The Tip-Off Club honored Long County High School basketball coach Tony Brown on Wednesday with a medallion and a gift card.

Brown was recognized by the basketball team’s booster club for his help with coaching both the varsity and junior varsity teams at the high school.

"Coach Brown attended all the practices, all the conditioning and the JV and varsity games this year, and he did so as a volunteer coach. That’s a great thing and we wanted to do a little something to show him how much we appreciated him," said club president Kelly Clary.

Brown, who is a 1991 graduate of Bradwell Institute, also played college basketball at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and currently is a paraprofessional at LCHS, working toward his teaching certificate.

"Coach Brown has been a tremendous asset. He has had a great influence on the kids both in the class and on the court, especially to our younger guys," said Blue Tide head basketball coach Deshon Brock. "His knowledge of the game, allowed him to catch on to our system real quick, and in the heat of the games, he has been very much an asset."

Brown, who lived in Washington, D.C., for the past 15 years, came back to the area earlier this year. He said he had never officially been a coach, but he enjoys coaching at LCHS.

"There was a need for help at Long County and I just tried to be more of an advisor and mentor to the kids," Brown said.

Brown helped to lead the LCHS varsity basketball team to a 21-7 record last year. The team advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the state play-offs but lost to the Dublin Fighting Irish, 55-73. The Irish went on to become the 2-AA state champs.