Published: Sunday, August 2, 2009
Still the same old guy, Brockman comes home
A little more than a month after realizing his NBA dream, the former Snohomish High star realizes another by purchasing his first truck.
MILL CREEK — Five weeks realizing one dream by being selected in the annual NBA draft, former University of Washington star achieved another on Friday afternoon.
He bought a new pickup truck at Bickford Motors in Snohomish.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to buy a truck from Bickford Motors,” said Brockman, who remembers staring at the new trucks every time his family drove by the dealership during his youth. “That dream came true (Friday).”
A few hours after dropping about $40,000 for a new F150 Platinum Ford truck, Brockman did something even more out of character for an NBA player. He spent his Friday night mowing the lawn at his parents’ Snohomish home.
“We live in a development, and the neighbors are always driving by,” Brockman said. “They were looking. They were like: what in the world is he doing out there?”
Snohomish County’s first NBA player in more than five decades is back in the area, not that one would have known it by the welcoming committee. The unassuming recent second-round pick of the Sacramento Kings is about as prototypical of the NBA culture as a plaid, flannel shirt.
Even when Brockman showed up for an autograph signing show at Mill Creek Sports Cards on Saturday afternoon, the line of about 20 people was about as modest as Brockman himself. Wearing a Seattle Mariners baseball cap and a silver golf shirt with the Kings’ logo, Brockman looked more like one of the autograph seekers than the center of attention.
After spending two weeks in Las Vegas playing for the Kings’ summer-league team, Brockman is trying to sneak in some rest and relaxation before the NBA team starts training camp at the end of this month.
Brockman said he learned a lot from playing in the NBA Summer League, where he averaged 5.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game over the five-game schedule.
One thing that was apparent to Brockman was that, while he has several areas of his game that need work, he’ll need to concentrate on his strengths rather than his weaknesses if he’s going to make it at the next level.
“I really learned, through playing down there, that the game’s really based on what your specialty is,” said Brockman, who was the 38th overall pick in the June NBA draft by Portland but was quickly traded to Sacramento. “That’s what they’re paying us for, and that’s what we’re out there for.”
For Brockman, that means rebounding. And he continued to show off that part of his game against some of the NBA’s young players. In the Summer League finale, he put in a typical Brockman performance by pulling down 15 rebounds against the New York Knicks.
After that game, Kings owner Joe Maloof gushed about the UW product on the team’s Web site.
“Brockman’s an animal,” Maloof said in an interview with the Kings’ Web site on July 17. “He’s going to be something else. The fans are going to love him. For once, we’re going to have a little strength. We’re not going to get pushed around like we have in the past.”
The 6-foot-7 Brockman said Saturday that his lack of height wasn’t as much of a detriment as the so-called experts believe it will be — as evidenced by his performance against the Knicks.
“That’s been something that’ll follow me forever,” Brockman said. “I don’t think I’ll ever hear that I’m not too short. It’s something I’ve been dealing with since as long as I’ve been playing college ball. As long as I keep grabbing those boards, I’ll be all right.”
One place where Brockman will always be the big man in town is Snohomish, even though he doesn’t get the typical star treatment in his hometown.
Case in point: Brockman still lives in his parents’ home. He’s not planning on buying a house in Sacramento anytime soon, preferring instead to rent in an area called Natomas near Arco Arena.
Brockman will always consider Snohomish home. And he vows to always do something else as well.
“I’ll always be mowing the lawn,” he said. “I like it. I appreciate that about my family when I get back. Nothing’s changed.”
He bought a new pickup truck at Bickford Motors in Snohomish.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to buy a truck from Bickford Motors,” said Brockman, who remembers staring at the new trucks every time his family drove by the dealership during his youth. “That dream came true (Friday).”
A few hours after dropping about $40,000 for a new F150 Platinum Ford truck, Brockman did something even more out of character for an NBA player. He spent his Friday night mowing the lawn at his parents’ Snohomish home.
“We live in a development, and the neighbors are always driving by,” Brockman said. “They were looking. They were like: what in the world is he doing out there?”
Snohomish County’s first NBA player in more than five decades is back in the area, not that one would have known it by the welcoming committee. The unassuming recent second-round pick of the Sacramento Kings is about as prototypical of the NBA culture as a plaid, flannel shirt.
Even when Brockman showed up for an autograph signing show at Mill Creek Sports Cards on Saturday afternoon, the line of about 20 people was about as modest as Brockman himself. Wearing a Seattle Mariners baseball cap and a silver golf shirt with the Kings’ logo, Brockman looked more like one of the autograph seekers than the center of attention.
After spending two weeks in Las Vegas playing for the Kings’ summer-league team, Brockman is trying to sneak in some rest and relaxation before the NBA team starts training camp at the end of this month.
Brockman said he learned a lot from playing in the NBA Summer League, where he averaged 5.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game over the five-game schedule.
One thing that was apparent to Brockman was that, while he has several areas of his game that need work, he’ll need to concentrate on his strengths rather than his weaknesses if he’s going to make it at the next level.
“I really learned, through playing down there, that the game’s really based on what your specialty is,” said Brockman, who was the 38th overall pick in the June NBA draft by Portland but was quickly traded to Sacramento. “That’s what they’re paying us for, and that’s what we’re out there for.”
For Brockman, that means rebounding. And he continued to show off that part of his game against some of the NBA’s young players. In the Summer League finale, he put in a typical Brockman performance by pulling down 15 rebounds against the New York Knicks.
After that game, Kings owner Joe Maloof gushed about the UW product on the team’s Web site.
“Brockman’s an animal,” Maloof said in an interview with the Kings’ Web site on July 17. “He’s going to be something else. The fans are going to love him. For once, we’re going to have a little strength. We’re not going to get pushed around like we have in the past.”
The 6-foot-7 Brockman said Saturday that his lack of height wasn’t as much of a detriment as the so-called experts believe it will be — as evidenced by his performance against the Knicks.
“That’s been something that’ll follow me forever,” Brockman said. “I don’t think I’ll ever hear that I’m not too short. It’s something I’ve been dealing with since as long as I’ve been playing college ball. As long as I keep grabbing those boards, I’ll be all right.”
One place where Brockman will always be the big man in town is Snohomish, even though he doesn’t get the typical star treatment in his hometown.
Case in point: Brockman still lives in his parents’ home. He’s not planning on buying a house in Sacramento anytime soon, preferring instead to rent in an area called Natomas near Arco Arena.
Brockman will always consider Snohomish home. And he vows to always do something else as well.
“I’ll always be mowing the lawn,” he said. “I like it. I appreciate that about my family when I get back. Nothing’s changed.”
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