Blanketed by the irregular silence of Auburn Arena, Bryce Brown’s lift and guidance of a 3-point attempt has become a regular sight through three years on The Plains.
The fourth-year guard that had originally committed to Charlotte now returns for his final stint under head coach Bruce Pearl, with Auburn starting the season ranked No. 11.
“I’m very excited,” Brown said. “I know I’m going to come out probably more fired up than I ever have been just because I know it’s my last year stepping on the court.”
Brown introduced himself to the collegiate landscape after launching the fifth-most attempts in the conference from three during his freshman season. Following a sophomore slump, Brown returned for a junior season posting 15.9 points per game while shooting 40 percent from the field.
After doubling his 3-point attempts from his sophomore season, Brown said he’s prepared to change his game up by adding more to his offensive game.
“It’s going to be more important than ever because I know the scouting report is ‘run him off the line,’ ‘try to push up on him so he can’t get threes,’” Brown said. “I feel like that’s going to be one of the things I focus on this year.”
Though primarily spotting up 20 feet from the basket, Brown’s ability to both drive to the basket and get to the free-throw line is noticeable in comparison to his second and third seasons.
After more than tripling his free-throw attempts per game, Brown improved to 2.4 makes on 3.1 attempts per game while shooting 77.5 percent from the line.
His 280 3-point attempts led the SEC during Auburn’s regular-season championship run, complemented by the conference’s fifth-best percentage beyond the arc, and now Brown hopes to add improved ball handling to his game.
“I definitely feel like I have [improved],” Brown said. “At times you might not see me dribble as much as the primary ball handler, but I definitely feel like I have improved on it.”
Brown currently trails Wesley Person by 21 for Auburn’s all-time spot for 3-pointers made. Following a season averaging 8.5 attempts from three, it is assumed that Brown will reach that record early into the season.
As Auburn’s leading scorer entering a matchup with South Alabama, added by the absences of Danjel Purifoy, Austin Wiley and Summer transfers, Brown said that he feels no added pressure to fill in gaps.
“I don’t really feel like it’s more weight on my shoulders,” Brown said. “I feel like my role is my role. I feel like it’ll be a good way for other guys to step in and do what they do.”
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