Fifth-year guard Rashawn Browne's journey to the University of Manitoba includes countless examples of dedication, perseverance and leadership. From grinding it out at the NCAA Division I and II levels, to working on his shot, to pushing through injuries, there have been plenty of memories to look back on. 

You'd be hard pressed to find a story more unique than the Ontario native's recruitment visit to UM for the 2017-18 season however. It's a story of dedication from head coach Kirby Schepp and a tremendous example of trust and belief from Browne.

The charismatic guard had come off of two years with New Mexico State and a year at California University of Pennsylvania. He was looking to come back to Canada and one of the teams that had expressed interest was the Bisons.

Schepp had communicated over a number of weeks with Browne, ensuring that everything would work out academically with course transfers. The latter was scheduled to fly in for his visit at 1:30 on a Sunday, however at noon the day before, Schepp badly injured his knee at a trampoline park and had to be taken to the hospital, where he was put on strong painkillers.

"I phoned Rashawn knowing it was going to be a problem and seeing if we could delay his visit by a week to see if I could get some time, and he couldn't do it. He had some other things planned the following weeks. Basically, if we didn't bring him in tomorrow, we were going to lose him," recalls Schepp.

"So, I ended up planning his entire visit basically delegating small one to two hour jobs for his entire period. [Bisons football head coach Brian] Dobie was involved in giving him a campus tour and some of our alumni played a big role in showing him around and Srdjan [Komlenovic] our assistant coach worked him out and ran a scrimmage. A part of his visit of course, was having to meet me. One of our guys who had graduated that year, AJ Basi, he actually brought him to the hospital to visit me."

There's no denying that Browne's first time meeting Schepp was unique.

"First of all, he was high out of his mind. He was on every drug possible, and I had never seen a knee look like this. If you know somebody and you go to visit them in the hospital, you have some semblance of what they're like. This guy's personality was obviously bubbly because he's cooked, but besides that man, his knee was all over the place. I'm looking down like how are you going to show us stuff? You know what, it's all good I liked it here so I decided I was going to come.

It definitely speaks to the commitment. You've got people coming to visit you in the hospital and you arranged everything ahead of time from the hospital. Imagine being drugged up and you're on your phone making calls to hotels and coaches and players and you're not in your right mind. To see that level of him wanting me was a big sign as well."

Browne fit right into Manitoba's lineup, creating a deadly 1-2 tandem in the back court with Justus Alleyn, who won the scoring title that year. The former was Alleyn's primary facilitator, finishing second in the nation in assists.

The following year, Browne assumed a larger overall role, tasked with being a consistent scorer while continuing to distribute for a young Bisons team.

He and four-year starter James Wagner were the only two players who scored in double figures, as rising stars such as Cameron O'Hara (third-year in 2019-20, 18 starts, seven boards, six points per game), Joel Adu-Quaye (third-year, trey in six different games, three boards per game) and Isaac Miller-Jose (third-year, three starts, first big off the bench, dunk machine, 0.9 blocks per game) at forward, as well as Riki Zimbakov (third-year, three starts, 8.6 points per game, 46 percent from distance, 1.1 steals per game) and Keiran Zziwa (16 starts, 15.6 points per game, 1.6 steals per game) at guard continued to find their footing.

Do-it-all forward Andre Arruda (just under ten points per game, consistently guards the other team's best player) was also coming off of a few years out of the game and dealt with some lingering injuries as well.

Browne was named a conference all-star in 2018-19 after finishing with 15.9 points per game and 110 assists, however the Bisons were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by cross-town rival Winnipeg.

"When I first came in, it was Justus and I and James was also included in that group. We were kind of surrounded by a younger, not as experienced group. James was younger but he had the Team Canada experience. I remember thinking to myself man, this guy Justus shoots the ball every possession. Holy smokes. Then we start the next year and it's just me, James and a bunch of young guys and I'm like man, I really miss this guy Justus, he made my job so much easier.

When I look back on it now, that year was completely necessary, because it gave time for Zziwa, Riki, Cameron, Joel and Isaac time to grow. Yeah, we had a bit of a down year, we still made the playoffs, but I think that year was completely necessary for the growth and development in the players we see today."

That growth and development has been on full display in Browne's senior year. Manitoba is currently 15-3, ranked No. 9 in the nation, on pace for their best-ever regular season record and are also chasing a top two seed in the playoffs.

The tireless work ethic from Browne – the lone fifth-year on the team – has been a major factor, as he rarely comes off of the court.

"He's become the ideal modern point guard," added Schepp.

"You want someone who can distribute and someone like an old school point guard who can set people up and get in the lane and run the offence, but at the same time you want someone who can score the ball. As we've seen here his scoring average has slowly increased year in and year out to the point where he's now scoring 19 points per game. He's kind of rounded himself now into a complete player."

As Browne's university career nears its conclusion, there are plenty of memories to look back on. Interestingly, he and his head coach both pointed to the same moment. It's a perfect example of just how close the pair are. 

The game was last Saturday against the University of Victoria on the road. The Vikes – 13-4 at the time – had beaten Manitoba the night before and were hungry for a sweep that would have pushed them above the Bisons in the standings.

Browne – battling a thigh injury that kept him out the week before – wasn't having it. He finished the game with 34 points, helping Manitoba erase a 13-point deficit at one point and a 67-60 lead with ten minutes to play.

"That was pretty crazy. Kirby, he's an interesting guy but he's normally pretty calm on the sideline. This was the first time where I saw him riled up. I made a three and I got pushed on it and they didn't call a foul. They gave me a flop warning. Coach is on the sideline with his clipboard and he's angry. It got me hyped up. In my head I'm like don't worry coach I got you.

I don't think he realizes that my whole coaching staff and my whole team, I think of them like family. I care about them. If someone was to punch someone in my family whose hands were tied behind their back, it's my job to defend them. That's how I feel about my coaches in the sideline. Coach is there, he played basketball once upon a time, but he can't defend himself. He wants to win the game just as much as the rest of us, but he's not capable of going out there and actually doing it. That's why I feel like it's my job, just like how he trusted me, to go and give my all and get that win."