Kina BrownKina Brown’s academic resume is becoming just as crowded as her laundry list of achievements as a Western Michigan University basketball player in 1991-1995.
Brown, who now lives in Chicago, completed her third Master’s degree in December to become a fifth-grade health teacher. Her additional degrees are in criminal justice and business.
“(Western Michigan University) was a big part of my success as far as what I’ve done academically,” said Brown, who will be inducted into the WMU Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 29.
“They were very clear that you’re an athlete second and you’re a student first. Jeff Stone and Kathy Beauregard, it was a long time ago, but they really instilled that in us. They built the foundation of academics and taking care of business in the classroom because basketball is a privilege. It still is.”
And it’s a privilege that Brown continued to take advantage of long after she left WMU as the program’s third highest scorer with 1,814 points.
Out of college, Brown competed overseas in both Hungary and Portugal. Upon returning to Chicago, she joined up with the now-defunct National Women’s Basketball League where she played for the Chicago Blaze with players like Tamika Catchings. She also logged time with the Dallas Fury along with Sheryl Swoopes.
“That was a great league,” recalled Brown, who was a Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year in 1992 for the Broncos. “That was fun. We had a blast. I was there 2000 to 2005, something like that.”
Able to take classes along the way, Brown entered the work force after the league folded as a mortgage broker until 2008, when she returned to school for her degree in physical education.
“I’ve always loved working out and staying in shape, so why not do a Master’s in physical education and health?” Brown said. “I graduated in December and I’m just student teaching now.”
Brown’s basketball days are not over, as she stays active in Chicago’s park district league. By her account, she’s just as dominant as she was during her days wearing brown and gold.
“Oh, I don’t know how many points I have; I don’t keep track of those anymore,” Brown laughed. “We just win our league every time we play. Every season we play. We have to. Those young bucks keep trying to come up there and beat us.”
Brown remembered her time at Western Michigan being immersed in a warm, family-like environment. She was a three-time All-MAC first teamer. Brown was also named to the U.S. National Junior Team in 1992 and 1993.
“I was just honored and ecstatic and just humbled and very grateful that they thought of me after all these years,” Brown said of being named to the Hall of Fame class.
Contact Jayson Bussa at jbussa@kalamazoogazette.com or 269-388-8400.