American guard Barry Brown Jr has joined NZ Breakers as their third import to complete their recruitment drive for the 2022/23 Australian NBL season.
Brown, 25, plays both backcourt positions and has already acquired experience with Kansas State University in the US collegiate system, and professional stints in Germany and China, after a spell with Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA pre-season.
"Barry is exactly the player we need," said Breakers coach Mody Maor. "He is at the formative stage of his career.
"Barry can be proud of what he's done, but he has the potential to achieve so much more. Barry's decision to sign with us shows he has enormous faith in our ability to unlock his undeniable, untapped potential.
"The last couple of seasons have proven that if you come to this club with the right mindset, like Will McDowell-White, Ousmane Dieng or Hugo Besson, you will become a better basketball player."
Brown joins centre Dererk Pardon and power forward Jarrell Brantley as the American influence on the 12-man roster, with French teen Rayan Rupert completing the foreign contingent as a 'Next Star' signing, hoping to follow countrymen Dieng and Besson into the NBA draft.
"Barry is young, but he has the ability to impact the game in many ways," said Maor. "He is a lockdown defender and was such at college.
"He can score in a variety of ways and he has the knack of helping his teams win."
At college, Brown averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists over 139 games, and was named to the Big 12 conference first team as Defensive Player of the Year.
With MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, he led the German Bundesliga in points per minute, averaging 12.9 points, and was even more effective for Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association, with 17.4 points this year.
"If you're watching me on the court, you can expect to see a fun, energetic, fast scorer/defender," said Brown. "Playing for teammates, playing to win, playing for coaches."
Unlike recent seasons, the full roster is based on Kiwi talent, with Aussies Will McDowell-White and Cam Gliddon complementing a core of Tall Blacks.
The Breakers begin their pre-season scheduled against Illawarra Hawks at Pukekohe on September 10, with their season-opener against Melbourne United at Melbourne on October 2.
The full 2022/23 Breakers roster is Tom Abercrombie, Jarrell Brantley, Barry Brown Jr, Dan Fotu, Cam Gliddon, Izayah Le'afa, Rob Loe, Will McDowell-White, Dererk Pardon, Rayan Rupert, Sam Timmins, Tom Vodanovich.
