Patriots’ Brewer Signs With Davidson County CC

By Charlie Bergmann
The Pilot

May 5, 2010

Pinecrest senior Julian Brewer bore the look of a happy young man as he signed the papers that will make him a student-athlete at Davidson County Community College in the fall.

Among those present in the media center at Pinecrest last week for the occasion was another person who was feeling quite good about the occasion, Storm basketball coach Matt Ridge.

“We are ecstatic about signing Julian,” he said. “We think his best basketball is certainly ahead of him. We see him as somebody who is extremely versatile and can play multiple positions. I think he’s going to fit in well with our style of play.”

Brewer helped lead the Patriots to Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles. Coach Mike Apple’s team finished 24-3 and was ranked fourth among 4A teams before losing to Jack Britt in the first round of the state playoffs.

The 6-foot-3 forward put some finishing touches on his strong all-around game as a senior, averaging 11 points and leading the team in steals. He scored a season-high 24 points in a late-season contest against Richmond Senior.

Apple was among those present for the signing ceremony along with Julian’s parents, Steve and Lesa Brewer, Storm associate head coach Brandon Mullis, Patriot assistant coaches and teammates.

“Julian’s growth was something that was really pleasing to our entire coaching staff,” Apple said of the four-year varsity player. “I think the most underrated part of his game is his passing ability.

“Something I think you saw this year was the development of his jump shot. He got to where he started hitting three-point shots. Becoming more of a perimeter player is going to be the big jump in his game.”

Competing in the same NJCAA Division III conference as Sandhills Community College, Davidson won league, region and district titles. The Storm won 21 games in a row before losing to Roxbury CC (Mass.) in the eight-team national tournament. One of Brewer’s new teammates will be former Jordan-Matthews star Justin Glover.

Ridge likes having a player that is coming from a winning program. He watched Brewer play in games at Pinecrest several times.

“That may be the most important thing about Julian,” he said. “He’s a winner, and we’ll never turn down a winner. We hope he continues to win on and off the court and that we help him reach his goal of playing at a four-year school in the future. In the meantime, we hope he can help us reach our goal of winning a national championship.”

Brewer is planning to pursue a career in the physical training field. He got to see the Storm in action during a visit to Lexington as well as in a game against the Sandhills Flyers.

“Basically, I’m just looking forward to next season and becoming one of the players at Davidson,” he said. “The Davidson coach said I’m one of those players that can do almost everything. I think that’s one of the reasons they really liked my game.”