Brown's McGonagill makes magic in his first season

After a long season, the Lions have finally made it to the final two games of the season. In their season finale at Levien Gym this Saturday, the Lions will battle the Brown Bears. Although the Bears (11-15, 4-8 Ivy) have struggled to win games this season, they managed to knock off Princeton 75-65 on Feb. 19. The Bears are led by top-notch players who will challenge the Lions on Saturday night—players such as Sean McGonagill.

McGonagill, a freshman guard from Brookfield, Ill., has been one of the Bears’ best athletes this season. In his first season, McGonagill has started all 26 of the Bears’ games and has proven himself to be a great all-around basketball player. He ranks among the top three players on the team in nearly every major offensive and defensive category—including 3-point shooting, free throws, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, assists, steals, and points scored.

However, becoming such an accomplished athlete has been no walk in the park. “The hard-working mentality he brings everyday is something that has allowed him to mature and get better at a faster pace than most freshmen,” said Brown assistant coach TJ Sorrentine, who himself was a standout college basketball player at Vermont.

“His improvement from early in the season has been tremendous. His confidence has grown and thus his game has continued to grow,” Sorrentine said. McGonagill’s game surely has grown. In his first five games as a Bear, McGonagill averaged 9.4 points per game, but that has soared to 15.2 over the past five.

McGonagill credits his improvement to his coaches, including Sorrentine and fellow assistant coach Abdul Abdullah. “I feel I have really improved on controlling the floor, and playing under control. It has been a wonderful opportunity to learn from my coaches—TJ Sorrentine and Coach Abdul Abdullah—who have experienced this over their careers,” McGonagill said.

McGonagill also pointed to his coaches as to why he picked Brown. “I felt I had an amazing opportunity for a great education and I really loved how the coaches treated me throughout the recruiting process,” McGonagill said.

Likewise, the coaches were excited to have McGonagill join the program. “It’s been a joy to coach Sean this season,” Sorrentine said.

“After seeing Sean play on the AAU circuit all summer long, I knew he was a good player. To foresee how well he has played this year has surprised everyone. To average 15 points, five assists, and five rebounds in league play is something I don’t think anyone could have predicted. I am extremely proud of Sean and am very excited to see him continue to get better.”

McGonagill has also made a point this season to learn from his teammates, whom he also credits for helping him choose Brown. “I have met an amazing variety of people, who have really made my experience here great—especially my teammates. I should give a lot of thanks to them because they have made it a great experience and given me great advice over my time here,” McGonagill said.

Sorrentine has seen how McGonagill, despite being one of the team’s best players, learns from his teammates, taking a leadership role in the locker room.

“Sean is a leader right now through his work ethic in practice and by his play on the floor. As a point guard, it is important to take a leadership role in many ways, but it is also important to learn from the upperclassmen. The senior class has done a great job mentoring Sean, and Sean has done a great job embracing what the seniors have helped with along the way,” Sorrentine said.
McGonagill’s willingness to learn and to improve will help him as he continues to make the transition to becoming a team leader this offseason.

“I plan to improve over the off-season, and keep working hard with my teammates to build more chemistry. I hope to become more of a leader and help the freshman on my team next year to transition like my teammates have done for me this year,” McGonagill said.

Likewise, Sorrentine sees how McGonagill has grown within the short time frame of this season and projects that McGonagill will continue to be a great athlete.

“Sean’s biggest strength is his court awareness. He also has great court savvy. It’s something you really can’t teach. Some guys have a great feel for the game and he is one of those guys. I don’t really think he has a weakness in his game, and if he did, I think we will keep that in house and work on it this off-season. Sean will continue to get better because he wants to win and he understands that the only way to win is if you out-work everybody else in the country. Sean is a worker so I am confident he will continue to improve,” Sorrentine said.

Given McGonagill’s impressive freshman season, the Bears will become a stronger and more potent force within the conference, challenging the Light Blue for years to come.