He knew it sounded crazy, but he didn’t care.
Lincoln basketball standout Klay Brown grew up in Queens and was playing basketball at Christ the King when he realized, two years ago, that he wasn’t happy. When he decided just before his junior year to transfer to Lincoln, he was certain the move wouldn’t just make him happy, it would make him a champion.
Some questioned Brown’s choice, but it paid off on March 25, when he and his fellow Railsplitters rolled to an 80–63 victory over Long Island Lutheran in the New York State Federation “AA” championship game at Glens Falls Civic Center.
“That decision was the best thing I ever did,” said the senior, who finished with 12 points and three steals in the title game. “I’m proud of it and I’m happy I was able to be coached by (coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton). It was a great experience. To be on the top right now, it feels like everything.”
The move was not without sacrifices; his daily commute to school from Queens to Brooklyn is a complex combination of bus and subway rides and transfers that takes an hour and 15 minutes one way.
“That’s a trip,” Brown said. “I take the Q11 to the E train and then I take the E train all the way to the city. Then I get on the J to and then I take the A and then take it one stop to the C and then I take the shuttle and then the Q or the B train. And then after that I’ve got to take another bus.”
Brown’s journey to and from Coney Island is a bit like his basketball game — a well-planned attack that mirrors his approach on the court. He’s just as ferocious operating in the paint as he is launching three-pointers from behind the arc.
“I like doing that,” he said. “(With) our team, one day, one person is going to be hot and then the next day another person is going to be hot.”
The Railsplitters’ road to championship glory was never easy — even in the title game. The team saw a 22-point lead shrink to nine early in the fourth quarter, but Brown never lost hope. He was convinced he was going to win, and was committed to do whatever it took to make sure his teammates thought the same thing.
“I just told everybody, we’re going to be alright, just play through it,” Brown said. “We’ve been in this situation. We know how to handle it and we trust in our coaching staff.”
Brown always had an inkling he’d end up at Lincoln. He attended a Railsplitters practice as an eighth-grader, but didn’t enroll at the school after Morton told him he was too short for the team.
Eventually Brown grew, as did his game and his desire to be a champion. There were tears in his eyes when the final buzzer went off at Glens Falls and he realized he and his team had won. Now that he’s wrapped up his senior season on the court, he’s looking forward to his next life-changing decision, and once again he’s prepared to tune out any doubters.
“It’s relief, it’s all relief,” Brown said. “All the negative energy the last two years; now I know I’ve overcome everything. What can they say to you now?”
