Fresno to Fraser Valley: The Nate Brown Story

There’s a new big man on campus these days. Maybe you’ve seen him hanging around the Envision Athletic Centre or walking back and forth from the Baker House residence. Maybe you just got a glimpse, or maybe you found a way to slide into conversation and a taste of his Fresno slang.

However it was that you first met Nate Brown, I can bet your first reaction was simple:

WOAH.

At 6’6” (not counting another four inches of hair) and 260 lbs, Brown has the build of a linebacker, the implicit physical intimidation of a Bond thug, and the charisma of quiet, serene confidence. He stands out at UFV, in a different class, of a different breed; nobody who’s seen him touch a basketball can quite believe their eyes.

Brown is quick, quicker than any man his size has a right to be. He plays forward, point guard, shooting guard, anything he wants really, and he plays with a technique and a patience that demand appreciation. He can dunk, he can shoot, and his defensive presence in the lane forces drive-minded opponents to think twice about cutting inside. The paint is Brown’s house; he owns it.

From humble roots in San Jose, California, Brown dreamed of becoming a famous street-baller in his formative years. Most of his basketball happened on the blacktop outside the gym, as he never quite had the grades to play on the varsity team. In fact, it wasn’t until his senior year that Brown was approached by the team coach about putting on the school colours – and given the academic support to make it happen.

After graduating, Brown played two years at Porterville College in California before toying with the idea of going professional. Yet his dream was (and is) to get a university education while playing ball, so he turned down the opportunity and focused on going back to school

Brown showed up on UFV coach Adam Friesen’s radar because of a summer he spent practicing in Alberta with future Cascades Kevon Parchment, Kadeem Willis, and Aaron McGowan. Years later, Brown received a game-changing text from Parchment, a text that Brown sums up in three simple words: “Coach wants you.”

Of course, the reality wasn’t as simple as the text message. Brown had to become academically eligible, secure education funding from his tribe, the Quechan and navigate family complications before he could become a Cascade.  Yet during the second week of January 2014 Brown once again arrived in Canada, and began classes at UFV. Since that critical moment he has been a story both in the classroom and in his role as team manager for the Cascades; he’s even been a force recruiting fans for the team from among his fellow students in Baker House!

Brown will suit up for the Cascades in the coming season, and is expected to contribute significantly as part of one of the most complete rosters UFV has compiled during coach Friesen’s tenure. Look for him on the court this November — and hear whispers of him already across the Canada West.

From the Sidelines: 

Why was it basketball and not something else, like curling, figure-skating, modeling?

I’ve never heard of curling. Figure-skating, well my boys would look at me a little different if I even thought about doing that.  I tried football, but it didn’t really work out. It wasn’t my kind of sport.

What were your big dreams growing up?

I actually wanted to become a street ball player. Street ball is big in the States [because of players like] Hot Sauce, Air Up There … I always played at lunch, always played after class and before class, but it was always on the blacktop, never in the gym.

So you never wanted to be an astronaut or something?

No. Not an astronaut. I wanted to be an actor too. I think that’s why I’m taking acting classes now.

At UFV?

Yeah! I got an A- in [the class]. This last semester I did a monologue for the first time. I was surprised that I memorized it considering I don’t have the best memory.

Do you remember part of it? Can you recite a bit of it for me?

“Let’s see… ‘But the aura around this book of Salinger’s — which perhaps should be read by everyone but young men — is this: it mirrors like a fun house mirror and amplifies like a distorted speaker one of the great tragedies of our times — the death of the imagination.
Because what is paralysis?
 The imagination has been so debased that imagination — being imaginative — rather than being the lynchpin of our existence now stands as a synonym for something outside ourselves like science fiction or some new use for tangerine slices on raw pork chops.’

That’s pretty good! Tangerines on raw pork chops, I like it … Which teammates have helped you out the most adjusting to UFV?

Kadeem [Willis] in the summer with my housing situation. Kadeem came last summer and we were the only ones in the house for a while.  Also, all the rest of the Toronto boys. We’ve kicked it a couple of times, we’ve hung out. I’ve gotten Kadeem in the weight-room. I got Mac [McGowan] in the weight-room once, although he never showed up after that (laughs). Kadeem consistently stayed with me for about two weeks [then stopped coming]…I guess I brought too much too fast. (laughs).

How’s working with coach Adam Friesen been? I hear you guys went through a lot to make you a Cascade.

Coach Adam does a lot. Adam has been there since day one to help me.

So this is a cool thing being up here at UFV.

Oh definitely. Anything is better than where I came from, if you know what I’m saying. I didn’t live in the best part of Fresno. I have a single mom too, and my brother and I, we couldn’t do things that we wanted to do. Basically we needed my brother’s [football] career to take off for the future to be better. So my brother needed to play football, but now he’s in the ministry. So now I’m blessed to still carry us as far as sports. Anything is better than where I was.

You’re living in Baker House. What were some of the quirks and culture shock moments you’ve experienced so far?

Everybody wanted to know where I was from. I tend to isolate myself a lot. I don’t like to give out a lot of information about myself. So everyone was trying to know what’s going on, where I’m from, and what it’s like. And I was just like ‘man, I’m glad to be here’ you know what I’m saying? (laughs) Everyone wanted to be my friend, too … it’s different in the States. Up here they value friendship a lot, it’s kind of cool … everybody’s very nice up here and I like that.

People here, I wanna talk about the way people look at you. Over here people look to admire you, people look just to look, especially at my hair.  They just want to know where I’m from or what nationality I’m from … whereas in [Fresno] if they stare at you and you stare back, it can cause a conflict.  Everyone thinks you have a problem with them. I think it has something to with the heat (laughs)! …. They’re just cranky.

What are your plans for this season?

My plan this season is to bring my presence. We struggled on the boards last year, so I definitely want to contribute to that. As far as scoring, I don’t really care. Scoring just comes naturally … I just want to help the team with rebounding. I think that would be good. I got Defensive Player of the Year at Porterville College, and I plan to bring that presence here.