K-State career behind him, Barry Brown Jr. embraces his next steps at Final Four

It’s been three weeks since Kansas State’s upset loss to UC Irvine in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but the pain doesn’t linger for Wildcats guard Barry Brown.

Brown said he doesn’t think about what happened that day in San Jose, Calif.

“I’m alright. I’m in a different place right now,” Brown said Friday after participating in the Reese’s College All-Star Game, held the day before Saturday’s Final Four national semifinals at U.S. Bank Arena. “Just trying to focus on my future.”

Where that takes him, Brown and his mid-range jumper and defensive skills aren’t sure. In Friday’s game, Brown scored 11 points, all in the first half, going 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He started the game and also finished it, with five assists and four rebounds.

His West team fell to the East 110-105.

“This was fun, playing against some tough seniors all across the nation,” Brown said. “We came out here and tried to enjoy ourselves.”

Twenty of the nation’s top seniors whose teams are not in the Final Four participated in the game.

Brown led Kansas State in scoring (14.6), was named to the All-Big 12 team and was the league’s defensive player of the year. He left as the program’s fifth-leading scorer (1,781) for a career, and is the leader in games played, with 139.