The Cougar basketball program will have a new leader for the 2023-24 season, but it’s a face that many longtime Cougar fans may recognize as former Cougar player Daniel Brown returns to Pulaski County after many years away.
"We are pleased to welcome Daniel Brown back to Pulaski County High School," PCHS AD Scott Vest said. "Daniel has a commitment and love for the game that will provide a winning combination for our students on the court and in the classroom. It's a good feeling when you're able to hire a good person as well as a good coach!"
Coach Brown graduated from Pulaski County High School as a member of the Class of 1980. He was a three-year letterman and 2.5-year varsity starter for the Cougars. He went on to play for Bluefield College, where he was also a standout player. In his four seasons, he scored over 1,000 points. After serving as an assistant coach for Bluefield in 1985, he played basketball professionally in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Australia from 1986-1988. In 2016, Daniel Brown was inducted into the Bluefield College Basketball Hall of Fame.
He wore jersey #3 for the Cougars and his team finished their senior regular season with a record of 14-6, defeating the 18-1 Roanoke Valley District regular season champion Patrick Henry Patriots in the RRD Tournament Championship game 60-59.
That win forced a rematch between the Patriots and Cougars, who had gotten the best of each other one time each in the regular season. In fact, their regular season loss to the Cougars was their only loss during the regular season. In a huge game held at the Salem Civic Center in front of hundreds of fans, the Cougars pulled out the 65-58 win to advance to the region tournament. All five starters scored in double figures that night, with Brown and Chris Lambert scoring 12 each. Senior Gary Clark had 17 points to lead all scorers that night. David Webb had 14 points. Randy Olverson scored 10 points.
This was the first district title for the program. Now, old number three will hope to rekindle some of that Cougar Pride with his return.
“I am truly honored to be the next Head Basketball Coach at PCHS,” Coach Brown said. “The school and basketball program will get a 150% commitment from myself and our staff daily. I can't wait to meet the young men and their parents and share my expectations on and off the court. I am overly excited and can't wait to start this next phase of my life! On a personal note, I am the proud father of three beautiful daughters and four grandchildren. I am a family man and can't wait to get back to Pulaski and prayerfully reestablish the PCHS program to the level that we are competing for district and regional championships every year.”
At Bluefield College, Brown obtained his Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and Psychology while a member of the basketball team there. He later earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2007.
He moved on to Warwick High School in Newport News, where he served as the JV boys’ basketball coach for three seasons, amassing a record of 48-6 and collecting two JV district titles.
Brown also served as a varsity assistant coach for the boys’ basketball team at Warwick during two stints from 1991-96 and from 2008-2010. During a course of two years between 2008 and 2009, Coach Brown was called upon to lead the varsity team due to health issues for then Head Coach Ben Moore. Brown led the team to a 17-2 record during those 19 games.
From 2011-12 Coach Brown served as an assistant coach for the Heritage High School boys varsity squad. He also served as the JV Head Coach during the 2012-13 season, leading his team to a record of 18-2 and a second-place district finish.
In June 2013, Coach Brown was hired as the Head Coach for the Heritage High School girls’ basketball team. During that time, he oversaw the direction and development of the program, implementing a “teamwork and team before me” culture. He also developed close relationships with other teachers and staff to help each of his players improve academically. His team GPA went from a 2.9 to a 3.3 average during his second season. In basketball, his initial regular season ended with a record of 15-5, earning second in his district to Bethel High School. His squad finished 16-7 overall in his conference, finishing second to Kings Fork High School and earning the conference runners-up. They eventually lost to Monacan High School, who went on to win the State Championship that season.
In his most recent head coaching position, Coach Brown led the Thomas Nelson Community College Women’s basketball program from 2016-17. During that time, he coached the number one three-point shooter in the country in 2017. She shot 64% from the three-point area while averaging 18.9 points per game.
Since September 2022, Coach Brown has spent time as an assistant coach with the Manor High School girls’ basketball team. This past season, the Manor Mustangs finished with a 21-5 record, falling to King’s Fork in the State playoffs. King’s Fork lost to Hampton High School in the State semifinals. The Crabbers moved on to defeat Pulaski County in the State Title game.
Coach Brown will be taking over a program that has had trouble earning wins lately. In the 2019-20 season the varsity squad finished 8-15. In the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season, the Cougars finished 5-10. In the recently ended season, Pulaski County finished 6-16, falling in the opening round of the district tournament. Their last winning season was the 2017-18 campaign, where the Cougars finished 14-13 overall.
The last district title for Pulaski County came in the 2006 season.