Tierre (pronounced Tee-Air) Brown, a 6-foot 2-inch point guard playing for the Charleston Lowgators, is one of the rising stars to watch in the National Basketball Development League [NBDL].

Now in his 4th professional season, the 24-year-old Brown is emerging as the prototypical NBDL success story.

The floor general of the Lowgators has his team at the top of the standings and is turning heads throughout the league with his slick play.

“He is without a doubt the best point guard in the league,” stated Adam Epstein, Media Relations Coordinator and Broadcaster for the Charleston Lowgators. “He’s so quick one on one, he can take anyone off the dribble. He’s got moves upon moves, then more moves.”

"Tierre is excellent at penetrating,” agrees Chris Alpert, NBDL Basketball Operations and Player Personnel Director, “He’s probably the best in our league. He has a great change of speed dribble and keeps the defender off balance. He’s very shifty and can really push the ball up the court.”

The ability to slash through defenses and get to the hole consistently has Tierre averaging 19 points a game, the second highest tally in the league.

Brown is exactly the type of player the NBA envisioned would benefit from their Development League when they started operations three years ago.

Tierre was a member of the Houston Rockets at that time, making the team out of training camp after going unselected in the 2001 NBA draft.

Although the Houston scouts saw the enormous potential Brown possessed, the Rockets could not afford to continue to use a valuable roster spot on a developing player. Tierre was subsequently let go after training camp in 2002.

“It comes with the territory,” Brown said matter-of-fact. “You got to take the good with the bad.”

Perhaps it is this attitude and perseverance that has allowed Tierre to defy all the odds and make it to the NBA in the first place.

Small Town Kid, Big Time Dreams

Those hailing from tiny Iowa, Louisiana, a farming community of 2,663 people, can expect to work at the local petroleum plant, or doing some oil rig work if they choose not to work in the agriculture industry.

Tierre had much bigger dreams and the fortitude to make them a reality.

Although he was one of the top high school players in Southwest Louisiana, Brown did not garner much attention from the bigger NCAA programs in the country.

He landed a scholarship with McNeese State University, a school with an enrollment of about 8,000, located in Lake Charles, LA, just 15 minutes away from Iowa.

“Tierre was a great player for us and helped us turn the entire program around,” stated Ron Everhart, Brown’s head coach at McNeese. “He’s really a remarkable guy.”

Coach Everhart, who is now blowing the whistle for Northeastern University in Boston, is still impressed with Tierre’s work ethic and his relentless determination to improve his game.

“Tierre wasn’t about glitz and glamour. He worked hard everyday and really dedicated himself to work in the gym on his jumpshot,” said Everhart. “He wasn’t a great shooter when he came here. He was a great scorer because he was so great with the basketball and has a great first step, but he made himself into a tremendous shooter as well.”

Throughout college, Brown kept his eye fixed firmly on the prize: Making the NBA.

“He knew he wanted to be a pro and he went about it everyday preparing himself to be that,” said Everhart.

Although Brown ranked among the top 25 scorers in the nation both his junior and senior seasons at McNeese State his school suffered the invisibility of being off of the scouts’ radar.

“Coming from a small school I knew my chances (to get drafted) were slim,” said Brown, who didn’t even bother hiring an agent to represent him. “I knew I was going to have to work to make it to the NBA.”

Payday for a Lifetime of Work

After college, Brown took his high tops and his dreams to Houston, where he continued to work hard on his game and it was there that he finally got a chance to shine.

“He was working out in Houston, playing pickup ball with a lot of NBA guys and he was just killing them,” relayed Epstein. “One of the pro players told a Rockets scout: ‘Hey man, you got to check this guy out’.”

Tierre proved to be as good as advertised and the scouts indeed took notice. He was quickly invited to attend Houston’s training camp where he found himself a roster spot, as well as stiffer competition.

“I can get to the hole on anybody in the NBA,” believes Brown, “but the players there are quicker to help and they’re bigger, so they can block more shots. Certain things you have to adjust and get used to.”

He appeared in 40 contests with the Rockets in 2001-02, starting once, while averaging 3.1 points and 1.8 assists in 10.1 minutes a game.

“My main dream was to make to the NBA, now that I have, I’m focusing on trying to stick,” admitted Brown.

Page | 1 | 2 | Next