of came into his own” with his work at camps and a standout performance at the Vail Shootout.

He was entrenched as the starter in goal as a senior and led Rockhurst Jesuit to its third state title in the last five years. He earned Most Valuable Player honors for the Division I state playoffs and is WSL’s Missouri Boys Player of the Year.

Brown led a defense that did not allow double-digit goals during the final month of the season. Rockhurst Jesuit won its final nine games, with Brown capping his season with 11 saves in an 8-6 victory over Eureka in the state final.

“He’s just got a real knack,” Coleman said. “He sees the ball really well, he’s great at getting his stick where it needs to be. He’s not a guy that makes saves with his feet and arms – he almost always can get his stick on the ball.”