Kansas State University Athletics
SE: Barry Brown ‘All K-State’ After Testing NBA Draft Waters
Jun 11, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Tucked on the inside of Barry Brown's left bicep is a Powercat tattoo, his latest addition of permanent ink. Like every other tattoo, this one, still peeling when Brown returned to Manhattan for summer workouts, holds unique meaning.
To start, it's a reminder to finish what he started.
This includes his K-State basketball career, which the senior returned for after testing the NBA Draft waters without an agent. It also includes his degree in family studies and human services with a concentration in personal financial planning, which he's well on track to finish by the spring of 2019.
It's also Brown's way of showing gratitude for the support he has received during his time at K-State.
"I just wanted to get something that was going to stick with me," Brown said. "K-State's been a big part of my life for these past three years, going on my fourth year, and I just wanted to get something that reminded me of that, kind of showed the fans and the community that I really appreciate everything they've done for me."
Brown looks to return the love this coming season, via his personal improvement. With the feedback he received from pre-draft workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, the 6-foot-3 guard said he got exactly what he wanted out of the experience.
"Just small areas I need to work on my game. That's really what I wanted to hear," Brown said. "I didn't want to hear anything good, honestly. I just wanted to hear the criticism, the kind of stuff they think I should work on, like coming off ball screens, making better reads, 3-point shot, continue to play defense, stuff like that."
Both workouts were fairly identical, Brown said.
Each included six players and lasted about an hour. They started with measurements — height, weight and wingspan, for instance — and progressed quickly. In the matter of about 10 minutes, the players sped through drills of finishing in different ways around the rim, floaters, midrange jumpers and 3-point shots. Then came sessions of one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three, which were followed by a short break and some more shooting.
"That was it," Brown said. "I think I did really well. I always think I could have done a few little things better, but for the most part I feel like I competed, definitely. I played hard, I played defense, showed the stuff I can do, passed well, shot the ball pretty well. It was a good experience."
There was one major difference between the two workouts, however. After the last one in Los Angeles, Brown was able to meet NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations for the Lakers.
"It's always great to meet a basketball legend," Brown said. "He's been a staple in basketball since I started. Just to get to a chance to meet him, shake his hand, exchange words a little bit, him talking about my game, it was great."
So what did the legendary point guard tell the Wildcat senior?
"He said I need to move a little bit more without the ball," Brown said. "That's just something I need to do every time I play basketball. It's just something I have to keep in mind. When they're doing action on the other side, I need to be moving, moving, moving."
Moving into his last season at K-State, Brown has a blueprint of what to work on for the 2018-19 campaign. When it arrives, he wants to be ready to exceed last year's success, personally and team-wise.
In last season's run to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, Brown averaged a career-high 15.9 points and dished out a team-best 120 assists. The native of St. Petersburg, Florida, was named a Second Team All-Big 12 selection along with being slotted on the conference's All-Defensive Team. Only four other Wildcats (Jacob Pullen, Angel Rodriguez, Rodney McGruder and Wesley Iwundu) have been named to one of the Big 12's First, Second or Third Teams and earned All-Defensive Team honors in the same season.
Brown said his biggest focus this summer would be improving his 3-point shot and "sharpening up everything" else.
"It's my last year so I need to keep sharpening up all my tools," he said, "and keep adding a little bit to my game."
As for his ability to focus on classes and summer workouts after two samples of the NBA life, Brown has a permanent reminder on his left arm to keep him grounded.
"I'm all K-State right now," he said. "That was fun, a good experience, but it's over. I'm just worried about K-State, getting my team better, getting myself better on and off the court."
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Tucked on the inside of Barry Brown's left bicep is a Powercat tattoo, his latest addition of permanent ink. Like every other tattoo, this one, still peeling when Brown returned to Manhattan for summer workouts, holds unique meaning.
To start, it's a reminder to finish what he started.
This includes his K-State basketball career, which the senior returned for after testing the NBA Draft waters without an agent. It also includes his degree in family studies and human services with a concentration in personal financial planning, which he's well on track to finish by the spring of 2019.
It's also Brown's way of showing gratitude for the support he has received during his time at K-State.
"I just wanted to get something that was going to stick with me," Brown said. "K-State's been a big part of my life for these past three years, going on my fourth year, and I just wanted to get something that reminded me of that, kind of showed the fans and the community that I really appreciate everything they've done for me."
Brown looks to return the love this coming season, via his personal improvement. With the feedback he received from pre-draft workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, the 6-foot-3 guard said he got exactly what he wanted out of the experience.
"Just small areas I need to work on my game. That's really what I wanted to hear," Brown said. "I didn't want to hear anything good, honestly. I just wanted to hear the criticism, the kind of stuff they think I should work on, like coming off ball screens, making better reads, 3-point shot, continue to play defense, stuff like that."
Both workouts were fairly identical, Brown said.
Each included six players and lasted about an hour. They started with measurements — height, weight and wingspan, for instance — and progressed quickly. In the matter of about 10 minutes, the players sped through drills of finishing in different ways around the rim, floaters, midrange jumpers and 3-point shots. Then came sessions of one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three, which were followed by a short break and some more shooting.
"That was it," Brown said. "I think I did really well. I always think I could have done a few little things better, but for the most part I feel like I competed, definitely. I played hard, I played defense, showed the stuff I can do, passed well, shot the ball pretty well. It was a good experience."
There was one major difference between the two workouts, however. After the last one in Los Angeles, Brown was able to meet NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations for the Lakers.
"It's always great to meet a basketball legend," Brown said. "He's been a staple in basketball since I started. Just to get to a chance to meet him, shake his hand, exchange words a little bit, him talking about my game, it was great."
So what did the legendary point guard tell the Wildcat senior?
"He said I need to move a little bit more without the ball," Brown said. "That's just something I need to do every time I play basketball. It's just something I have to keep in mind. When they're doing action on the other side, I need to be moving, moving, moving."
Moving into his last season at K-State, Brown has a blueprint of what to work on for the 2018-19 campaign. When it arrives, he wants to be ready to exceed last year's success, personally and team-wise.
In last season's run to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, Brown averaged a career-high 15.9 points and dished out a team-best 120 assists. The native of St. Petersburg, Florida, was named a Second Team All-Big 12 selection along with being slotted on the conference's All-Defensive Team. Only four other Wildcats (Jacob Pullen, Angel Rodriguez, Rodney McGruder and Wesley Iwundu) have been named to one of the Big 12's First, Second or Third Teams and earned All-Defensive Team honors in the same season.
Brown said his biggest focus this summer would be improving his 3-point shot and "sharpening up everything" else.
"It's my last year so I need to keep sharpening up all my tools," he said, "and keep adding a little bit to my game."
As for his ability to focus on classes and summer workouts after two samples of the NBA life, Brown has a permanent reminder on his left arm to keep him grounded.
"I'm all K-State right now," he said. "That was fun, a good experience, but it's over. I'm just worried about K-State, getting my team better, getting myself better on and off the court."
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