`OLD MAN' BROWN ADDS TO SWEET SHOT.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

Canoga Park High's Cecil Brown sits alone in the stands watching the Hunters' junior varsity boys' basketball team play Grant. A pair of headsets cover his ears and his chin rest in his hands as he stares intently ahead.

It's difficult to determine what purpose the headsets serve. Are they feeding soothing or motivational music into the region's most prolific scorer's head as he prepares for his varsity game, or just shielding him from the noise surrounding him?

Brown's teammates are a crazy bunch an hour before game time, a zany group of restless teenagers flirting with girls sitting nearby, trading jokes with one another and generally making a lot of noise.

But not Brown. He barely says a word or cracks a smile as he sits by himself. He isn't arrogant or aloof, just focused.

Clearly the headsets are for protection.

``It's no big deal, most of those guys are pretty young,'' Brown said in defense of his teammates. ``It's kind of funny, but sometimes I feel like the old man.''

Old? Hardly. Sizzling hot with the sweetest shooting stroke in the region? Definitely.

Brown, a 6-4 forward, is averaging an area-best 32 points a game, but that's just a number on a piece of paper. It's how Brown gets his points that makes him special. His outside shot is so pure and accurate it drives opponents crazy, the way he can let fly from anywhere on the court with defenders draped all over him and hit nothing but net.

Brown has had scoring explosions of 53 points against Fresno Edison and 51 against Hollywood. In a game against Verdugo Hills, he missed six consecutive 3-pointers but hit 20 of 22 2-pointers.

When he gets on a roll, there's really nothing opponents can do. Even he can't explain it.

``I mean, I knew I could score, but no way did I think I'd get 50 points twice,'' Brown said. ``I was just feeling it and it was a close game, so we needed points.''

Others can explain it nicely.

``He's just a terrific shooter,'' said Grant coach Howard Levine after Brown scored 30 points against the Lancers on Friday. Canoga Park lost the game - its second to Grant this year - but as usual Brown left an impression.

``He really makes you work to stop him,'' said Levine, who compares Brown's scoring ability to former Grant and current Arizona star Gilbert Arenas.

It's not just Brown's outside game that makes him dangerous. When defenders crowd him, Brown is quick and strong enough to get around them off the dribble and go to the basket. It's a new wrinkle Brown added to his game during the offseason, knowing opponents would try to take his outside game away.

``Last year, all he did was shoot jumpers, which wasn't a problem because he was making them,'' said Brown's father, Cecil Sr. ``But we knew people were going to try and stop that, so the whole offseason the focus was on going to the basket.''

By adding a drive game, Brown accomplished two objectives: He's now a versatile, complete offensive force, able to get his points anywhere on the court. In addition, he eliminated the one concern college recruiters had about him. Before the season, schools seemed hesitant to offer scholarships, wary that Brown was just a one-dimensional player. Now that they see he can do more than shoot jumpers, their interest is rising.

Among the schools courting Brown are UCSB, which he went to see play over the weekend, Long Beach State and Providence.

Brown finds it all difficult to comprehend or explain. He came into the season disappointed more schools weren't showing interest and wondering what his basketball future held. Now he can pick and choose from a handful of schools.

``It's pretty exciting; I'm happy,'' Brown said.