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Canadian scoring machine highlights hoops classic

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It is not unusual for teams to break the 100-point plateau in high school basketball all-star games, but the 2002 Pittsburgh Hoops Classic will feature a player who has accomplished that feat in a single game by himself.

Denham Brown, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound wing-forward from Toronto scored 111 points in his final game at Westhill Collegiate Institute this season.

The Connecticut recruit, however, has no plans for an encore when he plays for the USA/International All-Stars against the Pennsylvania All-Stars in the fourth Pittsburgh Hoops Classic's feature game at 8 p.m. today at Fitzgerald Field House.

"This is my first all-star game in the States and I'll use it as a learning experience," said Brown, who will play in the Capital Classic in Washington next weekend. "I'm not going to try to play selfishly or to take over the game. I'm going to be looking for my teammates. If I have open shots, I'll take them."

Brown averaged 35 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals per game this season for Westhill C.I. His scoring exploits quickly became legendary in Toronto, but he had only played one other game before his classmates at Westhill C.I. because of a tournament-heavy road schedule.

When the school was found to have used an ineligible transfer, it was disqualified from the provincial playoffs. Brown used Westhill C.I.'s finale to send a message that he wasn't happy about how his season was ending. Against Toronto's R.H. King, he made 13 3-pointers, matched his previous career high by scoring 56 points in the first half alone and finished with a Canadian-record 111 points in the 150-58 victory.

"It was more of a personal thing," Brown said. "I wanted to go out with a bang in the last game of my career. I really didn't think about it until a couple days afterward because I was so tired. Then, I thought, 'Man, it is a lot of points.' "

Westhill C.I. coach Wayne Dawkins, who will coach the USA/International All-Stars in the Pittsburgh Hoops Classic, considers Brown a multi-skilled and well-rounded player who can shoot off the dribble, off screens or with a hand in his face. But Dawkins warned spectators not to expect a repeat 100-point performance.

"You won't necessarily see any flash," Dawkins said. "He's not that kind of player."

Ranked No. 60 among seniors by the Hoop Scoop recruiting service, Brown is an example of the growing popularity of basketball in Canada. He played for Dawkins in the Grassroots Canada program on the summer circuit, and was rated among the top 20 players at his position after strong performances at the invitation-only Nike All-American Camp and the NBA Players Assocation camp last summer.

Brown is one of three Canadian players in the Pittsburgh Hoops Classic. He will be joined on the USA/International team by Tristan Martin, a high-flying 6-foot point guard from Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute and Kevin Massiah, a 6-5 forward from Maine Central Institute, who both played under Dawkins at Toronto's York Memorial.

"The more we're exposed to high-level basketball, naturally, what's going to happen is our game is starting to catch up," said Dawkins, who played at Eastern Michigan under Ben Braun and Gary Waters from 1991-93. "There should be a progression, an evolution in the game."

While Brown has no intention of turning the Hoops Classic into a personal scoring showcase, he does want to make an impression on Pittsburghers much the same way UConn freshman Emeka Okafora did last year by registering a triple-double.

"It's really exciting," Brown said. "I didn't know much about this game, but after hearing what Emeka did, I know I have to keep the UConn connection going. We want to showcase our talents. It's good for the Pittsburgh community to see what kind of kids are going to play against Pitt the next few years."