Barry Brown hopes to give Kansas State another spark against Saint Louis

We have already seen every side of Barry Brown.

Brown, a Kansas State freshman guard, has played in only 11 games for the Wildcats, but he has already shown spectators a little bit of everything. There have been good games, such as the three times he has led the team in scoring. There have been bad games, such as the seven times he has failed to score more than four points.

K-State coach Bruce Weber has a goal for Brown as he matures — consistency.

“One of the keys to our team is Barry’s progress,” Weber said. “He is starting to show some signs in practice that he can make some shots. He just has to let the game come. When he has open shots we know he can score.”

Brown took a step in the right direction before K-State players scattered home for Christmas by scoring 15 points in the Wildcats’ last game, a 63-49 victory over North Dakota. He made 6 of 10 shots, including three three-pointers, and also finished with three steals, two assists and two rebounds.

If Brown continues to play that well — the same we he did when he combined for 35 points in early wins against Maryland-Eastern Shore and South Dakota — K-State will take its chances against Saint Louis at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum and beyond in Big 12 competition.

Brown, a St. Petersburg, Fla. native, could be a difference-maker as the team’s sixth man.

“I am just trying to do whatever to help my team out,” Brown said. “We came out slow (against North Dakota). It was a close game going into halftime, even the first 5 minutes coming back after halftime. We started a little slow. I am just trying to come off the bench and give us that spark.”

Brown hadn’t provided much of a spark since his third game, as his scoring average dropped from 17 to 6.3, but he came through when the Wildcats needed him last week. That should help him moving forward.

“Coach keeps telling me to keep shooting,” Brown said. “I have been getting into the gym, just trying to get my shot back. I think it has paid off. My confidence never really went down, but when you hit shots, your confidence goes up.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Barry Brown hopes to give Kansas State another spark against Saint Louis."