The Wolfpacker

60 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY JACEY ZEMBAL F ormer NC State men's basket- ball star Chucky Brown is often seen watching the Wolfpack play at PNC Arena, and he's actually getting paid to do it. Brown coached for a few seasons, but has been working as an NBA and college scout for the New Orleans Pelicans for the last seven years. He travels throughout the state to see games, or relaxes with the NBA League Pass at his home in Cary, N.C. Brown also keeps tabs on other NBA teams, whether it's watching on television or going to the Charlotte Hornets games. The wait to see star power forward An- thony Davis and the Pelicans play at Char- lotte is a long one — March 9. "After my fifth or sixth year in the NBA, I thought I wanted to eventually coach," Brown said. "The scouting thing came about when I was coaching in the [NBA] D-League with the Los Angeles Defenders. The team folded when the lockout came. "A friend got the job as the general man- ager of the then New Orleans Hornets. He called and asked me if I wanted to scout. I did it part time the first two years." Brown found out he enjoyed scouting more than coaching, especially since it definitely was less stressful. "It's basically me giving my opinion on something, and if I give my opinion I won't get fired for it," Brown said. "As a coach, you depend on somebody else to keep your job. It's been fun for me and I enjoy it." Brown and his wife, Melanie, have three daughters — Isabella (14 years old), Amelia (11) and Abigail (8) — and he loves to be able to spend time with his family while still being involved with the game he loves. The opportunity to watch NC State play often is another great perk in his post-playing career. "A typical month for me is pretty much taking the kids to school and picking them up, going to basketball games and just tak- ing it easy," Brown said. "I'll do a little bit of traveling here and there. I'm just raising my kids. "I've found out in life you have a couple of really good friends that you can count on one hand, and I'm pretty much with them or my family." Brown said he'll attend most of NC State's home games, and also go see games at North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, South Carolina, East Carolina, Charlotte and also some conference tournaments, such as the ACC, Big East and Big Ten. "I'm all over the place going to college basketball games," Brown said. "I'll see probably 15-16 games a month." Brown was a standout for Leland (N.C.) North Brunswick High and played at NC State from 1985-89, averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Wolf- pack. He blossomed his junior year, 1987- 88, at the age of 19, averaging 16.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest, while shoot- ing 57.2 percent from the field. Perfect Job Former Men's Basketball Star Chucky Brown Remains In The Sport As An NBA Scout Brown played for 12 different NBA teams from 1989-2002 and has served as a scout for the New Orleans Pelicans for the last seven years. PHOTO COURTESY HOUSTON ROCKETS WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Chucky Brown Age: 47 Living: Cary, N.C. Occupation: Scout for New Or- leans Pelicans in the NBA Did you know? Brown currently ranks third in NC State history for career field-goal percentage (55.7), after going 555 of 996 from the field. He is also 24th all time with 1,357 points. ? WHERE ARE THEY NOW

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