PORT ARTHUR — Talk to Port Arthur Memorial senior girls forward Velma Brown and it’s team, team, team.

Talk to her coach, however, and the buzzwords you hear signal a very good player. Words like “little things,” “versatility,” or “mismatch.”

That’s a big reason why Brown is one of the best defensive players on a team that’s making its biggest stamp in District 21-5A on the defensive side of the ball.

“She’s like our anchor, especially on the defensive side of the ball,” Port Arthur Memorial head coach Kevin Henry said. “She’s a do-it-all player. She doesn’t complain, she just gets out there and works hard. She’s really the focus of our press. A lot of times, how she goes is how our press goes.

“ She’s very active on the boards, especially on the defensive boards. Offensively, she’s able to stretch the defense by playing on the perimeter. She’s a very coachable player. She’s the kind of player any coach would love to have on a team. She gets out there and works hard, doing the little things for us. With her length, she’s able to guard the smaller guards and pose a height problem for them. She’s been a blessing to have.”

Brown plays power forward or the “four” for the Lady Titans, but she’s got enough versatility to slide two ways because of her arm length.

“She’s a very versatile player, ” Henry said. “She could probably play every position on the floor. She can play the point if we needed her to, but we’ve got so many guards, we don’t require it. She helps bring the ball down the court. If we go with a small lineup, she’ll usually start at the five for us. We know if she plays at the next level, she’ll probably play at the three, so we’ve been trying to help her move out of the paint and play on the perimeter.

“After her sophomore year, we told her she needed to work on her ballhandling skills if she wanted to play on the next level. When we have practice, she works both with the post players and the guards, because she plays both spots on the floor for us.”

According to Henry, Brown is in the top three in rebounding, steals and points per game. The points and steals are nice and mainly come off transition plays, but the points are not something Brown seeks out consciously, as she sees her role more on the defensive side too.

“ I help my team out, you know, rebound,” Brown said. “ I don’t really care about scoring, as long as I can set up someone else to make good plays, I’m okay with it.”

That scoring is picking up since district play started. Henry said Brown has benefited from his strategy of trying to spread out opposing 21-5A teams, giving her a chance to sneak out on the perimeter more consistently. Since other power forwards may be loathe to go out after her, Brown creates her own space and has been knocking down those shots regularly.

“Since district play has started, her perimeter game has improved,” Henry said. “She’s got a lot more confidence with her shooting. Because of the teams we’ve faced, we’ve tried to spread it out so we can penetrate and attack. She’s benefited from that, because a lot of the fours and fives we’ve played don’t want to move out there. So, she’s able to get a lot of separation, set her feet and get her shots up. She’s been working hard and I’m glad it’s paying off for her.”

Even though she’s a senior and is down to just four more guaranteed games, Brown seems to care more about the team’s success than any personal goals. That goes for playing time, too.

“ One day, you may get a lot of playing time and one day, you may not,” Brown said. “It’s not a big deal, though, because whoever helps out the team the most, that’s what matters. All of us are really good, so if one person is having a bad game, another teammate can step up and have a good game.”

It’s not surprising that Brown’s attitude is reflected throughout the team. The senior is not only one of the team’s leaders, but she has bought into the system Henry has set up along with the rest of her teammates.

“She kinds of leads the team,” Henry said. “She’s not too vocal with the team, as far as directing traffic on the court. She leads by example and doing things the right way. She’s a good student. She’s one that you only have to tell one time and she gets it done.

“All of the girls have bought into the system of having no superstars on the team, There are a lot of players who could get more time to build better individual stats. But, they’ve made sacrifices for the betterment of the team. They’ve bought into the system and are out there having fun right now. The success is transferring over to our wins and losses. Everyone is doing their part to make things happen and contribute where they can.”