Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown was the varsity basketball coach at Washington High School from 2004 until 2019. Before that, he coached at Bloomington Central Catholic for five years and Eaton, Colorado for two. His 2002 Central Catholic team started the season 1-9 but rallied to make the state quarterfinals.
Brown grew up in Lexington, Illinois and attended Eureka College. Always known as a tough competitor, he brought that edge with him to the coaching profession. He pushed his players to be the best they could be and take accountability for their actions.
In Brown’s first season at Washington, the Panthers won their first Mid-Illini Conference title in five years. His won-loss record during his full seasons at the helm of the Panthers speaks for itself:
2004-05: 21-9
2005-06: 24-5
2006-07: 27-2
2007-08: 26-5
2008-09: 22-4
2009-10: 19-8
2010-11: 23-9
2011-12: 26-6
2012-13: 28-2
2013-14: 16-14
2014-15: 25-4
2015-16: 25-4
2016-17: 24-7
2017-18: 17-13
In August 2018 it was discovered Brown had a fast-growing brain tumor and he had surgery six days after the diagnosis. Two months later he was back on the job in time for basketball season. The 2018-19 WCHS basketball season was a struggle, and after an upset win over league-leading Morton in early February, Brown took a medical leave of absence from his job. Long-time assistant Eric Schermerhorn took over as interim coach for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.
Brown’s battle with cancer continued through multiple surgeries, but he passed away June 11, 2019. His legacy lives on through the Kevin Brown Tournament of Champions and the KB Strong-Fighting the Fight foundation.