Long Beach Native Joshua Brown is just like any other college student this semester, worrying about COVID-19 and about passing his classes. Where he differs from many other students is that he is training for his upcoming football senior season at the University of Arizona with one problem: he has to train away from school.
Brown had just come off of an impressive junior season where he tallied twenty-one tackles, three sacks and five tackles for losses.
When the coronavirus outbreak began, Brown wasn’t too worried that it would hinder him in any way. “I thought it was a minor issue. I’m not really into the news. Once they closed down the professional sports, I knew that they were going to close college sports,” Brown said.
While many people have looked at COVID-19 as a terrible pandemic that the world is dealing with, Brown shares a different view.
“It’s a blessing in disguise. I wanted to work with my team for spring ball, but this has given me a lot of time to work on myself,” Brown said.
The University of Arizona football program has given all its players a workout plan while dealing with COVID-19, which Brown said he is a big fan of.
“It’s kinda a solo act with the workouts, but I give credit to Arizona for sending us workouts and workout equipment,” Brown said.
Brown said he has used Long Beach fitness areas to also help him stay in top shape.
“A lot of stuff is closed, but I use the Stephens Track, and Chittick Field has always been open to the public, so shout out to Long Beach for that,” Brown said.
Brown is also experimenting with his fitness with new workouts such as bike riding.
“The city of Long Beach is very bike-friendly. I just did a twenty-mile bike ride for the first time ever,” Brown said.
This upcoming season is very crucial for Brown. It is his make-or-break year, and he said he isn’t worried about starting off the season slow because of COVID-19.
“Every school had to go through this shutdown, so I feel like we won’t miss a beat,” Brown said.
Brown spoke about how he intends to end his Arizona career with a bang.“My personal goals are six-plus sacks and at least ten tackle for losses, but my goal for the team is to go to the Pac 12 championship then the Rose Bowl. I feel that the more we play, the more opportunities the seniors get to have to go to the next level.”
“Winning a piece of hardware with my brothers that I did it all with, shed blood sweat and tears with. Winning something means they can never take that away from us,” Brown said on what his ultimate team goal is.
Brown is not hesitant to give advice to younger high school players who are dealing with the pandemic.
“My message to the young athletes who are looking to go to college is to stay on your grind. Don’t stress about the process. You can only control your play on the field, the work you put in during the offseason, and your schoolwork. Your hard work will not go unnoticed, someone will find you and appreciate your talents,” Brown said.