Kenny Brown Retiring as Lake Taylor Hoops Coach

When Kenny Brown got into coaching at the turn of the century, he did so with the thought that he could make a difference in young lives. A total of 18 seasons and 255 wins later - including the first and only State Championship in Boys Basketball at Lake Taylor High School - mission accomplished.

On Tuesday, Brown announced that he will be retiring as Head Boys Basketball Coach of the Titans. His career record was 255-177 at the Norfolk school.

"I'm very emotional about it right now. I'm a man of strong faith and when I pray on things God reveals to me answers. I prayed on it, prayed on it and God gave me the answer that it was time," Brown told VirginiaPreps.com.

"I sat down with my wife, we talked about it in-depth and she asked if I was sure and what's the reason. I just think it's time. I've got young grandkids that I want to spend more time with, and I'm able to do that as well as spend more time with my wife. I still plan to play a role in mentoring the young guys as student-athletes and helping them develop into men."

Brown, 51, played College Basketball at Hampton University. He was a two-time All-Tidewater First Team selection at Maury High in Norfolk from 1986-87, years when the squad featured household names such as his Commodores teammate Cornel Parker who played at UVA along with NBA talents Alonzo Mourning and J.R. Reid.

When Brown took the Titans to the regional semifinals in both 2003 and 2004, his second and third seasons at the helm respectively, it was quite a feat considering Lake Taylor hadn't made it that far in the playoffs since 1984 when they lost to Green Run 55-54 in the Eastern Region Championship game.

Five out of the next seven seasons, Lake Taylor would finish below .500, truly testing Brown's mettle and resilience as well as patience on the sidelines. Times would get better, though. In fact, they were better than good over his final five years, reaching the State Tournament Final Four on three separate occasions (2016, 2018 and 2019).

Led by the stellar trio of Dereon Seabron (NC State), Joe Bryant (Norfolk State) and Jalen Jordan (D-2 Francis Marion), the Titans won 70 of 80 games over a three-year stretch from '16-18. The initial highlight was the program's first region title in 33 years when the group was sophomores, later met by heart-break when a 12-point lead evaporated that year in the State Championship game against Monacan. As juniors, they were beaten by Smithfield, 61-60, in the opening round of regionals on an improbable 45-foot buzzer-beater.

Brown watched Seabron, Bryant and Jordan - along with Washington twins Tyrone and Tyler - cap their amazing run as seniors with a 26-1 overall record, the lone loss coming to his alma mater Maury. The memorable 2017-18 season for the Titans concluded with a 72-66 double-overtime classic that they won in the Class 4 State Championship over John Handley.

As fine of a job as that was for Brown, one could argue his work in 2018-19 after that group graduated was equally impressive. The 12-16 final record may not reflect it, but they ended up making a late-season run as a No. 9 seed in the playoffs to win the regional title and reach the State Semis before falling to Louisa, 74-67.

"I felt I did all I could do and stayed faithful. We ran a clean program the right way, took our lumps, didn't complain and did it the right way. When I prayed on it, God told me it was time," Brown commented.

"My goal was to get to the basketball program to a high, competitive level, and compete for state titles. I feel we left it better than we found it. My first year coaching, we were picked to finish last. To go through the journey that I went through over an 18-year period, I wouldn't change anything.

Even though he's leaving the coaching profession, Brown will remain in the building at Lake Taylor as a department chair for health and physical education.

As for who'll be Brown's successor, he is supporting one of his assistants, Derek 'Yogi' Edwards, to take over.

"I think he's ready," Brown believes. "He has a lot of young energy, has been a real asset to us and should be doing it for a long time."

The news of Brown stepping away from the sidelines comes just a week after another long tenured Eastern District Head Coach, Darren Sanderlin, left Booker T. Washington following 17 seasons at the helm to become the new Head Basketball Coach at Kempsville in Virginia Beach.

Few have done it as long at one school as the likes of Brown and Sanderlin. In fact, the only long tenured Head Coach in what is known as the old 'Eastern Region' for High School Boys Basketball is Mark Butts, who has been at First Colonial since 1998. Butts plans for the upcoming 2019-20 campaign to be his last with the Patriots before retiring.

"I thank God for giving me an opportunity to help young men over an 18-year period through basketball," Brown stated. "It's been a true blessing."

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him weeknights from 6-7 PM on The 757 at 6 as well as every Saturday at 10 AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1.