KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After unexpected delays in getting her student visa renewed and her travel to the United States approved, Tennessee women’s basketball graduate transfer Louise “Lou” Brown has finally made the long journey from Down Under to Rocky Top.
Brown, who transferred to UT from Washington State, arrived in Knoxville on Thursday evening and was greeted by her teammates at McGhee-Tyson Airport. She had shared her good news with the Lady Vol coaching staff last Friday morning that her visa had been approved. Brown was subsequently enrolled in classes for the fall semester and made arrangements for a flight to the U.S. once she had the document in hand.
“After some lengthy delays in the process of getting her student visa renewed, we are thrilled that Lou Brown cleared all international hurdles and finally has arrived at the University of Tennessee,” UT head coach Holly Warlick said. “We appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in resolving this issue and are pleased that we ultimately reached a positive outcome. Lou has created a buzz among the Lady Vol faithful since her commitment, and we are eager for her to showcase her abilities with our program during the upcoming season.”
A native of Melbourne, Australia, the 6-foot-3 forward started 71 of 95 career games at Washington State from 2014-18. Brown averaged 5.6 points and 5.6 rebounds while knocking down 80 three-pointers during her time in Pullman. She graduated from WSU in May with a degree in sport management.
After her 2016-17 season ended prematurely due to a foot injury while she was averaging 10.4 points and 6.9 rebounds through seven games, Brown returned to the court in 2017-18 as a redshirt junior. She started 23 of 28 contests and averaged 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds for WSU. She was the team’s leading rebounder and fifth-leading point-producer, scoring in double figures nine times and tallying six games with double digits in rebounds. She had four double-doubles to lead the squad.
Brown connected on a single-season career-most 29 threes in 87 attempts (.333) last year. She tallied her most field goals and attempts, hitting 62 of 171 (.363), and shot a team-best 78.1 percent from the free throw line (25-32). She also posted a career high for assists in a season with 49.
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