Promising young coaches lead McClain to Millikin

^{Nathan Rich, Sports Editor}

Next year, senior point guard Jaden McClain, who has been a staple of the Jr. Billikens basketball team for four years, will be taking the court for the Big Blue at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. The Millikin  program, lead by head coach Kramer Soderberg, is experiencing a rebirth of late and McClain was quick to notice it when he visited last fall.

“The coaches were telling me about their program and I was like: I have to be a part of this.  I really liked what they were looking forward to and what they were bringing,” McClain said. 

Soderberg, now in his second year, is working on rebuilding a Millikin team that won only 5 games from 2019 to 2021. In his first season last year, he led the Big Blue to a winning record. Now, McClain will step in and help the team fill in some holes. 

“They are missing a point guard so I hope I can step into that role and lead them to even more wins than they had last season,” said McClain.

The match seems perfect for McClain, who had always had a passion for basketball. The sport invigorates him. 

“‘I’ve always played basketball so going to college I was like: Why would I give it up now?” he said. “It’s so much fun and one of the only things I look forward to. Let’s keep it going. Four more years.”

Off the court, McClain will be studying business management.

Watson-Brown follows family footsteps at Lincoln

^{Coby Spratte, Core Staff}

Senior Kylend Watson-Brown will join teammate DonTavion Sullivan at Lincoln University in Jefferson City next fall to play football and possibly major in computer engineering. 

Football has been at the forefront of Watson-Brown’s mind for a long time. 

“Football has been my passion since I was five,” Watson-Brown said. “My brothers played before me, and now I have the opportunity to play in college and hopefully the NFL in the future.” 

Football has always been a pillar of his family, and he will look to continue that legacy at Lincoln. 

“It’s a great environment, and I love the overall energy of Lincoln,” Watson-Brown said. “Plus it’s an HBCU my brother and cousin have graduated from.”

While the Division II program has struggled in recent years, Watson-Brown believes that Sullivan and him will be able to flip the script and positively impact the culture of the team. He will look to add intensity, and take away the lessons that SLUH has taught him over the past four years.

“The biggest thing I have learned is to have patience, and whatever you want to do in life just work at it and you’ll achieve it,” Watson-Brown said.

Marquette adds even more speed with XC star Brawley

^{Joe LaBarge, reporter}

Senior Grant Brawley officially signed his commitment to run Division 1 cross country and track at Marquette University last Wednesday. After a season-ending injury ruined his chances at a track season his junior year, Brawley worked up to the top of the cross country team, finishing with a 15:41 5K time at state to finish 11th and earn himself an All-State spot and the second-fastest state time in program history.

Although his performance at the State cross country meet pushed him to the top of the SLUH team, his running talent dates back much further than his senior year and will continue to grow in the coming years. 

“I want to run cross country in college because I have been running since 5th grade and it has become such an important part of my life,” Brawley noted. “Obviously I have had a few setbacks throughout high school, but those setbacks and injuries have given me the ability to appreciate training and improving even more.”

With Brawley’s appreciation for improvement, Marquette seems like an obvious choice to continue his athletic career. 

“The program is filled with young talent and fast recruits, which really gives me the ability to grow along with the program,” he said.

Along with talented athletes, Brawley also enjoys the culture of his future team, which will include fellow Jr. Bill Sean Kellogg, who also committed to Marquette. 

“The coach and all of the guys on the team really have a great community with each other and are always pushing each other to be better,” he said. 

Brawley will join the pre-med track to pursue a biological studies major while competing in two D1 sports.