WSU’s Louise Brown: ‘Facetime on Christmas only goes so far’

Of all the Australians playing college basketball in the Inland Northwest, Louise Brown probably has the toughest challenge.

A starting forward at Washington State, she plays in the rugged Pac-12 Conference – a far cry from high school ball back in Melbourne. For another, Brown still misses home, where her younger siblings are growing up without her.

“I definitely get homesick sometimes when I think of my Mum,” said Brown, a sophomore from Melbourne. “Facetime on Christmas only goes so far.”

“I miss them, but they’re proud of me,” Brown said.

Brown had already seen the world, playing in youth tournaments in Europe and the Pacific before landing in Pullman. “I knew what I was getting into,” said Brown, who had an official visit to WSU before committing. “A sense of adventure was definitely a part of it.”

That included the snow; “I’ve never seen so much in my life,” Brown said.

Adjustment to American culture was easier than for WSU’s other foreign players, most of whom didn’t speak English when they arrived. “I see how difficult that is for them,” Brown said.

On the court, the 6-foot-2 Brown found her niche early. Last year, she appeared in all 32 Cougar games, starting the last 16. Her favorite memory was the Cougs’ upset win over 10th-ranked Maryland.

“It was the longest season I had ever played,” said Brown, a regular starter this year who averages 5.7 points a game.

“The Pac-12 is definitely more difficult, and the workouts are harder than anything I’ve ever experienced,” Brown said.