On this episode of Hustle and Pro, we have “The Beast” in the studio – Chad Brown of the Texas Legends. He tells us about watching greats like Kevin Garnett and Ben Wallace, why he believes in defense, and most importantly, how he’s bringing his defensive prowess to the Legends this year.
Our co-host Brandon May talks with Chad about the satisfaction of being a shot blocker, the timing to get it right, being a rebounder, and growing up with a twin sister who also plays basketball.
Chad’s intense and competitive, and we love it.
Show Notes
- [:30] Quick hits with Chad Brown
- [2:40] Why #21?
- [3:40] Blocked Shots & Defensive mindset
- [7:15] “The Beast” nickname and playing with Tacko Fall
- [10:45] Chad’s twin sister
- [12:35] Next level from college to NBA
- [15:10] No 3s??
Resources within this episode:
- Texas Legends: Website | Twitter: @TexasLegends | Instagram: @TexasLegends | Facebook: @texlegends
- 2019-20 Season Texas Legends Schedule
- Chad Brown Twitter: @chadthebeast_21
Connect with Lifestyle Frisco:
Transcript: (machine-generated)
Kelly Walker: Texas Legends season is here. So of course Hustle and Pro is talking to the Legends. We’ve got Chad Brown with us today. How are you today Chad?
Chad Brown: I’m doing great. I’m doing great.
Kelly Walker: Awesome. We’ve also got a cohost, my favorite basketball writer, Brandon May. How’s it going Brandon?
Brandon May: It’s going very well.
Kelly : All right, so Chad, we do some fast quick hits to get to know our guests. So before we jump into some, some, uh, long-winded questions and answers, I want to ask you a couple of quick hits. Okay. Like who is your favorite athlete of all time?
Chad: Um, my favorite athlete of all time. I’ll definitely say LeBron James.
Kelly : So I always ask people what their favorite sport to play is. You’re a professional basketball player, so I’m going to go with that. But just in case you have another answer. Is basketball your favorite sport?
Chad: Um, yes. I mean, I definitely love basketball. Um, but also love football too. Uh, I played football when I was younger, so, um, football and basketball. My two favorite sports. That,
Kelly : How long did you play football? I ha until, what age?
Chad: Um, I actually played football before I started playing basketball. Um, so I played basketball, football when I was, I wanna say when I was 10 years old, I started playing football and then started playing basketball when I was 12, so.
Kelly : All right. So if you had to pick one, is your favorite to watch?
Chad: Uh, definitely basketball, definitely basketball, basketball, just the intensity of going up and down. Um, the excitement. Um, football is very exciting as well too, but it’s nothing like just watching, you know, players go up and down. They compete at a high level. So I’d definitely say basketball,
Kelly : The pace of it. Do you have any sports, superstitions? [inaudible] Anything you’ve got to do on game day or you know, practices or anything that you have to have just right to make it all work for you?
Chad: Um, I would say just the music that I listened to. Um, I’m a very intense and, uh, high energy player. Um, so to calm me down in certain ways, I have to listen to reggaeton, um, before I play and before I practice. Um, which kinda like soothes me a little bit, um, before I played. So that’s, I would say that would be one of my superstitions.
Kelly : Good. It’s like a routine. I think everybody’s gotta have their routine to get you comfortable and ready and the right in the right frame of mind. Right.
Chad: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Yes.
Kelly : Alright, Brandon, what you got, I know you’ve got a question for Chad.
Brandon: Oh well I would go on to the quick hits, number 21, is there any meaning behind that? Any favorite player that that’s attached to Florida guys at Dion?
Chad: Yeah, I mean not Dion. Dion Is definitely a, I could think of Dion. But you know, playing basketball, my favorite, my favorite basketball player when I was growing up and just watching this intensity and how he play with was um, Kevin Garnett that, um, just sees his intensity and his passion for the game. Um, which I, which, which kind of drove me to wearing 21. Um, cause you know, he had 21 when he was with the Timberwolves and um, you know, just his energy and his passion for the game. Um, just kinda what separates himself from other guys. And um, that’s where I feel like, um, what separates me from other guys as well.
Brandon: No, that’s, that makes perfect sense because my followup question cause I’m just curious, so cause I was doing research before you came in. Um, so you almost averaged a triple double the hard way your senior year in high school. Yeah. Yeah. Like usually it’s assists use block shots. Right. Then if I’m not mistaken, you almost, uh, you were almost a hundred block shots, your college career, right? Right. Yes. How satisfying is that to just totally stuff a dude when he’s coming in the lane?
Chad: Um, I mean it, I think it goes back just to the intensity I play with and the energy I play with. Um, I, I don’t like anything easy, uh, in the pain. Um, I’m a very competitive guy. Um, so even if somebody does score on me, um, I take it personally. So, so now, I mean I definitely, that’s, that’s my motivation. That’s my drive is defense. I love playing the game. Um, defensively I love offense as well, but I, I believe defense wins championships and um, that’s, that’s what I’m all about. Um, cause I’m a competitor and I love to win.
Brandon: So since you have a football background as well, cause this is how I’ve always felt with, with an assist versus block shot. You put it in a football metaphor to me a block shot is like sack and the quarterback you had plans and I just ruined them for you. Correct?
Chad: Yes, definitely. Definitely. I always cause, I mean, um, from playing football and then going into basketball, um, I’ve always had that physicality, um, just playing football and um, so I try to use terms, a terminology for basketball until football in a certain way. Um, so yeah, definitely. If, if we were to use football terms, I would say it would, it would be like sacking the quarterback definitely. And just ruin his plans of yeah, you’re not gonna get his pants off.
Kelly : Who’s like NBAs block shot guy right now. Like, who, how are you up against that? You’re going to be trying to take that from [inaudible].
Chad: I would say probably Rudy Gobert. Yeah. Rudy Gobert is probably the best shot blocking the NBA right now. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Maybe he, uh, you know, I think he’s seven, two with probably like a seven 11 wingspan or something close to saying. Yeah, it’s something wild. Um, you know, but you know, he, it’s blocking shots all about timing as well. Um, so, you know, I would definitely say he’s probably a guy that would be my challenge.
Kelly : How tall are you?
Chad: Six 10.
Brandon: With the new rules?
Chad: Oh, no, no, no, no. I’ve seen the new rules. I’ve seen the new rules. I’m um, I’m a legitimate six, 10, six, nine without shoes. So [inaudible] with shoes.
Brandon: So with like Rudy Gobert, you said it’s a timing thing. What’s, what’s the tell like, do you read a guy’s eyes?
Chad: Um, like how do you get the timing down? I’m normally just, I normally just look at the ball. Um, I kinda wait until the ball leaves the guy’s hands. Um, I can look at his eyes cause you know, pump face and things like that. Guys are so crafty nowadays till they can get you in the air and then you’ll just go flying, you know? And that’s what I had to learn even in college that guys were so crafty and I had to learn. It’s not about looking at a guy’s eyes cause a guy’s eyes can deceive you, you know, but the ball wants the ball, leave his hands, you know, he can’t bring it back, so it’s up to me to go get it. So that’s kind of what I do.
Kelly : Good way to look at it. I want to ask you about this nickname. It’s the Beast. Is that accurate?
Chad: Yes, definitely. I mean about that. Um, I got that nickname in college. Um, when I played at UCF. Uh, well I just, the way I play the game, um, I’m very intense guy. Um, a lot of fans just called me the Beast and, um, they just stuck with it, you know, and I kinda stuck with that as well because, um, that’s just how I play. You know, I play, I play angry with a lot of passion. I’m not bad, angry, just the intensity and just my, my competitive spirit to win. Um, so, you know, everybody called me the Beast and they, some people call me like Ben Wallace 2.0.
Brandon: Oh man, that’s pretty high praise.
Chad: Yeah, no, it is. It is. You know, I, I actually, you know, I, I thank the, uh, UCF fans for, you know, calling me the Beast cause, you know, um, it makes me, it makes me feel good, you know, that I go out there and the way I played, um, just realized that, you know, it’s not all about about scoring the basketball and being fancy. It’s about the guys who’s going to do the dirty work. And, you know, I’ve, I’ve, um, learned how to accept what I do on the court and, um, you know, fans appreciate that. So that’s something that, that I’m, I’m grateful for.
Brandon: I’m just going off the top of my head here. He was undrafted too, right?
Chad: Yes, he was. Yeah.
Brandon: So there you go. That’s a good model.
Chad: No, I definitely, definitely is. Yeah.
Brandon: So, uh, when you’re the Beast, and you’re playing next to Taco Fall right, how does that make you feel when like you’re used to looking down at people like me? He’s standing next to that dude.
Chad: Yeah. Yes. It’s different. You know, I played with Taco for four years for his, at UCF. He was my roommate. He’s kind of like my brother to me. I would definitely say he is my brother. To me, honestly, it was different. It was different plan against him. I can remember even the first day of college, you know, came in and I saw him, I was like, Whoa, I’m not used to seeing the guy way bigger than me, you know? And it was kinda, uh, it was kind of different, but, you know, um, it was great, you know, playing with him for four years. Um, he helped me in a lot of ways in my game and I helped him as well. Um, you know, they helped me so much in my game cause you know, I’m just playing against him, you know, I feel like if I could score him, I could score on anybody cause his size is just different, you know, and um, I helped them in ways cause my mobility, you know, he had to keep up with me and keep up with my, my motor and stuff. So we kinda, we kind of complimented each other in our games, so, um, it was great playing with him for four years and um, you know, he’s definitely a great guy.
Kelly : He was your roomie?
Chad: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We were, yeah, we were roommates for four years. So, you know, we had two, two big guys.
Brandon: And how small was the room?
Chad: Um, so the room was, the room was actually pretty small. Um, even with him, you know, it was okay for me. I’m still a little bit small for me, but for him we had to put two beds in his room and combined it together just so he could sleep on it. Because it was just, it wasn’t good enough. Even when he moved in the first day and he laid down, his feet were completely on the floor and we were like, yeah, that’s not gonna work.
Kelly : Wow. Things you don’t think about unless you know, you’re a seven footer. How tall is he?
Chad: Uh, he’s seven, six. Yeah. He’s, yeah, he’s huge.
Brandon: The other thing that we found out, twin sister, also a basketball player. So how competitive was that?
Chad: Ah, it was very competitive, especially growing up. Um, she, she’s just like me. I mean, she’s a competitor. She goes hard. Um, she’s, she has that competitive spirit and nature of winning. Um, so even when we was growing up and just play like one-on-one and stuff like that, we, we literally couldn’t stop playing until my mom would tell us it’s time to come inside because if I win, she would want to keep playing. And then if she beat me for some reason, you know, I’m not gonna stop. So it’s like we would just keep going in there and my mom would be like, okay, whoever wins this game, it’s over.
Kelly : Got to call it at some point. Right?
Chad: Right, right. Yeah, definitely.
Kelly : You said you actually started playing a little older, like 12.
Chad: Yeah, I did. I played at 12 and she started playing, um, around, around that same age.
Kelly : And then what did that look like for her? How far and how long did she play basketball?
Chad: She played all the way through college. Um, she went to college four years at, um, university of Bethune Cookman in Daytona and um, she had a great career there. Great career there. She led her team to the NCAA tournament last year. Um, and they first round they played against Notre Dame. Um, so she, yeah, she had a, she had a great career. She’s about, she’s about six, two or 6, three.. Um, so she has really good size on her. Um, again, plays with a lot of passion like me. And um, then she had a, she had a 2020 game this year and this past season, 20 points and 20 rebounds. So she’s a, she,
Kelly : She’s a Beast too then.
Chad: She’s definitely awesome.
Kelly : Well, we’ll be looking for her in Frisco to come watch you play. So, um, I’m curious, um, you’re kind of as you transition, cause you’re, you just wrapped up at UCF, right last year, so, as you are now moving in to the G league and playing in NBA, any surprises so far?
Chad: Um, I would say the only surprise would be, um, the pace of the game. Um, the pace of the game is a little bit faster than college. Um, you know, every level of basketball gets harder and harder. Um, guys get better, you know, stronger, faster. Um, but just the overall pace of the game, I would say it’s much faster than college. A shot clock is different, you know, 24 to 35 seconds, you know, a lot of time. Um, so I would definitely say the pace, the pace is faster, it’s more of transition, basketball then just half court setting. Um, which is good, which I love to play. Like I love to get up and down and play. I’m like that as well. But um, you know, that’s something that kinda surprised me. Um, I watched a lot of basketball in college a lot, a lot of NBA basketball, but I never knew until I started, you know, transitioning my game until the pros that is so much faster. So that’s, that’s definitely one thing that surprised me.
Kelly : Have you ever been to Texas before?
Chad: I have, I have, I’ve been to Texas a couple times. Um, SMU is in our conference and I’m in college, so we played SMU, um, throughout my four years. So I’ve been to Dallas, um, playing those guys and stuff like that and had a chance to go around the city and everything like that. So it’s, it’s a nice area. Um, first time in Frisco, but I’ve been here a couple of days now, so I’ve been exploring a little bit and I love it. I love the city between, you know, the Mavericks and the, uh, and the Cowboys and the Stars. You know,
Kelly : You’re in the Stars’, you guys are like roomies, right? The Dallas Stars are in the same arena as you guys are. Yeah. And then right behind you, you’ve got the Texas Rangers, um, minor league team plays in baseball. You probably haven’t seen that yet. They’re, they’re off season right now. Um, but yeah, so there’s all kinds of Frisco stuff going on.
Chad: Oh wow that’s awesome. Yeah, definitely. I definitely want to continue to, you know, learn more about Frisco and um, just and just continue to, you know, sight-see in the city and stuff.
Brandon: Let’s be honest. You don’t want to stay in Frisco for long. I mean you got to get to Dallas.
Chad: I definitely, that’s my goal. That’s my goal is to, you know, get to Dallas and have a chance to, an opportunity to, um, play for the Mavericks. But, you know, while I’m here, I’m definitely, I’m grateful and I’m definitely enjoying myself, so. Absolutely.
Kelly : Well, we’ll take you as long as you’re here. I know we’re rooting for you to, to do good here and wherever that takes you.
Chad: Yes, definitely. Thank you.
Brandon: Will you do me one favor? Attempt a three-pointer.
Chad: Um, so it’s so funny. It’s so funny about three pointers, man. Um, so everybody asked me in my game like, how are you going to translate into the NBA now? Now that big guys are shooting threes. And so my favorite player to watch is actually Montrez Harrell from the LA Clippers and he doesn’t shoot any threes.
Brandon: And he’s traditional, he’s throwback.
Chad: He’s a traditional guy and he’s been successful in the league. And, um, and you know, it’s funny cause I had a chance to um, talk with Montrez and I had a chance to ask him, you know, how you, you know, able to still be so successful in the league, you know, without shooting threes and changing your game. He told me he doesn’t have to change his game. You know, the game that he plays is by outworking everybody and doing the dirty work and he led the league last year in and ones, and and ones are three point plays. So it’s just like making, making threes, you know. So he said it doesn’t have to do that, you know, is percentage field goal percentage was around 62%, which is really good. Um, so, you know, I kind of thought about that as well. And now it’s like, you know, I don’t have to kind of change my game, like always get better and work on things. Um, but shooting threes, you know, I might take, you know, probably like one or two maybe, and you know, see how it goes. But, you know, I just, I, like I said, I definitely wanna just stick to, I do well in this, I’m just playing with high energy, being a rebounder, rim runner, finisher, and just playing with that passion and grit for the game.
Kelly : Good answer. Good answer. Stick with what you’re good at. What got you here. I mean it, but it wouldn’t hurt, it would be fun if we get to see you shoot one.
Brandon: Or if you take one, get fouled on it and then you only have to take one free throw shot.
Chad: Yeah. Exactly. How the rule has changed this year, so funny man. You know, you shooting one free throw now and, and the G league, so it’s, um, it’s, it’s interesting. It’s interesting how that that’s going to be, but I’m, I’m excited and I feel like it, um, it could benefit a lot of guys in a certain way, just, you know, I just have to go up there and just and knock it down, you know? So definitely.
Kelly : Well, I’m excited to have you here and watch you, so it was nice to meet you. Yeah. Thanks for coming up and jumping in the studio with us. I know you guys are in full swing of things in practice and getting everything ready for this big season we’ve got here, um, for the Legends. So, thank you so much for your time.
Brandon: Yes, thank you.
Chad: No, absolutely. Thank you.
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