By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After playing for more than a decade in Greece, Turkey, and Israel, Brown is a well-known and well-respected player across southern Europe. And now, at 32 years of age, he is a EuroCup rookie and taking the competition by storm.
Sharing the MVP of the Round honor last week with top scorer Joe Young and Ovie Soko may be just the tip of the iceberg.
Brown is currently second in the competition in scoring behind Young, averaging 20 points per game through the first two contests, and also the top passer with 9 assists per game. That makes him, by the numbers, the top player in the competition with an average PIR of 29.5, leaving behind him both Young (25) and Soko (23.5).
Meanwhile his team, Hapoel Tel Aviv is one of four unbeaten EuroCup sides and goes to Ankara this week trying to keep things that way.
That’s not a surprise. A standout at the University of Texas and a scoring threat on every level he has played, Brown has been more than solid for all the teams he has suited up for during his career to date.
Brown has not only used his basketball gifts to further his professional career. Over the summer, he played in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) together with his former teammate Delroy James for a team named “Autism Army”.
Not only is the team playing for a noble cause – raising awareness for autism, but it’s also a personal matter for James, Brown, and their teammate Isaiah Swann who also played pro basketball in Europe.
They all have children who have been diagnosed with autism. In Brown’s case, it is his daughter.
They had an amazing run in the TBT and made it all the way to the final where they lost to Blue Collar U 89-67. They also lost the $1 million prize, which was in large part intended to be spent on charities for helping those affected by autism.
But life goes on and Brown knows that as well as anyone. A new season is always a fresh start and while some fans tend to see professional athletes as modern-day gladiators, there’s also a strange sense of serenity as you watch or play the game, feeling for that time that the ball going in or out is your chief concern.
Of course, that’s what makes basketball so enjoyable and, for sure, Hapoel and Brown are already having a blast in the EuroCup.