By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — A photo of his late aunt hung from Terrence Brown’s chain as he sat at a table after Tuesday’s game, with his Athlete’s Bible resting beside him. Both were reminders of a year the Utah transfer guard said has taken a lot from him and pushed him closer to his faith.
His aunt traveled with him on his visit to North Carolina last summer, and he committed to the Tar Heels shortly after she died. Brown said the loss has been hard to carry in a new state where none of his family lives nearby.
“I’ve been through a lot this year. I lost my auntie. I lost my dogs. I lost a lot in this year alone,” said Brown, who wears No. 1 because that’s the jersey his aunt wore during that visit. “Me being here in a different state with nobody here with me, it just made me build my trust with God.”
Brown said he reads his Bible after he gets home from practice and prays each day. His sister has been building her relationship with God, and he said his family has encouraged him to keep reading and to turn to prayer when he feels lost, even though he and his mother were not regular churchgoers growing up.
“I just been talking to Him, praying every single day, and reading my Bible,” Brown said.
On the court Tuesday, that perspective arrived with a breakthrough. Brown scored 27 points, with three assists and two steals, to lead North Carolina to an 89–82 overtime victory over Charlotte at the Smith Center. After combining for 12 points in the first two exhibition games, he made nine of 18 shots from the field and seven of nine free throws against the 49ers.
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“Just trusting the process,” Brown said. “Me being confident in myself. I know I’m gonna produce. God puts me through everything. You see, I’ve got my Bible right here. The first two games, I was questioning myself a lot, but I put so much work in.
“I’ve been through a lot, so I understand that it’s going to be ups and downs,” he said. “Everything’s not going to be perfect. So, just as long as I live in the gym, as long as I come to practice willing to get better, and I trust in my game, it’s going to translate.”
Coach Michael Malone has asked a player who has always been a ball-dominant guard to play more off the ball, and that has meant some adjustments. Brown said the change is a big one after he had the ball in his hands so much during his previous stops at Utah and Fairleigh Dickinson.
“It’s definitely different,” Brown said, acknowledging the guard skills of Virginia Tech transfer Neo Avdalas. “But I’m playing with somebody who’s great with the ball in his hands, who’s gonna find me.”
Brown said Malone pitched the pairing as a one-two punch when he was recruited.
“I’m comfortable with being off the ball. I’m comfortable with being on the ball,” said Brown, who was on the ball more Tuesday than in the first two exhibtions. “I’m just getting used to all of it right now.”
The shift has also opened up shots that were not as available when he was creating his shot. Brown said his struggles came as the team learned how to play together.
“It’s getting me a lot more catch-and-shoot opportunities,” Brown said. “Just me being more confident with shooting those catch-and-shoots, because I know Neo’s gonna find me.”
Malone said the plan against Charlotte was to make sure Brown got his chance to make plays, whether Avdalas was on the floor or Brown was running the point alone. The coach said he had been mindful of the pressure on a player who is used to being the first option.
“I was making a concerted effort to make sure I’m getting him the ball,” Malone said. “So I was happy for him because I think he was feeling the weight of it.”
Malone also said Brown had approached him earlier in the preseason and committed to the arrangement, which the coach said he welcomed. According to Malone, Brown described Avdalas as a playmaker who makes everybody better.
“ ‘I’m just going to trust in that process. I’m going to trust you,’ ” Malone recalled Brown telling him. “And you love to hear that.”
Brown said that trust grew stronger after a text from Malone the day after the exhibition loss at Indiana. He said it changed how he saw his coach, who told him he didn’t want him to feel isolated while he searched for his game.
“ ‘I’m here for you. We’re gonna get better as a team. We’re gonna get you better,’ ” Brown said of the text. “So, that’s what really just made me open my eyes and see that Coach Malone really cares about me. He has my best interest at heart.”
Brown was open about why he was willing to change his game. He said that after averaging around 20 points over his last two seasons, NBA feedback has pushed him to show more as a playmaker and as a winner.
“I hear a lot of feedback, and they want to see me shoot the ball better, and they want to see me win,” Brown said. “I’m trying to play in the NBA at the highest level for as long as I can. So, I’m willing to make the changes.”
Jaydon Young said he never doubted that Brown would come around, even when he started slowly against Charlotte. Young said the staff and players kept encouraging him to stay aggressive after the misses.
“You saw him miss a few shots to start off and still keep himself out there in a great mindset,” Young said. “That’s the Terrence we expect. That’s the Terrence we know.”
Brown said the biggest shot of his night came late, when he caught a pass with the game on the line after expecting Sayon Keita to shoot. He said the 3-pointer with 40 seconds left felt like the end of the game.
“I looked up at the shot clock when I caught it, and I was like, ‘Might as well just shoot it,’ ” Brown said. “I felt like it was a dagger.”
Brown is still learning where he fits on the floor and how to feel at home so far from family. Tuesday gave him something to build on.
The number on his jersey still belongs to the aunt who made the trip with him. As he finds his way at Carolina, he wears that reminder every time he steps on the court.
Photo by Drew Horwitz
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