ARKANSAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Marcus Brown starred overseas after going unnoticed in States

Marcus Brown played at West Memphis before going to Murray State, where he won the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award in 1995 and 1996. He played in seven countries and was part of 19 championship teams in his European career.
Marcus Brown played at West Memphis before going to Murray State, where he won the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award in 1995 and 1996. He played in seven countries and was part of 19 championship teams in his European career.

— Fourth in a series previewing the 2013 inductees into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Marcus Brown was not the most highly regarded high school basketball player in 1991, but maybe he should have been.

Brown led the West Memphis Blue Devils to the Class AAAA and overall championships that year, but he went largely ignored by the Memphis and Arkansas media and only a few Division I colleges took notice.

“He was most definitely under rated,” West Memphis Coach Larry Bray said. “But he was so team-oriented and more concerned about winning than he was about himself. Plus, he played out of his normal position for us.”

Brown wound up signing with Murray State, where he excelled, earning the Ohio Valley Conference’s Player of the Year award in 1995 and 1996. The Portland Trail Blazers took noticed and drafted him in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft.

While Brown never found an NBA home, the 6-4 guard stood out in Europe. From 1997 to 2011, Brown played in seven countries and was a part of 19 championship teams. He was named the French League Foreign Player’s MVP in 2000, the Turkish League MVP in 2002 and the Lithuanian League Finals MVP in 2008.

Brown is the Euroleague’s second-leading scorer, counting only games played since 2000, with more than 2,500 career points.

He also is finally getting some recognition from his home state. He will be inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame on March 8.

“I’m a very lucky person,” Brown said. “I was able to do what I love to do and that was play basketball for a living. And that’s saying a lot for a skinny kid from West Memphis.

“I didn’t get a lot of media coverage. Memphis didn’t pay a lot of attention to anything in West Memphis and Little Rock was too far away to get too much of anything. It was like we were in the middle of nowhere. But looking back on it, I wouldn’t do it any other way. I left the game with no regrets.”

Brown finished his high school basketball career with two of his best efforts. Coming off a 25-point, 12-rebound outing in the overall semifinals against Delta, Brown helped guide the Blue Devils to a 61-56 victory over Morrilton in the overall championships.

Brown scored 21 points in the West Memphis victory, making only two field goals, but hitting 17 of 19 free throws.

“That guy could play,” said Jerry Bridges, who was in his first year coaching at Morrilton in 1991. “We were very aware of what he could do and I really thought we did an all right job on him, but I guess not considering how well he got to the free-throw line against us.”

“I can remember trying to drive into the lane and getting fouled a lot,” Brown said. “I’ve never seen the tape of that game and I can’t remember everything about it, but I do know we were on a mission that year. We were so focused on winning. We might have played a lot of good teams that year, but they were all in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Brown’s NBA career was brief. He played 21 games for the Trail Blazers during the 1996-1997 season, averaging 3.9 points a game. He was signed by the Vancouver Grizzlies for the 1997-1998 season but was released before he ever played a game. In 1999, Brown averaged 18 points a game during the preseason for the Detroit Pistons, but he was released by the team after playing in only six regular-season games.

“They signed me even though they knew I wasn’t in their plans,” Brown said. “I didn’t understand what they were thinking.”

Brown found his basketball niche overseas. He played for teams in France, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Spain, Lithuania and Israel.

“I just looked at each new place as if it was a blessing,” Brown said. “I just tried to soak in as much as I could. ... I always tried to put my best foot forward and I tried to adapt to each new situation in a very positive manner. I’ve always been one to think outside the box and I’ve always felt I had unlimited options. I was fortunate to have a lot of coaches and teammates that were accepting. I like to think that I did not do it my way, but I did it the right way.”

Now that his playing career is over, Brown is back in West Memphis, serving as an assistant coach on Bray’s staff.

“I’m not surprised at all he wants to coach,” Bray said. “He likes the work and he likes the challenges. I know I don’t have to be looking over my shoulder to see that things get done because he demands the best of the kids. He holds the kids accountable for their action.

“I’ve always wanted to take a stab at coaching,” Brown said. “I want to show the young men in the community that you can achieve your goals if you work hard enough. I want to inspire others to be their best.”

At a glance

MARCUS JAMES BROWN BORN April 3, 1974 SPORT Basketball HIGH SCHOOL West Memphis COLLEGE Murray State

PROFESSIONAL CAREER 1996-1997 Portland Trail Blazers, 1998 Allentown Jets (Continental Basketball Association), 1999 Detroit Pistons, 1999-2000 Limoges (Frances), Benetton Treviso (Italy), 2001-2003, Efes Pilsen (Turkey), 2003-2005 CSKA Moscow (Russia), 2005-2007 Unicaja Malaga (Spain), 2007-2008 Zalgiris Laimam (Lithuania), 2008-2009 Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), 2009-2011 Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2004 All-Euroleague first team, 2003 and 2005 second team All-Euroleague, 2000 French League Foreign Player’s MVP, 2002 Turkish League MVP, 2008 and 2010-2011 Lithuanian League All-Star, 2008 Lithuanian League Finals MVP, 1995 and 1996 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year

Sports, Pages 17 on 02/26/2013

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