Before she encouraged students to shoot for academic success, associate academic advisor Kourtney Brown shot hoops around Europe.

Originally from Ohio, Brown played professional basketball for a Spanish team based in Cáceres, a small town near Portugal.

“It was very fun,” Brown said. “I got to travel the world just playing basketball.”

After her older brother introduced her to basketball, Brown fell in love with the game.

“He would bring me to the gym and tell me to just chill (over there) and I thought ‘I want to play!’” Brown said. “So I started playing and I fell in love with it. I just started following him more and playing with his friends.”
Brown went on to play for the University of Buffalo where she was a computer engineering major.

“I thought I was really going to be 100 percent an engineer,” Brown said. “Then my basketball career took off and I decided to explore that a bit overseas. After, I got an offer from my alma mater to start coaching our women’s team.”

Brown helped athletes reach their goals both on the court and in the classroom, but soon realized she might’ve stumbled on her true calling.

“I really enjoyed the academics and making sure that [the athletes] graduated and were successful,” Brown said.

Brown knew athletes needed to excel in their schoolwork in case their sports careers did not flourish. She said her desire to help others inspired her to pursue advising.

“It’s so easy to get lost in the mindset of ‘We’re all gonna become professional,’” Brown said. “Even if you do, you need something to fall back on if you get injured or too old.”

Eventually, Brown found herself on the 40 Acres. “That’s what I was passionate about, so now I’m here,” Brown said. “I’m enjoying it.”