North Carolina State University Athletics
A long road comes to an end
12/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2004
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH -- Chucky Brown traveled the world - and practically every stop in the NBA - during his 13-year professional basketball career, but even that arduous journey wasn't as long as one that will end Wednesday morning.
Brown will be one of 2,656 students who receive their degrees at the RBC Center in NC State's fall commencement ceremonies, in yet another personal achievement for Brown in a basketball arena.
During his four-year playing career at N.C. State, from 1985-89, Brown helped the Wolfpack win the 1987 ACC Tournament title and the 1989 ACC Regular-Season Championship. As a professional, he had the rare distinction of playing for the NBA and CBA champions in 1995, splitting time that year with the Houston Rockets and the Yakima Sun Kings.
He is one of only three former Wolfpack basketball players who have won an NBA Championship ring. (The others? John Ritcher and Chuck Nevitt.) But getting his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology isn't the same as winning a basketball title. It's a more personal achievement.
"It ranks high among the things I have done, but it ranks differently," Brown said. "Those other things happened to me as a player. This is something that happened in my personal life. It ranks up there with having kids and getting married."
Brown's wife, Melanie, lives in Cary with the couple's two daughters, 3-year-old Isabella and nine-month-old Amelia. But, as was so often the case during his playing career, Brown is out traveling with basketball.
He's an assistant coach with the Roanoke Dazzle of the National Basketball Developmental League, a NBA-sponsored minor league. He'll be back in Raleigh Wednesday for graduation exercises and will attend the Wolfpack's home game against Louisiana-Lafayette (9 p.m.) at the RBC Center.
To be honest, Brown went back to school to finish off his degree for two reasons: first, he wanted to increase his options for his coaching career. Without a degree, he has no shot of coaching in high school or college.
Second, he wanted to finish it off for his parents, Minnie and Clarence Sr., who moved from Brooklyn to tiny Navassa, N.C., when Brown was 15 to get their children out of an increasing violent New York City.
Clarence Sr., who drove a city bus for nearly three decades, brought the kids to his childhood home, while his wife stayed behind to finish out her final year and a half before retirement.
Chucky made a name for himself at North Brunswick High, catching the eye of then-Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano with an all-state career. He was a solid player for the Wolfpack, one who led the ACC in rebounding, earned first-team All-ACC honors and became a second-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA draft. Over the next dozen years, Brown played all over the NBA, from Charlotte to Los Angeles. He, in fact, shares the NBA record for most teams played for in a career with former Maryland player Tony Massenburg.
He would like to use his knowledge from his many stops around the league to become a high school, college or professional coach, following mostly in the steps of his three favorite coaches: Valvano, Rudy Tomjanovich and Chuck Daly.
"Out of all the players I ever played with, on all the different levels, I can tell you this about Chucky: He was the greatest teammate I ever had,'' said Chris Corchiani, who played three years with Brown at NC State. "He would do anything for you, on or off the court. It's one thing to be a great scorer, or a great shooter, or a great passer, but to be someone who is always there for you is a great, great talent.
"I think he would be a remarkable coach."
Last summer, Brown enrolled in the first of the five classes he needed to get his elusive degree. He took three sociology classes (family, theory and research methods), plus classes in music and philosophy. He took his last exam on Monday, then returned to Roanoke for a couple of days of work.
When he receives his degree Wednesday, he'll become the first member of his family to ever graduate from college. So there will be lots of thoughts racing through his mind.
"I think Coach Valvano would be proud," Brown said. "He was always talking about how important getting your degree was. I'll be thinking about how happy my mom and dad will be. And I will be thinking that I don't want the people who are giving the speeches to go on too long." Because, like always, Brown has places to go.
You may reach Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
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