Feature Story - Huskers Connect and Compete (Whitney Brown, 2021)
Feature Story - Huskers. Together. (Whitney Brown, 2020)
Honors & Awards
- Academic All-Big Ten (2022)
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2020, 2021; Spring 2021, 2022)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2021, 2022)
- First-Team All-Nebraska (Omaha World-Herald, 2019)
- Second-Team Super-State (Lincoln Journal Star, 2019, 2020)
- Second-Team All-Nebraska (Omaha World-Herald, 2020)
- First-Team Nebraska Class B All-State (2019, 2020)
- Nebraska State Championship All-Tournament Team (2019)
- Captain All-Heartland Super Squad (Grand Island Independent, 2019, 2020)
Freshman (2021-22)
Whitney Brown averaged 1.5 points in six minutes per game in her second season as a Husker in 2021-22. The 5-8 guard from Grand Island competed in 19 games, including a season-high 19 minutes at Iowa (Jan. 16), when the Huskers played without starting guards Jaz Shelley (COVID protocols) and Sam Haiby (injury). Brown scored five points against the eventual Big Ten champion Hawkeyes, before getting five more points in Nebraska's win over Wisconsin (Jan. 27) when NU resumed play after a 10-day COVID pause.
Brown hit 33.3 percent (6-18) of her three-point attempts. She had a season-high six points on a pair of threes in a win over Alabama A&M (Nov. 11). She also hit threes against Prairie View A&M (Nov. 9) and North Carolina Central (Nov. 20), as she opened the season 4-of-5 from long range. She hit her final three-pointer of the year in the win over the Badgers (Jan. 27).
A strong performer in the classroom, Brown was one of nine Huskers to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2021-22.
Freshman (2020-21)
Brown stayed in state to join the Husker program as a preferred walk-on as a freshman in 2020-21. She played in all 26 games, including her first career start in place of an injured Ruby Porter in an opening-round Postseason WNIT win over UT Martin (March 19). Brown tied her career high with four three-pointers against the Skyhawks and tied another career best with five rebounds. She finish the game with 12 points.
Brown got her Husker career off to a solid start by averaging 3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 2020-21. She also posted a team-best 2.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
She produced the best game of her young career with a career-high 14 points on a career-best 4-of-8 three-point shooting in a 63-55 win over No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 16). Brown, who played a career-high 28 minutes while helping the Huskers overcome the absence of second-leading scorer and rebounder Isabelle Bourne, was the second-leading scorer in the game against the previously unbeaten Buckeyes.
Brown added nine points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting at Penn State (Feb. 4), after scoring six points on back-to-back third-quarter threes in a win over Wisconsin (Jan. 28). She added five points and a career-high five rebounds (all offensive) against Minnesota (Jan. 19). She also played a big role with six points and three rebounds in Nebraska’s win over No. 15 Northwestern (Dec. 31) on her birthday. She had six points and three boards at No. 15 Indiana (Dec. 20). She notched three points and three assists to help the Huskers knock off No. 23 Michigan State (Jan. 10). Brown scored Nebraska’s final point at the free throw line to help seal the 68-64 win over the Spartans.
Brown enjoyed a strong debut with five points and a career-high four steals in a 90-61 season-opening victory over Oral Roberts (Dec. 4). She added five more points, two rebounds and two assists in a win over Illinois in Nebraska’s Big Ten opener (Dec. 10).
In Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament win over Minnesota (March 10), Brown dished out a career-high six assists while adding four rebounds.
She contributed a big three-pointer and a key steal to go along with two assists in Nebraska’s win over Rutgers (Jan. 3). Brown added five points, two assists and her first career blocked shot at Rutgers (Feb. 7).
Before Nebraska
As a senior at Grand Island Northwest, Brown averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals to lead the team to the Class B state tournament. The 5-8 guard earned second-team Super-State honors from the Lincoln Journal Star and second-team All-Nebraska accolades from the Omaha World-Herald. Brown was a first-team Class B pick for the second straight year. GI Northwest was eliminated with a 48-47 triple-overtime loss to Crete in the state semifinals. Brown scored 19 points and had four assists in the loss.
Brown averaged 16.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game in leading Grand Island Northwest to the 2019 Nebraska Class B State Championship. She averaged 21.0 points per game in three state tournament wins for the Vikings, including a 23-point effort in the Class B state championship game against Crete. Her performance as a junior earned her a spot on the Omaha World-Herald's All-Nebraska First Team, while adding honors on the Lincoln Journal Star's Super-State Second Team in 2019. She was a first-team Class B All-State selection by both papers. She was the captain of the Grand Island Independent's All-Heartland Super Squad for Coach Russ Moerer. She played summer club basketball for the Cornhusker Shooting Stars Bison Elite.
Brown was a four-time letterwinner in both basketball and volleyball at Grand Island Northwest and was a two-time letterwinner in track. She helped the volleyball team to state tournament appearances in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and was a two-time state qualifier in the 3,200-meter run.
An academic all-state selection in both basketball and volleyball, Brown was also the president of the student council and the president of the National Honor Society.
Personal
The daughter of Mick and Lori Brown, Whitney was born Dec. 31, 2001 in Grand Island. She is the youngest of six children, with sisters Jamie Hesser and McKenzie Brown, and brothers Bobby, Brock and Brook. McKenzie played basketball at Nebraska-Kearney. Whitney is a secondary social science education major and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2022. She was a four-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection. She was also a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2021 and 2022.
She chose Nebraska over Eastern Illinois, Northwest Missouri State, Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney, before transferring to Fort Hays State following her second season at Nebraska.
"It has always been my dream since I was a little kid to be a Husker, so when I was given the opportunity it was my dream come true," Brown said. "It will be an honor to represent my hometown with "Huskers" written across my chest."
Whitney Brown's Career Bests
Points - 14 vs. Ohio State, Jan. 16, 2021
Rebounds - 5 vs. UT Martin, March 19, 2021; 5 vs. Minnesota, Jan. 19, 2021
Assists - 6 vs. Minnesota, March 10, 2021
Steals - 4 vs. Oral Roberts, Dec. 4, 2020
Blocks - 1 at Rutgers, Feb. 7, 2021
FGM - 5 vs. Ohio State, Jan. 16, 2021
FGA - 9 vs. Ohio State, Jan. 16, 2021
3FGM - 4 vs. UT Martin, March 19, 2021; 4 vs. Ohio State, Jan. 16, 2021
3FGA - 8 vs. Ohio State, Jan. 16, 2021
FTM - 2 vs. Maine, Nov. 9, 2021
FTA - 2 Five times, most recent vs. NC Central, Nov. 20, 2021
Brown's Career Stats
| Year | G-GS | FG-FGA | Pct. | 3FG-3FGA | Pct. | FT-FTA | Pct. | TRB-Avg. | PF-D | A | TO | Blk | ST | Pts-Avg. |
| 2020-21 | 26-1 | 29-78 | .372 | 20-53 | .377 | 5-8 | .625 | 37-1.4 | 26-0 | 27 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 83-3.2 |
| 2021-22 | 19-0 | 10-26 | .385 | 6-18 | .333 | 3-4 | .750 | 12-0.7 | 7-0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 29-1.5 |
| Career | 45-1 | 39-104 | .375 | 26-71 | .366 | 8-12 | .667 | 49-1.1 | 33-0 | 33 | 22 | 1 | 16 | 112-2.5 |