8 minute read
History in the Makeing — Terrell Brown Jr
After a west coast tour of collegiate stops, is ready to write his final NCAA chapters in purple and gold
Terrell Brown, Jr., has the basketball now.
BY BOB SHERWIN • CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It has been handed down to him from a long succession of Seattle legends. Decades crammed with players who thrived in the city’s rich and competitive basketball tradition, many with the opportunities, like Brown, to flash their skills at the University of Washington.
Brown, the Seattle native and Garfield grad, made it to Montlake this season, at 23 years old after playing in three programs at three different levels over the past four seasons. He follows others who have proudly worn the Purple before him: Brandon Roy, Isaiah Thomas, Terrence Ross, Tony Wroten, Nate Robinson, Will Conroy, Donald Watts, Markelle Fultz, Andrew Andrews, Dejounte Murray and Jaylen Nowell, among so many others.
Then there are other locals, many also counted among his friends, who slipped away to win conference and national honors such as: Jamel Crawford, Doug Christie, Marvin Williams, Martell Webster, Zach Lavine, Aaron Brooks, and Jason Terry, who played two years at Franklin High with Terrell Brown, Sr. When Junior was born in 1998, he was honored to be his godfather.
“Playing for the University of Washington and having those dudes come before me, like Brandon Roy or Will Conroy, whose coaching (assistant) me now, it’s bigger than basketball. It’s the pride of putting on the Purple and Gold. It’s really big.
“The whole basketball community in Seattle is like family based, like a brotherhood.”
Brown knows all those fellows. From a young age, he watched them. He played with and against some of the city's playgrounds and hardwoods. He’s an old-school vestige, a connection -- and, he hopes, a continuation -- of the program’s glory days.
“It’s great having ‘Washington’ across your chest and look up (to the rafters) and see Brandon and Thomas’ numbers retired. There's pride there. You can always come back home and feel the love.”
Brown did come home to UW, although it was a crazy circuitous route. At Garfield, he was part of back-to-back state championships (2014-15) then decided to play for Western Oregon, a Division II program. But believing that he was selling himself short, he backed away and decided to take a year off, using it to work on his strength and his grades.
He then played one year for Shoreline Community College and led the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) in scoring at 30 points a game.
Seattle University took an interest, as Brown spent the next two seasons playing for the Redhawks. He was invited to walk on but quickly earned a scholarship. He led the Redhawks in scoring his first season at 14.1 ppg and followed that by leading his team and the Western Athletic Conference in scoring at 20.7 ppg, 20th best in the nation.
At season’s end he told himself, “it was time for me to grow up, get away and see how world operates.” He transferred to Arizona, where his godfather Jason Terry played and was an assistant coach at the time. Brown appeared in all 26 games, had 90 assists and just 23 turnovers, the second-best assists-to-turnovers ratio (3.91) in the country.
“In my heart I always wanted to be a Husky,” said Brown, a one-and-out Wildcat. He transferred to UW.
“They (Huskies) were at the bottom of the Pac12 last year. What kind of story would it be if me and my friends came back and turned this thing around and turned it over to the next generation?” he said.
Brown was the first to commit then, as a natural point guard, he worked on his assists. He helped convince three other transfers — all players he played with or against in Seattle — to join him with the Huskies. His cousin, Daejon Davis, who played at Garfield, transferred in after four seasons at Stanford. P.J. Fuller, who also played a couple seasons at Garfield before finishing his prep career at Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, came over from TCU. Emmitt Matthews, Jr., went to Tacoma’s Wilson High and had played three previous seasons at West Virginia.
“It was kind of surreal to have us all on one court together,” Brown said. “We’re all from Washington and we all came back home.”
It was, not unexpectedly, a rough homecoming. The four were among seven newcomers trying to get accustomed to playing with each other, in a new system, new terminology, in revised roles and adjusted playing time.
The Huskies struggled to a 5-4 record through the first month then ran into Covid issues, forcing the cancellation or postponement of three games. They endured three weeks without playing a game.
They found their rhythm in early January with a three-game conference win streak. During last season’s 5-21 campaign, their longest win streak was two.
Brown has been consistent in his level of scoring. He led the team — and the Pac-12 Conference — in scoring at 20.9 ppg. If he can hold on and win the conference scoring crown, it’s believed he would be among the few — perhaps the only — player to win scoring titles in two D1 conferences (WAC and PAC). Then add his community college (NWAC) title and he might stand alone.
“I’m not too aware of it. The biggest thing for me is our team’s wins and losses,” he said. “As a point guard, I could score 20 points or zero points. I don’t care. I only care about the wins.”
He has shown he also cares about his city, his school and his teammates. He’s a leader on the court and in the locker room.
“It’s super fun. The locker room is loud, happy, with music playing,” he said. Players unwind with video games, but Brown said his teammates’ favorite pastime is a 50-year-old card game called Uno.
“It’s the No. 1 game in the locker room right now,” he added.
Fittingly, old school.
TOP DAWG
Statistically speaking, Brown is in a special company
Brown has been consistent in his level of scoring. He leads the team — and the Pac-12 Conference — in scoring at 20.9 ppg. If he can hold on and win the conference scoring crown, he would be the fifth player in collegiate history to win scoring titles in two D-1 conferences (WAC and PAC). (See chart). He would be just the second — to Jarvis Hayes — to do it with two different teams in two separate conferences.
Then adding Brown's community college (NWAC) scoring title and he would stand alone.
“I’m not too aware of it. The biggest thing for me is our team’s wins and losses,’’ he said. “As a point guard, I could score 20 points or zero points. I don’t care. I only care about the wins.’
Div I, Players to Lead 2 Different Conferences in Points Per Game — Since 1996-97 (minimum 75% of team games played to qualify)
Jarvis Hayes - 1999-00 (Western Carolina/Southern), 2001-02 (Georgia/Southeastern)
Chris Davis - 1999-00 (North Texas/Big West), 2001-02 (North Texas/Sun Belt), 2002-03 (North Texas/Sun Belt)
Tim Smith - 2004-05 (East Tennessee State/Southern), 2005-06 (East Tennessee State/Atlantic Sun)
Doug McDermott - 2011-12 (Creighton/Missouri Valley), 2012-13 (Creighton/Missouri Valley), 2013-14 (Creighton/Big East)
Terrell Brown Jr. - 2019-20 (Seattle/Western Athletic), 2021-22 (Washington/Pac-12)
As you can see, Hayes is the only other one who did so at two different schools (the others stayed at the same school but their school switched conferences)
