The basketball career of Pamela Brown is not just one of celebrated achievements, but one of resilience and mental fortitude. 

The 2025 Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame inductee overcame not one but two knee surgeries to become an outstanding player at Athens High School and the University of West Alabama — she helped lead the Athens varsity girls basketball team to two state championships and later was a top player for UWA. 

“I suffered my first knee injury during the summer prior to my junior year at Athens High School,” said Brown. “I was devastated. I heard all the horror stories about knee injuries ending athletic careers. Fear and self-doubt set in. But with faith and a never-give-up attitude, I was able to overcome the injury and make it back for the second half of my junior season. 

“Same thing at UWA. We were playing at the University of Montevallo during my junior year and I suffered a major injury to my other knee. I had to have surgery again and go through the therapy process just to make it back for my senior year. I think with the knee surgeries and the intensive rehab process, it made me tougher mentally. I am proud to be inducted into the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame, and it is kind of a confirmation that the hard work paid off.”

Tough is the best description in describing Brown, remarked Randy White, her coach at Athens and a 2008 LCSHOF inductee. 

“She took on all challenges and didn’t back down from anyone. Pam was the same every day. She came to play. She was strong and tough as anyone I ever coached,” said White. 

Brown was a force for the Golden Eagles, helping bookend state championships during her career. The Eaglettes won the state championship her freshman season, accumulating a perfect 34-0 record during her senior season en route to another state title. 

In fact, Athens recorded an impressive 116-22 record during Brown’s career. She was named to the All-Area team all four years while being one of only 1,600 high school players nationwide to be nominated to the first-ever McDonald’s All-American high school girl basketball team. She finished her prep career fifth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,233 career points, and her 658 career rebounds are seventh all-time in that category. 

The rebounds were impressive, especially since Brown stood at just 5-8 and often played against opponents much taller. 

“Pam might not have been as tall as a lot of players she played against, but she was a giant on the court,” said her former high school teammate Crystal Malone. “Pam was a great player. We could always count on Pam with a consistent performance game in and game out. Now Pam had a quiet demeanor about her, but her game was loud.”

Brown said she has nothing but great memories about her high school career. 

“My freshman season, we were down 11 points to Andalusia in the state championship game with about two minutes left. We kept fouling them and they kept missing free throws. In the meantime, we kept scoring and we were able to win the game by one point. Winning was important to me. Fun was in the winning and we won a lot during my career at Athens. But I will always cherish those memories with my high school teammates when we were cutting up in the hotels or on the bus rides after games,” said Brown. 

Brown earned a scholarship to the University of West Alabama. After two seasons with the Tigers, she was ready to take on a more productive role in the program. 

“Going into my junior season at UWA, I was really starting to find my place in the program. I was on pace to average about 20 points per game and then I suffered the injury at Montevallo. I was really proud that I preserved through another knee surgery and rehab to make it back for my senior year,” said Brown. 

Brown credits her father with her success on the basketball court. 

“Believe it or not, I didn’t start playing basketball until I was about 9 years old. I was a twirler starting at age 4. I hated it until we started having competitions later on. But by then, my father had introduced me to basketball. He taught me how to play and how to use the backboard when I shot. He encouraged me to play against boys. He said it would make me tougher. Throughout my basketball career, that is the one trait I took with me every time I played. I wanted to be the hardest-working and toughest player on the court,” said Brown.