Eric Weiss: With this whole process going on, we havent heard a lot from you as far as being out there with media exposure for such a high pick. Have you had a lot of media requests?
Ronnie Brewer: Not really. My main focus has been on basketball and getting ready for these workouts. So I prepared for them and I feel I was ready and Ive had three solid workouts and have gotten positive feedback. Thats the most important thing, you want to always get positive feedback from your workouts and thats been my main focus, not really trying to get my name out there. If youre doing the things you need to do on the court, then your name will get out there.
Eric Weiss: Speaking of those workouts, weve heard you killed it in Orlando. Who were you going up against? Douby? Foye? Carney? Roy? All those guys?
Ronnie Brewer: Roy didnt come, he ended up taking his name out. Like you said, Carney, Foye,
Mardy Collins,
Quincy Douby,
Hassan Adams, and
Shawne Williams from Memphis. So it was a pretty good workout.
Eric Weiss: What did you guys go through? A lot of competitive stuff?
Ronnie Brewer: A lot of one-on-one, two-on-two, shooting, pick-and-rolls, full court one-on-one, dribbling drills. So, we did a lot of different competitive stuff. Thats stuff that I think I do well and I just play my style of basketball and it works for me.
Eric Weiss: How about defensively? You were able to hold your own?
Ronnie Brewer: Definitely. Thats one of my strengths. Thats why a lot of teams like me, because I can do a lot of different things. I can defend the one, two, or three. So, I feel that I defended really well and showed those guys what I can do.
Eric Weiss: Do you feel like when you go to the NBA youll still be able to play 3 positions defensively?
Ronnie Brewer: Whatever team I go to, the needs that theyre looking for. If its a guy to bring the ball up, I think I have the skills to bring the ball up comfortably. Or a big two-guard or big three-guard, someone to rebound and defend at those spots night in and night out and be able to score, take the ball to the basket. Im working on my shooting, but thats going to improve and I can see myself as a guy out on the perimeter whos going to knock down shots.
Eric Weiss: Well, a lots made of the whole shooting form thing and Im not too sure whether to be concerned about that, but as far as shooting period, its not necessarily a weakness, but its not youre primary strength, so what are you doing to prepare yourself? Whats your daily routine?
Ronnie Brewer: For me, just being a basketball player youve got to be able to do all aspects: handle the ball, pass the ball, play defense, just your overall knowledge of the game. At the same time, youve got to be able to knock down shots and be a consistent shooter because in the NBA thats what a lot of the guys get paid for, to be consistent and just knock down shots. So, I do the repetition and try and make it so its a routine and over and over its going to go in. So, I just try to do that everyday and work on it and its getting better everyday.
Eric Weiss: Who are you working with?
Ronnie Brewer: Before I signed with an agent I was working out with my father and the strength and conditioning coaches at the University of Arkansas, working on my agility. Then when I signed with my guys, [agent] Henry Thomas, I went up to [Tim] Grovers gym, worked with him and got to do the drills with him a little bit. Then I went off to my workouts and the first one in Houston was a tough one, but I knew what was expected and I got better when I went to the one in Chicago and even better when I went to the one in Orlando.
Reporter: Who have you gone to for advice during the draft process?
Ronnie Brewer: I talked to a lot of different guys. Weve got some guys from Arkansas who are in the league,
Joe Johnson, Corliss [Williamson]. Ive talked to Scotty Pippen a little bit and hes given me some advice. Ive got somebody right at home, my dad has been there and hes pretty much been a role model for me my whole life and since hes been there hes been able to tell me some things that help to prepare me for that next level.
Reporter: You said your dad has been a big influence on you. As far as being a basketball player, how much have you gotten from your dad?
Ronnie Brewer: A lot because, hes kind of an old school guy. When he taught me the game and really got serious about it, he didnt teach me to be just an offensive guy or a defensive guy, He taught me all aspects of it. Thats why a lot of teams like me, because of my versatility. So, hes really helped me mold my game and made me into the player that I am today.
Reporter: Did he push you or did he wait to see where you wanted to go with it?
Ronnie Brewer: At first he didnt really know how serious I was. But once I started playing I didnt pursue any other sports as much as I did basketball. So once he saw how serious I was, how dedicated I was, he kind of let me go my way. Then once he knew I was really serious about it he started mentoring me and teach me the basics, just the right way to play.
Reporter: What stage of your life was that? High school? Junior high school?
Ronnie Brewer: It was elementary school. When I first started out, my dad ran a camp and it was grades 3 through 12. So when I was in kindergarten my sister was able to participate because shes three years older than me. So I was watching them and just studying the game and I got a liking for it and started loving it and just wanted to get better and learn the things he was teaching everybody else. Once I got to the end of my first grade year he allowed me to participate in the camp even though I was playing two years up with the third graders and I was able to do the drills because Id been watching them for the past 2 years watching my sister play and it only made me better. As I got older, probably in the sixth grade, thats when he told me Ill coach your teams and teach me from there. He coached me in AAU in sixth or seventh grade until I graduated.
Eric Weiss: Was that difficult sometimes?
Ronnie Brewer: I mean, he was hard on me. I expected him to be hard, to not take it easy on me just because I was his son. Being my dad he wasnt going to take it easy, if I had 30 points hed still critique me and he still does that today. But, at the same time it makes me a better player and it helps me to critique myself as a player because at the end of the year Im my own biggest critic. I look at film and see what I have to work on to get better for next year.
Eric Weiss: Do you think youre very self-critical of your game? Do you analyze a lot it?
Ronnie Brewer: Definitely, definitely. Thats the only way youre going to get better. If everybodys telling you that youre this good or youre that good, thats what youre going to think the whole entire time. Deep down inside youve got to look in the mirror and say well if I cant go left Ive got to work on my left. If I cant shoot the ball that well then I need to work on my jump shot.
Eric Weiss: Thats something the pros do right there.
Ronnie Brewer: Thank you.
Eric Weiss: Do you think it gives you an advantage growing up in an NBA family, so to speak?
Ronnie Brewer: I think you can say that. Like I said, he prepared me from an early age and I think he did a really good job as well.
Reporter: Michael Redd wasnt much of a shooter coming out, certainly not to the extent he is now. Do you pattern yourself after that and maybe in a couple of years
Ronnie Brewer: Definitely. Maybe not to that extent, but thats what basketball is all about. Its about hard work and getting better over the years. Thats what pros do to make themselves great at basketball. You get better after the season preparing yourself for the next season. Trying to prepare myself from the college level to the NBA level, trying to extend my range and knock down shots and get better.
Eric Weiss: Speaking about this whole draft process, has it been stressful?
Ronnie Brewer: You kind of get anxious because you really dont know where youre going to go. But I can sleep easy at night knowing that every workout I go into, as long as I get positive feedback and I played my best and I played well, going into draft night you cant say I only worked out well for three teams and if those three teams pass you by the other teams didnt get the best
Ronnie Brewer. So, as long as I play well in the workouts, which I think Ive done, theyve seen a lot of tape on me and seen what Ive done in college. They know what theyre going to get off the top, and Im satisfied with that.
Eric Weiss: How many workouts do you have coming up?
Ronnie Brewer: I got a couple lined up. A lot of teams have called up trying to get me higher. So I think Ive got about 5 or 6 lined up. Im trying to get a lot in, but I think my body is ready for it; its what Ive trained for. So hopefully I can continue to work out the way theyve gone in the past.
Reporter: How tempted are you to compare yourself to other players in this room?
Ronnie Brewer: You can do that. You can look at numbers. But, youre not them and theyre not you, so you cant really be like Im better than him. You can only determine what you can do on the court and thats what I like to do. I dont really like to talk a lot about what I can do or Im better than him. If we go into a workout and I perform better than him then its right in front of you, if not on paper. Thats just my overall view of it.
Reporter: J.J. [Redick] was saying that 5 years from now nobody is going to remember who was drafted where, just who produces.
Ronnie Brewer: Exactly. If someone goes number 1, 2, or 3 but theyre not consistent, or theyre not getting the playing time, or not in the right system; someone who goes number 11 or 12, youre going to be talking about them more than the person who goes 1,2, or 3 because the production and the numbers speak for themselves. Just like in the workouts. This guy could have been an All American in college, but you work out against him and do better than him, than youve got to go with that because its right in front of you, its production.
Eric Weiss: Thats a big thing we talk about on DraftExpress, situation vs. position. Obviously, you gave us some great insight into that. What type of situation is ideal for you? What type of situation would you like to walk into?
Ronnie Brewer: My situation is very good I think. I can do a lot of things, like I said. If a team is needing a big 1 guard I can fit that, or if they need a 2 or 3 guard that can defend, rebound, be aggressive and run the lanes and streak to the basket, I fit those as well. So it depends on what the team is looking for. I might be one of the taller guards with NBA ready size, so a lot of teams like that. My emphasis is on my defense because thats how you try to get your money. A lot of guys dont take pride in it, but thats just another aspect of my game that I really try and take pride in and really try to work on.
Eric Weiss: Coming into the league at first, is defense what youre really going to try and hang your hat on to get into the rotation and then expand from there?
Ronnie Brewer: I think so. You know, defense leads to your offense. If youre stopping guys and getting steals than thats going to lead to easy baskets. I think coaches look for that. I think theyll play you more if they think they can put you in there and youre going to stop somebody instead of just hitting a couple of jump shots. Thats definitely the quick way to try and get on the court and Im going to try and do that. Its got to be in your heart to play defense. A lot of guys who have the ability still dont like playing defense.
Eric Weiss: Switching things up a little. Hows Arkansas looking next year?
Ronnie Brewer: I think theyll be very good. Weve got a lot of returning guys. We had a guy sit out, Gary Irvin, from Mississippi State, whos a solid point guard. Weve got two solid post players returning in
Darian Townes and
Steven Hill.
Charles Thomas coming off the bench or he might start. Vince Hunter, another big guy coming off the bench. Then you got a very strong recruiting class with one of the top junior college guys in
Sonny Weems, a guy
Patrick Beverley out of Chicago whos a real athletic guard.
Michael Washington is a post power forward, athletic guy. So, theyll be pretty good, making some noise in the SEC. Theyve got a good coach and a good core of guys who can continue with what we started from last year.
Eric Weiss: Speaking of Arkansas,
Joe Johnson is an interesting case. He was a highly regarded player and was ranged around where you are. He took about 2 or 3 years to find his groove and in my experience a lot of people tend to get impatient and want to make an immediate impact and if they dont they get discouraged. But, you seem to have a very metered approach to this, taking an evaluation of yourself at the end of the season, working on your weaknesses. Its a great mindset to have coming into the league. Instead of getting caught up in what didnt happen, you focus on what you need to do to make other things happen. But, you might find yourself in a situation where you have to wait and there wont be minutes for you right away. How do you deal with that?
Ronnie Brewer: The NBA is a long season; guys get hurt, stuff goes wrong, guys go through slumps. Theres always opportunity for guys to come in and play. My mindset is to continue to work hard in practice, get better as a player, and the minutes will come. If you keep that mindset than the minutes will definitely come. Thats the mindset that Im going to take. Take things one step at a time, not try to make a huge leap. Theres no one in this room whos going to be another LeBron, so you cant expect to come in and average 20-25 points per game. Youve just got to be patient, take what you can get.
Eric Weiss: Keep your focus and make sure youre paying attention even though youre not playing.
Ronnie Brewer: Exactly. You cant be on the end of the bench pouting. If youre in the last 5, you can get into the starting 5, the coaches are going to notice if youre going hard in practice everyday. You might get minutes that way. Youve got to look at every aspect of the game. Some coaches try to play psych games with you, so youve just got to be a strong individual and thats what I think I am.
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