Bethel’s Tiarra Brown commits to Grand Canyon, will reunite with older sister, Tianna
A reunion is in order for Bethel High’s Brown sisters, Tianna and Tiarra. Tiarra, The News Tribune’s 2020 All-Area high school girls basketball player of the year, will be joining the elder Tianna, currently a college sophomore, at Division I Grand Canyon University in the fall.
“I knew I wanted to go there,” Brown said. “It’s an opportunity to play with my sister and everyone else on the team. I know how well we play together.”
Brown, who also held an offer from Eastern Washington, was patient with her recruitment. Grand Canyon recently welcomed a new coach, hiring Molly Miller on April 7.
Miller is a two-time Division II coach of the year and leads all active basketball coaches in winning percentage, posting a 180-17 career record at her alma mater, Drury, in Springfield, Missouri.
The .914 winning percentage tops any active Division I, II or III men’s or women’s basketball head coach with at least five years of experience and includes a 67-1 mark over the past two seasons.
“(Miller) sounded really excited,” Brown said. “How she wants our style of play to be, it really fits in with my style. She knows how she wants our defense to be, how intense she wants our team to be. Very intense, work well together. Be leaders everywhere, not just one leader. I like how she expressed how she wanted it to be to me.”
Brown, the 3A Pierce County League MVP, averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 3.2 assists in her senior season. She played with her older sister during her freshman and sophomore seasons at Bethel, before Tianna graduated. An opportunity at a reunion was too good to pass up.
“It’s T&T, just like the old days,” Brown said. “No one really expected it. People said they’re excited to see us play again.”
The Brown sisters are similar players, though Tianna is more of a pure shooter, whereas Tiarra has a penchant for slashing through the lane.
“We can both do different things,” Brown said. “We play pretty similar.”
Tiarra, who has yet to visit the GCU campus, said she’s heard good things about the school and is excited to attend the Phoenix school.
“I like how everything you need is right there on campus,” Brown said. “Everything you need is right on campus. You always have access to the gym.”
Brown said she wants to continue to work on her pull-up and mid-range game, as well as continuing to become a better defender at the next level. And she’s excited to join the GCU team, which plays in the Western Athletic Conference. The Lopes posted a 15-12 overall record a 10-6 mark in the WAC last season.
“I heard from my sister, when it’s time to practice, most of the team is ready to go,” Brown said. “There’s no complaints. I’m excited about how they’re able to work together and condition on their own and just be a team.”
