Feb. 5, 2007

It was pretty clear to the high school track and field coach that the tall, lanky freshman named Anucha Browne was born to be a basketball player.

"He always kept telling me `Why are you running? You are a basketball player,'" said Browne. "I guess it took me a while to realize it."

Thank goodness for the sport of women's basketball, her coach's observation was clearly foresight. The tall, lanky freshman ended up attending Northwestern, where she would become one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of Wildcats' women's basketball.

Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., Browne's path to being one of the most dominant players in Big Ten history did not start on a basketball court. Instead she spent the majority of her childhood training on a neighborhood rink as a figure skater. It would be her coach's persuasion and a jump in her height to 5-10, that would lead Browne to make the switch to basketball during her freshman year in high school.

Even though playing sports came easily to Browne, it was not part of her family background. Despite coming from a large brood with three sisters and two brothers, she was the only sibling in the Browne household that was drawn to sports.

"For my parents, it was definitely different, because none of my brothers and sisters were ever really involved in athletics, so I was the first," said Browne. "So they just wanted to make sure I had a balance with my schoolwork and sports."

While her parents were supportive of Browne's athletics interest, her first priority would be her studies. Her father, Alfred, had immigrated from Guyana and then paid his way through college to become a microbiologist. Her mother, Alma, was a civil service worker developing new residential properties in their hometown.

"My parents were never concerned with athletics as much as academics and what I was going to do for the rest of my life," said Browne. "If I spent two hours on the court, I'd better be ready to spend four hours studying. But they were very happy that I ended up getting a free education through athletics."

With her parents' focus always on education, Browne eventually ended up at Northwestern, despite not even being recruited by the school at first. Instead, she talked to the coaching staff after visiting her sister, who was already a student at the university.

"I just fell in love with everything they had to offer," said Browne. "I loved the fact that my sister was going here and I would also be able to get a great education while playing basketball too."

Even though she was far away from her East Coast roots, Browne immediately took to Evanston and the campus as her new home. However, this easy transition was facilitated by the help of her teammates, coaches and support staff.

"They have such a positive and healthy sports system at Northwestern," she said. "I felt from the time I entered college, everyone was so supportive. Everything from being homesick to just keeping me on the right track academically, people were always there to help and guide me."

Browne ended her season season as the NCAA national scoring leader with 30.5 points per game.

With her studies in check, Browne could focus on becoming a better basketball player. In her first two seasons in Evanston, she was a scoring threat, averaging over 18 points per game. But clearly her path to becoming one of the most dominant scorers in the nation evolved after her sophomore year.

As a junior, Browne became the first woman and the fourth person in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring and rebounding the same season, while also earning Big Ten Player of the Year accolades. In addition, she picked up Kodak All-District laurels for the second-consecutive year and was a Wade Trophy finalist for National Player of the Year.

While Browne-Sanders placed her name among the conference records as a junior, she was  ready to reign nationally in her final year. However, instead of playing basketball during the summer before her senior season, she took a different approach in improving her game.

"As a student-athlete, you are always practicing and practicing, so during the summer before my senior year I decided to just relax," said Browne. "I didn't do a lot of playing. Instead I concentrated on the cardio and aerobic side of my workouts by running hills and doing other cardio activities. I think something just clicked for me because by my senior year, I played with reckless abandonment."

Immediately, Browne's new focus made an impact on the young Wildcat squad. She opened her senior season by becoming the first woman in NCAA history to tally six straight 30-plus point performances. She also registered a school single-game record of 45 points in a 74-69 victory at St. John's, the most points scored by any woman in the nation that season.

Browne would end her career winning the NCAA scoring title with 30.5 points per game, while also becoming the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer at that time with 2,307 points. In addition, she established the school's rebounding career mark of 952 and established several single-game records that still remain today. The 6-1 center also captured Big Ten Player of the Year laurels for the second consecutive season and was selected as a first-team Kodak All-American.

After graduating from Northwestern in communications studies, Browne went on to earn a master's degree in communications marketing from Florida State. She would continue to play basketball as a member of the U.S. Women's National Team, but soon gave up the game to focus on the business world.

"I could have played professionally by going to Europe, but instead I chose to get my master's degree," said Browne. "I do wish now that the WNBA had been around back then. But I took what I got from my education at NU and with my love of sports, I was able to translate it into a career in sports."

Browne began her professional career at IBM, overseeing the company's sports-related marketing activities. She would later work in the NBA as a marketing executive. Now known as Browne-Sanders, the mother of three remains active with the Wildcat women's basketball program. She speaks to the team and helps in fundraising, while also serving as a mentor to young women.

While her playing days may be over, Browne-Sanders hopes her legacy at Northwestern will be about more than women's basketball. By mentoring young women, she hopes to provide the guidance she received as a tall, lanky freshman on the track -- the kind of boost that pushed a young woman to outstanding success.

"My mother would always say `Lift as you rise,' which means you are never too young to be a mentor to others," said Browne-Sanders. "That message has clearly stayed with me. As you grow in your career, lift other women up. By opening up doors to others coming through, that is the only way you will see a sustainable change in opportunities for women throughout many industries."