Nike Basketball News

School Days: Ronnie Brewer

TheLetterJ — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:09:47 GMT

His father, Ron, set the bar pretty high, teaming up with a couple other college all-stars to form the fabled "Triplets" - and they led Arkansas to the 1978 Final Four. So Ronnie Brewer was staring history directly in the mirror when he signed to play college ball for the Razorbacks.

"My dad didn’t push me too hard - he didn't want to burn me out on basketball. And it really just made me grow to love it. He saw that I was passionate about the game and to this day he still gives me advice about things on the court - and off the court, too. Not everybody's fortunate enough to have a mom and a dad that’s still in their life and I was blessed to be in that situation."

But blessings didn't stop the comparisons.

"Fayetteville's a small town, so you're always going to get compared to somebody. I was compared to my sister Candice - a two-time all-state basketball player - first, and then once I improved my game I was compared to my dad. Then I went off to the same college where he had an extraordinary career, and I think I was just OK. It was tough, but I think it made me mature a lot faster and deal with stuff a lot better."

Ronnie even wore his father’s uniform number: 10.

"He didn't put any extra pressure on me. And the newspapers or the media didn't really get to me, either. When they compared us, I just thought it was awkward. I mean, I was playing in the 2000s - he played in the 70s. That's 30 years ago. So every time I stepped on the court at Arkansas - even though we wore the same number - I just played my game."

And Ronnie was more than up to the task, earning 1st Team All-SEC (the first Razorback to do so in more than a decade) and Honorable Mention All-America honors while leading Arkansas back to the NCAA Tournament.

"In high school, I was just thinking about maintaining and improving my game to take it to the college level. So around my freshman and sophomore year in college, I realized that if I really put in the work and focused on school, gave that 110 percent and gave athletics that same amount, I might be able to play basketball for a living."

Putting in the work resulted in a lot of extra hours.

"I was in the gym lifting weights, getting shots up, doing extra conditioning work. And I continue to do that today back at Arkansas, because I feel like that pretty much put me over the hump to put me where I'm at today."

For Ronnie, this was really nothing new. He's been living up to his family name for as long as he can remember. And it all started at Fayetteville High School.

"We don’t have professional sports in Arkansas, so high school and college athletics are huge. Fayetteville High School is right down the street from the University of Arkansas. We played right on the hill and had sellout crowds every night. It was a blast. My sister went there and she was a great player, had all the scoring records. I enjoyed it a lot - if I could do it again, I would.”

Before Ronnie became a Fayetteville Bulldog, he was looking directly uphill at a basketball career that didn't seem likely to happen.

"I'm a product of not coming from a (nationally-known) basketball hotbed type of place. Fayetteville, Arkansas didn’t produce any NBA players until I came. So I knew I had to put in the work and do something every single day. Ball-handling, shooting, defense, one-on-ones, if you can work on something every day it's going to make you better in the long run. A lot of hard work will pay off in the end.”

But even with that hard-working mindset, the odds were still really long.

"I would never have thought when I was in junior high or high school that one day I would be playing in the NBA."

And short.

"I was 5'7 1/2" all the way up to the 9th grade. And I grew to a whopping 5'9" and thought maybe I could start at point guard. I didn't hit my growth spurt until my sophomore year, and then my body started developing. But at the same time, when I was small I was already working on my jump shot, working on my ball-handling, working on my defense, just trying to get myself ready and prepare myself to be a better basketball player."

As a senior, Ronnie busted out for 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Fayetteville finished 24-5 and reached the Class 5A semifinals. For his efforts, Ronnie was named the Arkansas Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Parade put him on their All-America team.

"My motto is - and always was - you can't really determine how many shots you're going to make in a game. Or if you're going to have a beautiful (shooting) stroke like some of the best guys in the NBA. Or if you can play the best defense or dish out the most assists. The only thing you can control is playing hard all the time. And that's what I try to do. So if you're not gifted to be able to jump and dunk or dribble and shoot better than somebody else, if you go out there and play as hard as you possibly can, well, that’s something you can control every night."

And three years later - after leading the Razorbacks to the front of the SEC pack - Ronnie was a first-round draft pick of the Utah Jazz.

"I always just tried to go out there and relax and remember that it's just a game. Just play hard and have fun. You're not out there to really impress anybody or force anything. Bottom line: however many years you've been playing the game, if a college coach or an NBA scout is coming to watch you, the ball's going to bounce the same way it always has and the rim is always going to be 10-feet high."

The Family: L.A. Silences the Jazz

Hotnix — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:53:11 GMT

No man can do it alone. That’s the lesson the Lakers have learned. And it’s a lesson they continued to put into practice as the entire squad stepped up to shut down the Jazz.

Last night was the night. Los Angeles was determined to end a series that perhaps they should’ve sweeped. And from the moment they hit the floor they smothered Utah on both offense and defense, pushing the lead to as much as 22 point.

The big story is Lamar Odom, who for most of the game led all scorers. His silky smooth 26 points were matched with 15 hard fought rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.

And despite a reported ankle injury, Trevor Ariza looked 100% as he terrorized Utah with 2 monster blocked shots that translated to easy fast break points, seven rebounds, a steal and 12 solid points.

The L.A. big men dominated throughout the series, overpowering Utah’s undersized front court. Last night Pau Gasol continued his All-star worthy season with a 17 point, 11 rebound performance. And although Andrew Bynum is still finding his way back to health, his size and presence was felt early on.

But what’s the postseason without a little drama? After spending most of the game leading by as much as 22, the Lakers got a little too comfortable. And the Jazz made their move. Led By Deron Williams’ quick feet and the relentless offense and defense of Andrei Kirelinko, Ronnie Brewer and Matt Harpring, they were able to close the gap to 10.

Kobe wasn’t having it. He spent the night picking pockets, defying gravity and breaking tackles on his way to scoring by any means necessary. After a an impossible fadeaway jumper in the last seconds of the first half, and a third quarter fast break a collision with a ref, he racked up 31 points and five steals to close out the Jazz 107-96.

The Family: Playoff Preview

Hotnix — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:15:10 GMT

If a team has a true floor general at point guard, it has a chance in any game, any series, any season. Utah's Deron Williams is a straight balla at PG, so any team that takes them lightly in the postseason is headed for disappointment.

Deron Williams is the piston that fires all cylinders. The burly, sweet-shooting point guard is certainly in the conversation for best at his position in the league. Deron is cranking up his game down the stretch, with such gems as 34 points and 11 assists against Minnesota, 21 and 11 against New Orleans and that other point guard, and 18 and 12 against Dallas. His season averages are up to 19.8 points and 10.6 assists, killer numbers in both columns.

The recipients of many of those assists are Andrei Kirilenko slashing to the hoop and Ronnie Brewer popping from deep. AK-47 has been battling injuries, but the Russian swingman posted some of his best performances down the stretch, including 17 points and 6 rebounds against the Clippers and 16 and 7 against New Orleans. If Utah has any shot at some upsets, AK-47 needs to be at his shot-blocking, baseline-jumper-draining best.

Brewer is Utah’s best jump shooter, and when he’s open he’s deadly. His game plays off of Williams—when the D-Will is driving and creating, Brewer is often the beneficiary. If Brewer can make something happen off the dribble, Utah would really be tough to corral.

Utah has had more than its share of bumps and bruises this year, but Williams is capable of leading them into the second round and even beyond, if he is at his best and his mates bring their A games.