Lanes of Success | STEM Senior Leads Buchtel Bowlers to 14-1 Mark

By Ralph N. Paulk, APS Storyteller

Marcus Brown has been rolling a bowling ball for as long as he can remember. Perhaps, soon after his legs were steady enough to walk. 

The STEM senior, who competes for Buchtel CLC, came within a handful of pins of earning a berth in the state championships. The steady, consistent right-hander easily advanced to the district championships with a 660 effort during the sectionals.

“Marcus is the first bowler I've coached to qualify for districts in five years,” said Buchtel coach Annette Economus. “So, it was exciting for him and his family.”

Brown's competitive fires were stoked during a stint in youth leagues. At age 5, he began to find his groove, scoring well above his weight.

“My dad, my brother, my cousins, my uncles, my aunties, basically my whole family bowls,” said Brown, who envisions vying for a spot on the Professional Bowling Association and coaching young, aspiring bowlers.

His mother, Melaney Jackson, is undoubtedly his biggest fan. And his father, Lamont Brown, lured him onto the lanes at the tender age of three – maybe two.

“We started him out when he was able to walk,” Jackson recalled. 

Fortunately, Brown never felt pressured to follow in the proverbial steps of his father and older brother. His passion for the sport was organic, born from an immeasurable desire to extract from the game the sometimes-elusive joy of a perfect game.

“Basically, I just felt like bowling was a lot of fun,” said Brown, a senior who is expected to have a few colleges to court him with a scholarship offer. “I was never forced into it.”

And he won’t be forced into college because it’s fashionable or the norm for students with his academic acumen. Brown expects to graduate at the top third of his class with HVAC credentials that are likely to land him both an apprenticeship and a job.

Admittedly, he’ll take a second look at college if the right scholarship offers presents itself.

“If I end up getting a scout that looks for me and that would want me to play for their college then I’ll reconsider going to college,” he said. “But what I have planned is going into an apprenticeship, joining a union.”

“I know there are some parents out there that they really push their kids to go to college and it's like, okay, but if that's not for them,” Jackson said. "It's fine if he decides not but definitely to continue bowling is a great thing because we definitely have the adult leagues.”

Brown is leveraging his bowling prowess into something special. Even with all the practice and competition, he remains a quality student.

“I'm in an engineering program and with that program we get different types of internships with different types of jobs,” said Brown, who attends STEM High School, but competes with Buchtel CLC because it’s his home district.

“It's definitely very challenging, but encouraging him and just letting him know how important that education is definitely important and that's first and foremost,” his mother said. “Yes, bowling and those extracurriculars come second, but it was definitely very challenging. I'm so thankful, we made it through and that yes, he is definitely a great student.”

“I would always keep up on him and ask him how he's doing in his schoolwork,” said Coach Annette Economus. “I also would get eligibility from my athletic director that they would send out as well as the fact that I would talk to his principal.”

“Marcus told them that to be able to win, we got to work together,” Economus said. “ We're not going to win if we’re not coordinating and talking to each other.

Brown helped orchestrate a cheer for the team. It wasn’t particularly clever, yet inspiring. 

“We kept hyping everyone up, telling them to focus,” said Brown, who served as one of two captains. “If you're not focused, you're not gonna be able to do good.”

We had about seven or eight, but we came down to just five by the end of it where they could also compete. 

At times, the Griffins competed with only four girls. But when it came to probably the middle of the season, I had a strong five that came together and worked together throughout the rest of the season.

“I think it's had a great impact on him, just as an individual, being able to bowl, with a lot of his peers and, because he's grown up in bowling, it just solidified what he does,” Jackson said. “So it is definitely a great impact on him and his mindset and the things that he wanted to do even when it came to his studies.

“It was touch and go one year but he came back the next year, pulled it out and got back on track. But that piece of being able to bowl and being able to support his team and be there for them became a very important piece of his life.”

“I tell them, it's accountability that makes a difference,” Economus said. “They have to confide in each other. It was a really different group that I had this year that they really bonded together.”

Brown, of course, was the centerpiece of a Buchtel team that finished with a single blemish on its record. The Griffins won 14 matches to finish second in conference play behind eventual champion Hoban.

“Marcus’ teammates really bonded with him because they were aware that he was Buchtel’s No.1 player,” said Economus. “They were aware that he knew his bowling and they looked up to him. I looked up to him.”

Brown understands the subtle nuances of the game. He pays attention to details – like the kind of wax used on the lanes. He understands, too, what constitutes a good teammate. 

“I can't believe how many times the students that were at school with me would be like, "Could we have practice today?" Economus said, “and it wasn't that easy for me to practice because of busing and setting up (matches) through a (bowling alley) where there's only so much availability.”

Brown was cast in the role of baker; or the fifth man. He would finish the tenth frame, partly because it's the frame in which he conceivably rolls three times. And he was perfectly suited for those pressure moments.

Besides, he had auditioned for that role before he could walk.