Freddy Brown III already at home in Missoula
8/16/2018 2:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The word 'family' gets tossed around often inside locker rooms, and it's an adjective Travis DeCuire takes to heart with his Montana men's basketball program. Perhaps never more than with Freddy Brown III, however, who will suit up for the Griz this fall.
Brown has known DeCuire since birth, but the family relationship dates back even further.
DeCuire was first introduced to the Brown family when he was a freshman in high school. He became close with Brown's father, a high school teammate of his, and some of Brown's uncles – including late Griz legend Delvon Anderson.
"Freddy's like family," DeCuire said. "That family has been part of the majority of my life, through the ups and downs."
Brown reciprocated the feeling.
"I've always had a relationship with Coach Trav. He's like an uncle to me. Wherever Coach Trav was, I knew I wanted to go."
Brown's first unofficial recruiting visit was to California, where DeCuire was an associate head coach. The two stayed in touch as DeCuire took the head coaching position at Montana, eventually leading to Brown's choice to play for the Griz.
It's easy to see why he was on the radar of a Pac-12 team at such a young age. The 6-2 outside shooter was part of a national-championship team at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, going 29-0 while playing alongside McDonald's All-American/first-round NBA Draft pick Michael Porter Jr. and other top prospects.
Following the undefeated junior season, Brown was the only returner on the Raiders' roster, and he starred in the spotlight. He averaged 28.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game during his senior campaign.
And then, of course, there's the genetics. Brown is the nephew of Anderson – the 1992 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year who led the Griz to back-to-back conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances. He's also the grandson of former Seattle SuperSonics star Downtown Freddie Brown.
"I think I can be a shooter for Montana," Brown said. "Like my grandpa, I was born to shoot, no matter the range. I also want to develop into a leader and become a guy that coach Trav can trust on the floor. Of course, I also want to make it to March Madness and bring the Big Sky banners back home."
He's currently enrolled as a business major, but has interest in switching to Native American studies. The scholar-athlete comes to Montana on an academic scholarship – a trait handed down by his family. His aunt was his high school principal, his mother is an assistant principal and his father is also in education.
In addition to his prowess on the court, Brown was also part of Running Start, meaning he'll walk onto UM's campus with several college credits already on his transcript.
"Athletics and academics have been very well balanced in his life," DeCuire said. "He's an incredible communicator and has a high level of confidence, but he's humble at the same time. I think we'll find that he's the type who we won't have to repeat things to. We can spend more time coaching and less time teaching because of his maturity."
As for the coaching, Brown expects DeCuire to be a little tougher on him – that's the way family is, right? That doesn't bother Brown, though, knowing that DeCuire has his best interests in mind.
"He wants me to be as good as I can be, whether that's at the next level or having a good four years here."
DeCuire's excited to coach someone he's so close to. Being embedded in his own career and away from Seattle for so long, he admits he's missed much of Brown's childhood. He's been able to catch a game here or there, or caught up at a birthday party, but never in-depth time.
"I really look forward to spending time with him," DeCuire said. "I think it'll be good for us and good for our team. That's what our team is about. We say 'family' all the time. For a lot of people, that develops throughout the course of your four or five years here, but I think it's healthy to have a member or two who feels that way when they first walk through the door."
Brown has known DeCuire since birth, but the family relationship dates back even further.
DeCuire was first introduced to the Brown family when he was a freshman in high school. He became close with Brown's father, a high school teammate of his, and some of Brown's uncles – including late Griz legend Delvon Anderson.
"Freddy's like family," DeCuire said. "That family has been part of the majority of my life, through the ups and downs."
Brown reciprocated the feeling.
"I've always had a relationship with Coach Trav. He's like an uncle to me. Wherever Coach Trav was, I knew I wanted to go."
Brown's first unofficial recruiting visit was to California, where DeCuire was an associate head coach. The two stayed in touch as DeCuire took the head coaching position at Montana, eventually leading to Brown's choice to play for the Griz.
It's easy to see why he was on the radar of a Pac-12 team at such a young age. The 6-2 outside shooter was part of a national-championship team at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, going 29-0 while playing alongside McDonald's All-American/first-round NBA Draft pick Michael Porter Jr. and other top prospects.
Following the undefeated junior season, Brown was the only returner on the Raiders' roster, and he starred in the spotlight. He averaged 28.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game during his senior campaign.
And then, of course, there's the genetics. Brown is the nephew of Anderson – the 1992 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year who led the Griz to back-to-back conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances. He's also the grandson of former Seattle SuperSonics star Downtown Freddie Brown.
"I think I can be a shooter for Montana," Brown said. "Like my grandpa, I was born to shoot, no matter the range. I also want to develop into a leader and become a guy that coach Trav can trust on the floor. Of course, I also want to make it to March Madness and bring the Big Sky banners back home."
Brown visited Missoula in May and was struck by the college-town feel and how everywhere he went, the community supported the Griz. With Native American ancestry in his bloodlines (Makah Tribe), he also was intrigued by the Native population in Montana and the possibility of getting involved.COMMITTED 🐻🏀 @CoachDeCuire @KoachRW pic.twitter.com/XllcQaLA8c
— Freddy Brown ĪĪĪ (@FreddyBrownlll) June 8, 2018
He's currently enrolled as a business major, but has interest in switching to Native American studies. The scholar-athlete comes to Montana on an academic scholarship – a trait handed down by his family. His aunt was his high school principal, his mother is an assistant principal and his father is also in education.
In addition to his prowess on the court, Brown was also part of Running Start, meaning he'll walk onto UM's campus with several college credits already on his transcript.
"Athletics and academics have been very well balanced in his life," DeCuire said. "He's an incredible communicator and has a high level of confidence, but he's humble at the same time. I think we'll find that he's the type who we won't have to repeat things to. We can spend more time coaching and less time teaching because of his maturity."
As for the coaching, Brown expects DeCuire to be a little tougher on him – that's the way family is, right? That doesn't bother Brown, though, knowing that DeCuire has his best interests in mind.
"He wants me to be as good as I can be, whether that's at the next level or having a good four years here."
DeCuire's excited to coach someone he's so close to. Being embedded in his own career and away from Seattle for so long, he admits he's missed much of Brown's childhood. He's been able to catch a game here or there, or caught up at a birthday party, but never in-depth time.
"I really look forward to spending time with him," DeCuire said. "I think it'll be good for us and good for our team. That's what our team is about. We say 'family' all the time. For a lot of people, that develops throughout the course of your four or five years here, but I think it's healthy to have a member or two who feels that way when they first walk through the door."
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballMarch Madness Denver Pep Rally - 3/19/25
Thursday, March 20
Montana? Yes, Montana!
Wednesday, March 19
Griz Basketball Open Practice [March Madness] - 3/19/25
Wednesday, March 19
Griz Basketball Arrival To Denver [March Madness] - 3/18/25
Tuesday, March 18
