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Morehouse Basketball Head Coach Grady Brewer
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- Jason McDonald
The Wizard of the West End
By Jason McDonald, I-Light Media
It is no secret that when it comes to educating African American men Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia takes a back-seat to no one. Tough admission standards and high expectations have earned the institution Black Enterprise Magazines top ranking of the 50 Best Colleges for African Americans. With all of the attention the school garners for its academic pursuits even hardcore hoops fans have allowed the success of the Maroon Tigers basketball team to remain relatively quiet. The brain responsible for lifting the quality of play is Grady Brewer.
A former walk-on at Morehouse, Brewer returned to his alma mater seven years later to assist his former coach the legendary Arthur J. McAfee. His return was happenstance. After spending a year as an assistant coach at nearby Booker T. Washington High School, Coach Brewer made plans to apply for a coaching position at Middle Tennessee State University. Before submitting his paperwork he made a life changing telephone call to his former college coach. Three years later the House was making an appearance in the NCAA Division II Final Four Tournament with Coach Brewer manning the second chair.
Brewers success isn't surprising considering winning has followed him wherever he's gone. In his prep years, he was a starter on two Frederick Douglas High School state runner-up teams. In his first assistant coaching stint at nearby Booker T. Washington the Bulldogs won the Georgia State AAAA High School Championship.
Black Sports - The Magazine (BSTM) sat down to talk with Coach Brewer about winning, recruiting, X's and O's, and the future of college basketball during a break in the Maroon Tigers schedule.
BSTM: You've enjoyed quite a bit of success in a very short time.
Coach Brewer: Well this has been kind of a storybook over the last 4 years. Right now, I'm just eight games short of 100 wins. We have been blessed with having good people around the program. When I first became head coach it was important for me to get assistants that understood Morehouse and the challenges that comes with it. I brought in my high school coach Don Dollar and a guy who I recruited that played on the Final Four team, Roderick Stubbs.
BSTM: How important is having good people around? You are a relatively new coach, but you've been around. What would you say to someone taking those first steps entering their first season as a head coach?
Coach Brewer: Surround yourself with loyal and intelligent people. Loyalty is number one, but you don't want it to come where your assistants agree with everything you say. I tell my assistants all the time that if we agree on everything somebody is not thinking. Second, your assistants have to be intelligent to carry out practices and continue with what your trying to accomplish during those times when you can't be around. We teach a system here thats a throwback to John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. When I got into coaching I read a lot about him because of his success as collegiate basketball coach. So I've taken a little from his philosophy where teaching life skills makes a kid a better basketball player. And I believe its working. My players think its corny at first when I talk about enthusiasm and industrialism, but as the season goes on it starts to catch.
BSTM: The system isn't for everybody.
Coach Brewer: No its not but I think its the best system because it teaches great life skills. It doesn't matter where the kid is from those things in the pyramid like faith, competitiveness, and greatness transcends all of that.
BSTM: Playing in the NBA is a big dream for many basketball players. Do you have players at this level that still have that dream?
Coach Brewer: If you go down my bench each and every one of them will tell you they are going to play pro ball. And that is really killing the game, that and AND 1. The game is not pure anymore. Kids are not playing basketball. And I'm a purist passing the ball, balance on the court, shooting the intermediate shot. Although, I'm not saying you won't play pro ball but the odds are low. So you might as well get a good education out of it.
BSTM: Where is American Basketball headed?
Coach Brewer: The Olympics was a wake up call. We had good athletes- not our best over there and they got their butts kicked. It showed you that going to the hole one-on-one trying to dunk or hit a three is not going to work. The European fundamental and intermediate game hitting the medium range shot, knocking down free throws, and playing as a team is where the NBA wants to put on the floor.
BSTM: How have your duties changed from assistant to Head Coach?
Coach Brewer: Coach McAfee taught me that its more of managing the team.
BSTM: Sounds like you are a throwback coach. How do you deal with the braids, tattoos, and other adornment issues?
Coach Brewer: I put in my rules when I became a head coach that included no braids, no hats in the building, shirts tucked in, socks six inches up, etc. I had a kid who wore braids under Coach McAfee and he came in and asked me if he could continue wearing them. I told him no and he went all around the barn trying to find a way around it. Initially he thought I was going to give in because he was all-conference at 6í8î. But its all about principles with me so I took out his scholarship award letter and a blank sheet a paper and put it on the desk. He walked away from the scholarship. A year later he got some sense saw the importance of getting his degree and cut his braids and rejoined the team. Now the kid is overseas playing in Japan with a degree.
BSTM: Is recruiting getting harder for Division 2 programs?
Coach Brewer: Indeed. When I first came here as an assistant we were getting what I like to call the red chip players. With so many high school blue chip players declaring for the NBA draft the D-1 programs are now taking what used to fall to the mid-majors and the HBCU schools. Now we are getting what is considered the white chip or third-tier players. But we are also starting to get a lot of D1 transfers.
BSTM: Why are the kids transferring? Is it a lack of playing time or did they not make the right decision on signing day?
Coach Brewer: Part of the problem is all the kids think they are going to the NBA. When their high school career doesn't quite pan out they hit the college circuit. They don't understand that coaches at the many of the larger programs are in a catch-22 if they win then a bigger program is going to claim them if they lose then they get fired, either way they may not be their long. So I tell them come here and play I'm not going anywhere. So they come here and get new parts. Then when you get the transfers here they have to understand they are going to ride buses instead of planes. Sometimes the transfers have to understand that they are not bigger than the program. I had a guy transfer from Missouri and he thought he should have gotten more playing time but the truth of the matter was the kids I had here were better. If you are good enough then they (NBA) will find you. One of my players from last year Ronald Thompson gave me the nickname the Wizard of the West End.
BSTM: Morehouse isn't cheap. How does tuition affect recruiting?
Coach Brewer: We recruited a player out of Augusta but we couldn't keep him because we could only offer him $17000, but tuition is $25000. He went on down to Albany State which was in a better position to offer him a full ride. I only get 7.5 scholarships to split between 13 players. Only 1 has a full ride. The difference I try to impress upon the parents is the attractiveness of the Morehouse degree.
BSTM: We as a people often equate being on TV with playing for a successful program?
Coach Brewer: I always start with the story of Harold Ellis. He had six guys that started in front of him in high school that all went to big time colleges. I told him that none of those guys would graduate from the school they signed with. Harold graduated played in the NBA, got his masters, is working on his PHD and is working with the Hawks as a scout. Thats our selling point our kids are not spoiled so when they get to the NBA they appreciate it Your social development is going to be the best and your academic will be superior to most. I don't want anyone that doesn't want to be here. What are you going to college for? If its to play basketball then I don't need you. However, if you want a college degree come on. We have some of the finest schools to choose from whether its business, medicine, or law.
BSTM: Who else other than Wooden have you looked to for ideas or mentoring:
Coach Brewer: When I was an assistant I talked to John McLendon - 496-179 (N.C. Central 1941-52, Hampton 53-54, Tennessee St. 55-59, Kentucky St. 64-66, Cleveland St. 67-69). McLendon taught me all about basketball. He and helped develop the 4 corners The first thing is get kids who are going to play hard and then take care of them, third you got to work them so that they are prepared to battle. Very impressed with Hubie Brown. A great coach really new how to break the game down. Another thing McLendon taught me was to never let the opposing coach know you are upset because the team is a reflection of its coach. Clarence Big House Gaines - 828-447 (Winston-Salem State,1947-93)) is another one. He told me now coach when its all said and done its all about friendships and relationships. See me and Mac fussed at each other during the game got technicals and all but here we are eating dinner together.î That stuck with me and I do that today. I also call Jerry Johnson (LeMoyne-Owen 1959-04) whose about 80 years old. We talk about basketball and I pull things from him. Those are guys to me are the grand coaches of basketball because they had nothing to work, no recruiting budget and yet they won 800 games.
BSTM: I have to ask you about the Indiana Pacers-Detroit Piston debacle. How hot does it get down on the court?
Coach Brewer: It gets real hot but thats where our philosophy of life skills kicks in. Everyday before we break practice I recite a quote from John Wooden talent takes you to the top but character keeps you there. You have to try to keep instilling in them the right principles and eventually it will come on like a light.
BSTM: You have a unique way of disciplining players. Last year before you played a preseason game you told a player to go home because he was late.
Coach Brewer: Sure did. See I do that because these guys have to decide what's important to them. If he's late then this is not important to him. My first two rules: be on time and don't lie to me. If they are going to be late or something happened call me on my cellphone. If its important to you then you'll stop messing up and follow what I tell you and then you can go out in front of 5 and 10,000 people and perform.
BSTM: Do you have a 10-year goal
Coach Brewer: Its funny you ask. When I first started I set a 5-year goal to win the National Championship. Last year I thought I had the team to do it but we came up short. I'm still expecting to win it this year after all we have accomplished the other four steps like winning the SIAC and making the playoffs.
To ensure he reaches that goal Coach Brewer is looking to fill his 2005-06 schedule with non-conference games featuring teams that do well in the playoffs. Still a young man, Coach Brewer could one day join his mentors in the win column and the history book. If the news of the Maroon Tigers hasn't reached you yet just wait championships have a way of catching your attention.
The Wizard of the West End