BIO: Brown Barry was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida (USA). Brown Jr. began playing basketball at a young age and was competing in recreational tournaments at the age of five. By the age of seven, he was playing in older age brackets in Amateur Athletic Union tournaments.

Brown attended Gibbs High School [St. Petersburg, Florida] where he was coached by Larry Murphy. He scored 36 points in the regional final as a senior to lead Gibbs to a win over Golden Gate.

Brown was a three-star recruit and committed to Kansas State over offers from Florida Gulf Coast, Providence, Texas A&M and Wichita State.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Barry Brown Jr made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 25 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game.

Barry Brown Jr. joined the New Zealand Breakers as a pivotal import signing for the 2022/23 season, alongside Jarrell Brantley and Dererk Pardon. With head coach Mody Maor stepping up to lead the team after Dan Shamir’s departure, the Breakers underwent a roster overhaul. They lost six of their top eight players, including Yanni Wetzell and Hugo Besson, but retained experienced leaders like Thomas Abercrombie and William McDowell-White. New additions included Tom Vodanovich, Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’Afa, and Cameron Gliddon to enhance defense and perimeter shooting. French NBA prospect Rayan Rupert also joined via the NBL Next Star Program.

The Breakers entered the season with optimism but faced early adversity as Abercrombie missed the opening month due to a torn retina. Their campaign began with a loss to Melbourne, though it quickly became apparent that New Zealand was poised to become a defensive powerhouse. By Round 4, the Breakers had already equaled their total number of wins from the previous season.

In Round 5, Brown delivered an impressive 22-point performance in a 99-70 rout of the Adelaide 36ers. The Breakers’ defense forced 18 turnovers, and Brown’s offensive prowess, coupled with Jarrell Brantley’s 22 points and four steals, set the tone for the season. Two nights later, the Breakers recorded a historic 94-62 victory over Tasmania at Spark Arena. Coming off the bench, Brown exploded for 24 points, solidifying his role as a sixth man and contributing to the Breakers winning six of their first eight games.

After two seasons of playing away from home, the Breakers’ revival was highlighted in a top-of-the-table clash against the Sydney Kings. Despite trailing most of the game, New Zealand mounted a late rally led by Brown’s 22 points, outscoring Sydney 31-17 in the final quarter before falling just short, 81-77. The Breakers lost Rupert to a broken wrist during this game, sidelining him for two months. Brown rebounded with a standout fourth quarter against Adelaide the following week, scoring 14 of his 22 points in the final term to secure an 89-83 victory. Pardon added 19 points and 10 rebounds, recording his third double-double in four games.

The Breakers extended their winning streak to five games with a 110-84 dismantling of South East Melbourne. Brown led the charge with a career-high 31 points on 61% shooting, supported by Brantley’s 18 points and McDowell-White’s 14 points and 11 assists. New Zealand’s momentum briefly stalled with an 84-92 loss to Perth, but the team remained dominant, entering December with an 11-2 record.

Midseason, Brown suffered a groin injury that kept him sidelined for several games, during which the Breakers experienced setbacks. A narrow 85-83 loss to Cairns, playing without star Keanu Pinder, saw New Zealand slip to third on the ladder. The Illawarra Hawks then snapped an 11-game losing streak with a dramatic 78-76 victory, courtesy of Tyler Harvey’s half-court buzzer-beater. Without Brown, the Breakers lost seven of their next nine games.

Brown returned to action in a resounding 99-71 victory over Brisbane, contributing 22 points off the bench. This win improved New Zealand’s record to 15-10, just one game behind Cairns. The Breakers then clinched a playoff spot with an 80-74 win over Melbourne United and closed the regular season with a 91-81 victory over Illawarra. Brown’s 22 points and Brantley’s 20 points led the comeback, as the Breakers overturned a 16-point halftime deficit to secure second place on the ladder with an 18-10 record.

Brown’s season averages of 19.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals earned him a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and the league’s Best Sixth Man award. Brantley was named the team’s MVP, and Pardon also received All-NBL Second Team honours.

With Tasmania defeating Cairns 87-79 in the NBL Play-In Tournament, the Breakers’ semi-final opponents were set. New Zealand smashed Tasmania, 88-68, in Game 1 of the semi-finals. It was a wire-to-wire victory for New Zealand, as Mody Maor’s men established a 16-point first-half lead. The JackJumpers cut the deficit to two by halftime, but the Breakers dominated the second half, outscoring Tasmania 49-31. Dererk Pardon imposed his will with 15 points and 9 rebounds, while McDowell-White contributed 13 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. Rashard Kelly was Tasmania’s top scorer with 12 points.

In Game 2, Tasmania defended their home court, defeating the Breakers 89-78. Milton Doyle starred for the JackJumpers with 23 points, while Jack McVeigh added 16. Despite a double-double from Pardon (15 points, 11 rebounds) and 17 points and 9 rebounds from Brantley, the Breakers fell short.

New Zealand punched their ticket to the Championship Series with a gritty 92-77 victory in Game 3 at home. Brown delivered a stellar 32-point performance, shooting 10/16 and adding three steals, while Pardon posted a monster double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Brantley chipped in 14 points and 7 rebounds as the Breakers secured their first Grand Final appearance since 2016.

The Breakers opened the Grand Final series with a shocking 95-87 win over Sydney on the Kings’ home floor. Brown scored 19 points off the bench, complementing McDowell-White’s near triple-double (19 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists). In Game 2, despite injuries to Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr., Sydney managed an 81-74 victory in Auckland. Game 3 saw Sydney dominate with a 91-68 win in front of an NBL-record 18,049 fans at Qudos Bank Arena.

Facing elimination in Game 4, Brown stepped up with 20 points as New Zealand secured an 80-70 win, forcing a decisive Game 5. In the championship decider, the Breakers held multiple double-digit leads before Sydney mounted a 14-0 fourth-quarter run to claim a 77-69 victory. Brown led New Zealand with 22 points off the bench in front of a record-breaking crowd of 18,124.

The Championship Series drew 67,811 fans, the highest attendance in NBL Grand Final history.

Barry Brown Jr played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 27 NBL games.

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Dan Boyce (829 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.