Barry Brown hopes to give Kansas State another spark against Saint Louis
We have already seen every side of Barry Brown.
The Kansas State freshman guard has only played in 11 games for the Wildcats, but he has already shown a little bit of everything. There have been good games, such as the three times he has led the team in scoring. There have been bad games, such as the seven times he has failed to score more than four points.
K-State coach Bruce Weber has a goal for Brown as he matures — consistency.
“One of the keys to our team is Barry’s progress,” Weber said. “He is starting to show some signs in practice that he can make some shots. He just has to let the game come. When he has open shots we know he can score.”
Brown took a step in the right direction before K-State players scattered home for Christmas by scoring 15 points in the Wildcats’ last game, a 63-49 victory over North Dakota. He made 6 of 10 shots, including three three-pointers, and also finished with three steals, two assists and two rebounds.
If Brown continues to play that well — the same way he did when he combined for 35 points in early wins against Maryland-Eastern Shore and South Dakota — K-State will take its chances against Saint Louis at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum and beyond in Big 12 competition.
Brown, a St. Petersburg, Fla. native, could be a difference-maker as the team’s sixth man.
“I am just trying to do whatever to help my team out,” Brown said. “We came out slow (against North Dakota). It was a close game going into halftime, even the first five minutes coming back after halftime. We started a little slow. I am just trying to come off the bench and give us that spark.”
Brown hadn’t provided much of a spark since his third game, as his scoring average dropped from 17 to 6.3, but he came through when the Wildcats needed him last week. That should help him moving forward.
“Coach keeps telling me to keep shooting,” Brown said. “I have been getting into the gym, just trying to get my shot back. I think it has paid off. My confidence never really went down, but when you hit shots your confidence goes up.”
Kellis Robinett: @kellisrobinett
Saint Louis at Kansas State
- When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
- Where: Bramlage Coliseum
- Records: SL 5-6, KSU 9-2
- Radio: KQAM, 1480-AM; KWLS, 107.9-FM
- TV: FSKC
Saint Louis at Kansas State
P | Saint Louis | Ht | Yr | Pts | Reb |
F | Austin Gillmann | 6-10 | So. | 3.9 | 2.1 |
F | Reggie Agbeko | 6-7 | Jr. | 4.9 | 5.4 |
G | Ash Yacoubou | 6-4 | Sr. | 11.1 | 5.5 |
G | Davell Roby | 6-4 | So. | 7.0 | 3.1 |
G | Miles Reynolds | 6-2 | So. | 11.0 | 6.8 |
P | K-State | Ht | Yr | Pts | Reb |
F | Stephen Hurt | 6-11 | Sr. | 7.2 | 5.4 |
F | Dean Wade | 6-10 | Fr. | 11.3 | 5.8 |
G | Wesley Iwundu | 6-7 | Jr. | 13.3 | 4.0 |
G | Justin Edwards | 6-4 | Sr. | 13.3 | 5.8 |
G | Kamau Stokes | 6-0 | Fr. | 9.1 | 3.5 |
Saint Louis: The Billikens have been in a slump since an encouraging start. Saint Louis has lost six of its last seven games, with the only victory coming against Alabama A&M. Two St. Louis playerss average more than 10 points. Yacoubou is the team’s top scorer, averaging 11.1 points.
Kansas State: The Wildcats hope to look sharp on offense against Saint Louis, which is something they haven’t done since teams began to play predominantly zone defense against them. They are also hoping to win their final nonconference tuneup before Big 12 starts on Saturday against West Virginia.
This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Barry Brown hopes to give Kansas State another spark against Saint Louis."