Mattress Firm Student of the Week: Corvallis’ Garrett Brown

While Corvallis senior Garrett Brown is already committed to play football at the University of Mary this upcoming fall, his head is in the middle of his final season of high school basketball. As a three-sport athlete, Brown’s mind is constantly occupied by sports. But during his summers at the Flathead United Methodist Summer Camp, Brown takes his time to recharge from a busy school year and to develop key leadership skills that help him both on and off the field. “Growing up, [I was] a little bit socially awkward. That was a place where I felt home and I wanted to give that to a kid who was like me and maybe I could do the same thing that my counselors did for me for another kid. That’s the same thing with sports,” Brown said. “I remember all of the mentors who—when I was a freshman—would a joke around with me and bring me into the frame of the team. So, that’s kind of the same way I’ll try to do for the rest of the freshmen below me or the underclassmen.” Ever since the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Brown could even palm a football, he knew he was destined to be a leader on the field. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be a leader of a team. I didn’t want to know be a role player or just a guy who you know gets buckets,” Brown said. “I want to lead it and that’s the fun part of sports is trying to bring a team together and learn how to make a team out of just a bunch of guys.” A second love outside of sports soon blossomed for the Corvallis native—a love for mentoring Montana Youth through the Flathead United Methodist Summer Camp. As chance would have it, his experience at the summer camp inspired Brown to give back to his teammates on and off the court. Sophomore Cole Trexler and Corvallis head basketball coach Zane Warnken agree that Brown’s combination of leadership and kindness make him the perfect teammate. “His biggest lesson is to not really back down I guess, because he’s probably one of the biggest players to go against you know this year,” Trexler said. “So, I mean me playing JV and varsity, he makes it so I’m not afraid of anyone who’s a little bit taller than me, because he’s two of me.” “He’s a great kid, he’s kind of a big teddy bear honestly. He’s a huge kid who plays hard. He’s very respectful; he’s kind to everybody to everybody in the program,” Warnken said. “He leads us in a good way. The way we play the best is when he’s having fun and playing hard, but he’s enjoying it and that’s that nature of him.” This fall Brown will travel across state lines to play in Bismark, North Dakota for the University of Mary—where he’ll bring his trademark frame and trademark smile.