Corey Brewer by no means spent a lot time on the bench. Not throughout his highschool basketball profession in Portland when he was a McDonald’s All-American, in Florida the place he was a part of two nationwide championship groups or throughout his 13-year NBA profession.
Immediately, Brewer relishes the chance of acquiring a seat on the bench. As an NBA head coach, it’s.
Brewer, 38, was in Belmont Tuesday for the New Orleans Pelicans coaching camp on the Crockett Athletic Heart. The Pelicans are in Nashville as a result of their apply facility is present process renovations. Brewer was just lately promoted from participant improvement coach to assistant in his fourth season on the NBA franchise’s workers.
“I’m shifting up the ranks,” Brewer stated. “I am presently one of many assistant coaches behind the bench. The subsequent step is to get in entrance of the bench.”
Corey Brewer determined to turn out to be an NBA coach whereas taking part in for the Rockets and Lakers
Brewer, named to the Tennessean’s highschool basketball workforce of the 2000s earlier this yr, determined halfway by his NBA taking part in profession to pursue a training profession. He completed his taking part in profession in 2020 with Sacramento, his eighth NBA workforce.
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It was throughout his time with the Houston Rockets and LA Lakers (2014-18) that Brewer first realized he had a expertise for teaching. He was in his 30s, on tempo to have greater than 7,000 profession factors and a couple of,200 rebounds, and located that youthful gamers had been seeking to him for recommendation.
“It wasn’t one thing I ever wished to do,” Brewer stated. “I used to be a veteran on the workforce and I used to be in a position to talk and train the youngsters. I used to be like, ‘Possibly teaching is one thing I need to do.’ As I acquired older, I began speaking about it with my coaches, I began going to conferences and it labored.”
Corey Brewer can nonetheless do a 360° dunk
Brewer, who stands 6-foot-9, is ready to talk with gamers on the Pelicans roster by displaying off his expertise on the court docket. He goes over his dunk bundle earlier than each apply, which all the time attracts a crowd.
“He’s wonderful, he’s a particular athlete,” stated Pelicans ahead Matt Ryan, who performed at Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Chattanooga. “What he is nonetheless doing is unimaginable. He is somebody that a whole lot of us have a look at as an incredible instance of the right way to keep within the league for a very long time and in addition the right way to keep wholesome and keep athletic till his thirties.”
Brewer performed this summer season within the Big3 league, based by Ice Dice with groups made up of former NBA and worldwide gamers. He had 19 factors and 6 rebounds and led Bivouac to a victory at Bridgestone Area within the semifinals. Within the championship, Brewer made a steal and threw a layup to Garlon Inexperienced, giving Bivouac a victory at TD Backyard.
“I am in actually fine condition; I am solely 38 and my physique feels nice,” Brewer stated. “I can nonetheless do the identical issues as if I used to be taking part in. I nonetheless have my 360 (dunk). I have never slowed down but.”
The Pelicans apply twice a day, so Brewer hasn’t but been in a position to journey to Portland to see household and mates.
“I used to be blissful once I discovered we had been coming to Belmont for camp; I am half-hour from Portland,” Brewer stated. “I’m going to drive there on Thursday and stand up to see my mother and my brother and a few cousins.”
Contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This text was initially printed on Nashville Tennessean: Corey Brewer: Pelicans assistant returning to Nashville for his teaching journey
