Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Players LaSha Petree and Olivia Cochran said they support Coach Brown during her leave for a personal family matter.
- LaSha Petree declined to comment when asked if she had spoken with Coach Brown since the leave.
- Assistant Coach Toccara Ross said there is no timeline for Coach Brown's return and emphasized family matters are the focus.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — The Savannah Steel dropped their fifth consecutive contest on Sunday when they fell to the Jacksonville Waves, 67-59, at Enmarket Arena.
After the game, the organization made guard LaSha Petree and forward Olivia Cochran available for a dual interview.
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Both players said they supported Coach Brown while she took a leave of absence to deal with a personal family matter, when asked by WSAV.
However, when News 3 asked if the players had spoken with the head coach since she took leave, Petree responded, “No comment.”
WSAV followed up with Assistant Coach Toccara Ross about Petree’s comments.
“Our players don’t need to be speaking on what Coach [Brown] is doing because they don’t know,” Ross said. “At the end of the day, we want to continue to pour love into Coach Brown and how she is navigating her family situation and then that’s it.”
WSAV also asked Ross if she could provide an update on when Brown might be returning to the bench area.
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“No, unfortunately we don’t,” Ross said. “We tell our players all the time that it’s bigger than basketball. Coach is taking care of some family things right now. That’s our focus with her is to continue to do her job and what she’s built.
As for the game, Savannah held a three-point lead after the first 30 minutes.
However, the Steel were outscored, 27-12, in the final frame to fall, 67-59.
The Steel finished their nine-game homestand at 3-6, losing their last five. This is Savannah’s second five-game losing streak this season.
Savannah returns to action on Friday, when they travel to Jacksonville.
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