COLLEGE

Brian Kelleybrew played college basketball at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith during the 1979–80 season before transferring to Lamar University, where he competed from 1981–82 to 1982–83.

Kelleybrew was a promising player at Lonoke High School in Arkansas, where he earned All-State recognition and was selected to an All-Star Team roster before joining the Fort Smith program and becoming a high-level junior college prospect.

Kelleybrew was a two-year starter and helped lead the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lions to a impressive 65-10 record. He averaged 14 points and nine rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he guided the Lions to the Bi-State Conference Championship, the NJCAA Region II Tournament Championship and the NJCAA National Championship.

During the 1979–80 season at Fort Smith, contemporary reports listed Kelleybrew as a starting guard who averaged 11.8 points per game while also leading the team in rebounding at 8.2 per game, with the Lions noted for pairing a 68.5-point offense with a 50.9-point defensive average over that stretch.

Although listed as a forward on the roster, Kelleybrew was so versatile that he could play any position because of his stellar quickness, ball-handling and perimeter shooting. His jumping ability and physical toughness also made him a extremely effective scorer and rebounder in the paint, too.

Kelleybrew was a defensive juggernaut, too, with the ability to guard any position. The Lions never allowed more than 69 points and held opponents to 50 points or less 19 times. He scored 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line in the NJCAA National Championship as the Lions claimed their first national championship in any sport with a 67-50 win against Lincoln (Ill.) Community College.

Kelleybrew was named First Team All-Conference and was a member of the All-Region II Team and the NJCAA All-Tournament Team, and the 1980–81 national title run included Westark/Fort Smith defeating the teams ranked No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 in the final national rankings during its tournament path to the championship game.

Kelleybrew then transferred to Lamar University and played two seasons for the Cardinals (1981–82 and 1982–83) in the Southland Conference, including a 1982–83 campaign in which Lamar finished 23–8 overall (9–3 in league play), won the Southland regular-season title and conference tournament, and advanced to the NCAA Division I tournament Round of 32 after defeating Alabama before falling to Villanova.

In Lamar’s NCAA tournament win over Alabama, Kelleybrew logged 38 minutes and produced 14 points, seven assists and nine rebounds, and he was also credited in season coverage as the team’s assists leader for a second straight year with 97 assists during that period.

Across his two seasons with the Cardinals, Kelleybrew shot 55.9 percent from the field, which is the 10th -best shooting percentage in the program’s history, and he also earned Southland Conference recognition in 1983 that included an All-Conference selection and All-Tournament acknowledgment tied to Lamar’s championship season.