Phil Brown still remembers the day he first walked into the University of Canberra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was 1978, and the youngster was wide-eyed and ready for the next stage of his studies. Ten years, and multiple course changes, later he walked out with a sports science degree and a new vision for his life.
Brown completed his studies while playing for the Canberra Cannons and he acknowledges the role the degree played in setting him up for life as a coach.
Since then, he has developed generations of players at the AIS, including Lauren Jackson and current Capitals coach Kristen Veal.
"It's a great honour," Brown said. "Kudos to UC and what they're doing in their sports programs. It takes me back to the start of my career. Looking to be a professional basketball coach in Australia was not a well-worn pathway.
"Getting a sports science degree here assisted my career a number of times when applying for coaching roles."
MORE SPORT:
Brown was one of four new additions to the University of Canberra Walk of Fame unveiled on Friday, alongside Melbourne Demons president Kate Roffey, Wallaroos high-performance chief Jaime Fernandez and Paralympian Matt Levy.
While the group has followed divergent paths throughout their careers, they each credit the role UC played in their journey. For Roffey, it instilled a lifelong passion for education.
"We often forget universities create all sorts of opportunities for you to do different things in life," Roffey said. "I started as a biomechanist at the Institute of Sport.
"I don't do that anymore but the basis for study and learning creates the opportunities to allow you to go on and be the president of an AFL club, a CEO of the [Victorian] State Sports Centres Trust or a deputy chancellor of a university, all of which I am now."
The Walk of Fame comes as the university continues to progress plans for the Sports Hub Two project, which will include a new showpiece arena.
Officials are working on a business case and hope to announce more details once it's complete.
UC Director of Sport Carrie Graff said it's vital to acknowledge the past while continuing to provide new opportunities for current and future students and staff.
"Sport doesn't stop for us," Graff said. "The pillars of our sports strategy are research and education. We're continuing to grow the sport offerings we have here at UC. UCRISE is our world-class research institute and we're looking establish a sport integrity research institute that would be a world first.
"In our infrastructure piece, we've got smaller infrastructure we're looking to upgrade. The big piece is putting together a detailed business plan for Sports Hub Two, which would be a multi-use indoor court facility with a high-performance showcourt, particularly focused on women's sport."
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.