Kansas State University Athletics
SE: Brown Sets Steals Record, Tone for K-State’s Dominant Defense
Dec 24, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Bruce Weber asked the question in a team meeting in 2015.
"Who's going to be our lockdown defender?"
Barry Brown, Jr., then a freshman, raised his hand. Weber shrugged off the newcomer and asked the question again.
"I said, 'Not you. Who is going to be our lockdown defender?'" Weber recalled. "He just said, 'Me.'
"And he has been since he got here. He's taken a lot of pride in that."
Brown's pride became a permanent part of his K-State legacy in Saturday's 69-58 win against Vanderbilt at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The 2018 All-Big 12 Defensive Team member recorded three steals to become K-State's all-time leader with 211 in that category. Even more, he passed legendary Wildcat Jacob Pullen for the top spot.
"I wanted to come here and leave a legacy somehow, someway, definitely with wins but also with individual accomplishments," Brown said of the feat. "I just credit my coaches and my teammates; my coaches, especially, just for putting me in the right position, making me understand principals, defensive schemes and taking stuff away. So, with all that being put in over time, I was able to accomplish it."
On a historic scale, Brown has set the defensive standard for years, maybe decades, to come for K-State. This season, he has set the tone for K-State's strength. The Wildcats rank sixth nationally in scoring defense thanks in large part to Brown's leadership and effort on that end of the floor.
Most recently, K-State held a Vanderbilt team averaging 83.6 points a game and coming off an 81-65 victory against No. 18 Arizona State to its season scoring total. This included only 20 points in the first half, also a season low for the Commodores.
"We're a good defensive team. I think we've shown that, not only in years past but even this year," Brown said. "I think it's something we all pride ourselves on."
Saturday marked the eighth time in 11 games this season the Wildcats have held their opponent to below 60 points this season. In the Weber era, K-State has now kept opponents under the 60-point threshold 77 times. The Wildcats have won in 69 of those instances, 37 of which Brown has been part of.
"You talk about coming into a place and leaving a legacy with, hopefully, wins but individual accomplishments are something special," Weber added. "Jacob (Pullen) was a special player at K-State and Barry not only broke the record but he's probably going to shatter it. It's pretty impressive what he's done."
Behind Brown's example, K-State rode its strong defense against Vanderbilt.
The Wildcats allowed the Commodores to shoot 32 percent from the field and 28 percent from beyond the arc. At one point, Vanderbilt went from the 2:12 mark of the first half to the 9:41 point in the second half without a made field goal.
"I think that was the best half-court defense that we've faced this year," Vanderbilt's Matt Ryan said. "It was definitely a challenge for us. They knew what they were doing defensively."
"We talked about (having) a special defensive effort and frustrating them, and we were able to do that. It was great, locked-in defense from our guys," Weber added. "I thought we had a good mindset to go and battle. It wasn't the prettiest thing but we grinded it out and beat a good team. You have to feel good about what we did, but there's a lot of games to go, and you have to move forward."
Bruce Weber asked the question in a team meeting in 2015.
"Who's going to be our lockdown defender?"
Barry Brown, Jr., then a freshman, raised his hand. Weber shrugged off the newcomer and asked the question again.
"I said, 'Not you. Who is going to be our lockdown defender?'" Weber recalled. "He just said, 'Me.'
"And he has been since he got here. He's taken a lot of pride in that."
Brown's pride became a permanent part of his K-State legacy in Saturday's 69-58 win against Vanderbilt at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The 2018 All-Big 12 Defensive Team member recorded three steals to become K-State's all-time leader with 211 in that category. Even more, he passed legendary Wildcat Jacob Pullen for the top spot.
"I wanted to come here and leave a legacy somehow, someway, definitely with wins but also with individual accomplishments," Brown said of the feat. "I just credit my coaches and my teammates; my coaches, especially, just for putting me in the right position, making me understand principals, defensive schemes and taking stuff away. So, with all that being put in over time, I was able to accomplish it."
On a historic scale, Brown has set the defensive standard for years, maybe decades, to come for K-State. This season, he has set the tone for K-State's strength. The Wildcats rank sixth nationally in scoring defense thanks in large part to Brown's leadership and effort on that end of the floor.
Most recently, K-State held a Vanderbilt team averaging 83.6 points a game and coming off an 81-65 victory against No. 18 Arizona State to its season scoring total. This included only 20 points in the first half, also a season low for the Commodores.
"We're a good defensive team. I think we've shown that, not only in years past but even this year," Brown said. "I think it's something we all pride ourselves on."
Saturday marked the eighth time in 11 games this season the Wildcats have held their opponent to below 60 points this season. In the Weber era, K-State has now kept opponents under the 60-point threshold 77 times. The Wildcats have won in 69 of those instances, 37 of which Brown has been part of.
"You talk about coming into a place and leaving a legacy with, hopefully, wins but individual accomplishments are something special," Weber added. "Jacob (Pullen) was a special player at K-State and Barry not only broke the record but he's probably going to shatter it. It's pretty impressive what he's done."
Behind Brown's example, K-State rode its strong defense against Vanderbilt.
The Wildcats allowed the Commodores to shoot 32 percent from the field and 28 percent from beyond the arc. At one point, Vanderbilt went from the 2:12 mark of the first half to the 9:41 point in the second half without a made field goal.
"I think that was the best half-court defense that we've faced this year," Vanderbilt's Matt Ryan said. "It was definitely a challenge for us. They knew what they were doing defensively."
"We talked about (having) a special defensive effort and frustrating them, and we were able to do that. It was great, locked-in defense from our guys," Weber added. "I thought we had a good mindset to go and battle. It wasn't the prettiest thing but we grinded it out and beat a good team. You have to feel good about what we did, but there's a lot of games to go, and you have to move forward."
Players Mentioned
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