FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Ronnie Brewer is finally headed to the
NCAA tournament.
Maybe now, when he and his father share stories, the
conversation won't be so one-sided.
"That's what I wanted Ronnie to be able to see at the
University of Arkansas -- how exciting basketball can be, how rabid
the fans can be," former Razorback Ron Brewer said. "That
six-game winning streak, he saw that."
Arkansas earned its first NCAA bid since 2001 this season,
winning six straight down the stretch before losing to Florida in
the SEC tournament. The eighth-seeded Razorbacks (22-9) play
ninth-seeded Bucknell (26-4) Friday in Dallas.
Ron Brewer will be there, of course -- watching his son try to
lead his alma mater to the same heights dad did.
"I was going to go see him no matter where (Arkansas) went,"
he said. "I was going to find a way."
Ron Brewer played at Arkansas in the late 1970s, teaming with
Sidney Moncrief to lead the Razorbacks to the '78 Final Four before
moving on to the NBA. His son is now a junior -- and a first-team
All-Southeastern Conference selection. Ronnie wears the same No. 10
his father did, and hopes to leave a similar legacy.
"Just to be one of the great players to play at Arkansas, and a
player to get them back on the map -- it means a lot to me," he
said.
Ronnie Brewer grew up in Fayetteville watching Nolan Richardson
and the Razorbacks -- and he remembered those glory years when he
was looking at schools.
"Me being in Fayetteville, you have to be a die-hard Razorback
fan and I kind of took that into consideration when I made my
decision," he said.
Richardson had just been fired, but new coach Stan Heath
successfully recruited Brewer. Ron says he didn't influence his
son's choice too much.
"As much as I wanted him to go to the University of Arkansas,
that was Ronnie's decision, because I want him to be happy," he
said. "It's not what dad wanted, or his mom wanted -- I wanted him
to be happy."
Ronnie went through growing pains at first. The Razorbacks went
12-16 his freshman season. They improved to 18-12 in 2004-05 but
failed to make the NCAAs.
The Razorbacks knew Brewer was talented, but they needed him to
play with more urgency.
"Just kind of picking up the pace of things a little bit,"
assistant coach Dan Hipsher said.
This season, Brewer has responded. He finished the SEC
tournament as the conference's leader in scoring (18.55 points per
game) and steals (2.61).
A 6-foot, 7-inch guard with long arms, Brewer's ability to
deflect passes on the perimeter is crucial for an Arkansas team
that likes to run.
"He's rebounding, passing, scoring, running the floor,"
Hipsher said. "He's really a part of everything we're doing right
now."
Ron Brewer has been a constant influence in his son's life -- as
a father and as a basketball mentor.
"He was the type of person that was all ears. He was taking as
much as I was giving him and soaking it in like a sponge," Ron
said. "The more the years go, the more I hear him talk, the more I
see him grow up, I see that the foundation that was established in
him is coming out."
These days, Ron is like most Arkansas fans -- thrilled by the
progress Ronnie has made.
"The fundamental parts of the game have allowed him to be where
he is right now, and that's what I'm proud about," he said. "I
enjoy right now sitting, just like any spectator, watching him
play."
Razorbacks fans have one concern about Ronnie: How much longer
will they see him in an Arkansas uniform? Ron says the NBA is not
an issue -- at least not at this point.
"Right now, Ronnie made a commitment to the University of
Arkansas, to us, to himself, that the university is where he's
supposed to be, and he's going to be there for four years," Ron
said. "He's only been there for three. He's still got one more
year. Now, it can change in the course of four or five weeks or two
months. I don't know. But right now, it's still the same."
Right now, Ronnie Brewer has an NCAA tournament game to prepare
for -- and a few more memories to create for himself and his father.
"All the things that he's done here, for them to put me and him
in the same category, it means a lot to me," Ronnie said. "I
think it means a lot to him as well."