By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Kyle Brown has seen his role change over the course of his 12 years in the Princeton Recreation Men’s Summer Basketball League.
After getting started in the league with Where2ball.com and helping that team to a league title in 2006, Brown has spent the last six years with Ivy Inn, which is always in the hunt for a league championship.
He came into the league as a scorer and was a second team All-League selection in 2004. Now as a 33-year-old veteran with Ivy Inn, he’s taken on more of a complementary role on the court.
But one thing that hasn’t changed for the league veteran is winning. Every year he’s played he’s been part of a team that has made a run at a league championship. He helped Ivy Inn take a step toward a possible league title this year with a 45-27 win over Bring Me Food on Wednesday night at Community Park.
“It feels good,” said Brown, who had three points and played a key role on defense in the win. “I have been playing in this league for a long time. We know how to win. It feels good to get out there and get up and down the court. We’re just trying to win another championship.”
With injuries and work commitments reducing the number of available players for Ivy Inn, Brown has seen more court time during the playoffs than he had in the regular season. The West Windsor-Plainsboro High graduate has been able to find time to get on the court while juggling his home life with a young child and his work as a police officer in West Windsor.
“I’m married now and have a baby and with work this is the only time I get out and play,” Brown said. “We’re not as young as we used to be and we don’t score like we used to. So we have to rely on each other and it is more of a team effort than an individual effort.
“Every year we come out with that same core. We tend to do pretty well. As long as we keep that core together, we know how each other can play the game. We know what we have to do and we know our roles. I know my role now is defense. I’m fine with that and I don’t care if I score at all. My role right now is to play defense, push the ball and be a leader out there. I do the dirty work that doesn’t get a lot of the glamour.”
Wednesday’s win evened the best-of-three championship series at one game apiece. Sherm Brittingham led the Ivy offense with 15 points, while Tommy Soulias and Mark Aziz added 12 points apiece. Davon Black scored 11 points in the loss.
Bring Me Food opened the championship series with a 54-39 win on Monday night in a game that was played indoors at Princeton High. DeQuan Holman had 18 points, while Nick Davidson scored 15 and Vince Anfield added 13 in the win. Brittingham scored 21 points in the loss for Ivy.
The third and deciding game of the championship series will be played tonight at 8:15 p.m. at Community Park.
Ivy Inn reached the finals with a 48-44 win over Aria Health in the semifinals last Friday night. Soulias scored 19 points and Aziz added 12 in the win. Tim Guers had 18 and Steve Ciotti added 10 for Aria Health.
Bring Me Food reached the finals with a 50-45 win over SAT Smart/Princeton Soup and Sandwich in the semifinals. Davidson had 12 and Anfield added 11 to lead the offense for BMF. Kevin Johnson had 13 points and Eric Klacik added 11 in the loss,
