Tierre Brown named NBDL MVP

Why didn't we keep Tierre and try to develop him?



http://www.nba.com/nbdl/nbdl/brown_040403.html

Charleston’s Brown Named League MVP


GREENVILLE, S.C., April 3 -- Charleston Lowgators point guard Tierre Brown has been named the National Basketball Development League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2003-04 season. Brown was selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Brown, 6-2 and 189 pounds, is currently tied with NBDL Rookie of the Year Desmond Penigar as the league’s scoring leader at 18.6 points per game and is third in the league in both assists (6.5 pg) and steals (1.8 pg).

“Being chosen by the coaches as the league’s MVP shows that Tierre has worked hard and continued to develop his game to the point where he is ready to take it to the next level,” NBDL director of basketball operations Chris Alpert said.

“He is the engine that makes Charleston go offensively, and has been among the league leaders in both scoring and assists all season,” Alpert said. “He has a quick first step that allows him to draw defenders, and then he has the court vision to find open teammates.”

The former McNeese State Cowboy who has logged NBA time with the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Hornets holds the NBDL single-game high for assists this season with 17 against Fayetteville on February 14. His 36 points against Asheville on March 2 is tied for the second-highest single-game output of the year.

“Tierre has shown outstanding ability with us for two years now, but this season he has raised his efficiency to the point where he is not only the toughest player in the league to guard, but is also a catalyst for his teammates,” Charleston head coach Doug Marty said. “I know Tierre will take this award as motivation to get even better because he really loves this game. He has worked very hard to earn this recognition.”

Brown has played in 37 games (35 starts) for the Lowgators, missing five games while on a 10-day callup to the Hornets. In addition to his 18.6 points per game, he is fifth in the league in minutes played with 33.5 per game. He has scored in double figures 34 times this season and has scored 20 points or more 18 times, including five double-doubles. He has recoded three or more steals 13 times.

Brown joins current NBA players Devin Brown (Spurs) and Ansu Sesay (Sonics) as winners of the NBDL Most Valuable Player Award. Sesay was the inaugural winner and Brown took the honor last season.