As a senior it's become obvious to fans, coaches and teammates alike that UConn wing Denham Brown is a new man. Once quiet and stoic, Brown has pushed himself to come out of his shell and become a much needed vocal team leader, while also taking on the responsibility of expanding his game.

With two inexperienced freshman point guards running the show, UConn head coach Jim Calhoun has preached the need for others to step up their game and make plays for others.

With spot-on decision making and a terrific understanding of his role, Brown has not disappointed. The 6-foot-6 wing player has been impressive in the early going, showing his improved ability to create for others, as well as for himself.

Brown has not only stepped up his passing game and found open teammates to help spark Connecticut's offense, but he has also shouldered more offensive responsibility. Averaging 13.3 points per game, Brown has been UConn's most consistent offensive player thus far, hitting big shots just when the Huskies have needed them. The biggest of those shots came when he dropped the game winning jump hook on Gonzaga with one second left in regulation as he led the Huskies to the Maui Invitational Championship. He also led the team in scoring averaging 15.6 points over three games. Brown not only made the Maui all-tournament team, but was also named Big East Player of The Week for his efforts.

"Us seniors, we've really got to take the load of doing the extra things, getting an edge on other guys on the court to be a solid team all the way around," said Brown.

Brown's hard work at his passing game as well as his all around guard skills, have helped him to transition from small forward to starting shooting guard at UConn. Brown, who was a shooting guard in high school, says the transition has been a smooth one.

"It wasn't really a big difference for me playing small forward or shooting guard, which I played in high school. I've gotten better, even better than in high school at being a guard, creating plays for others, and creating plays for myself."

A combination of natural progression, maturity and hard work have been the key factors that have helped the Toronto native expand his passing game this season, much to the delight of the UConn coaching staff.

"It's come naturally, just being able to see things, but I also worked on it," says Brown. "Even over the summer, just getting to the hole and passing it out. Even when I had the shot, just working on things that made me better all around. It's showing now. It's showing that I have the ability to pass the ball and make assists."

With five assists and no turnovers to go along with 15 points against Texas Southern friday night, Brown continued to demonstrate his improved court vision with an array of terrific passes, including a dazzling no look dish to Josh Boone.

"Denham's taken on the responsibility," Calhoun noted after the game. "He really is almost over-passing to some degree, which is a great, great sign for us. We're going to need that. We're going to need that coming down the stretch. The more multi-dimensional he becomes...It just makes us a better team."

1,000 Point Club

As much as Brown enjoyed getting others involved in Connecticut's offense, the biggest thrill of the night for him against Texas Southern came when he surpassed 1,000 points for his career, joining some elite company in the Connecticut record books. The milestone fittingly came on an emphatic fast break dunk.

"It feels wonderful," said Brown of the achievment. "This is what I play for, reaching a level a lot of guys haven't reached. I've been here four years and I've seen Ben Gordon get inducted into the thousand point club, just the other day Rashad (Anderson) got it, so there's big time scorers that have gotten to that 1,000 point club and I appreciate being in it."

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