Ron Brewer was already somewhat of a local legend before he even set foot on the campus of Westark Community College. The 6-foot-4 guard was a hoop star at Fort Smith’s Northside High School, where he played for his future college coach Gayle Kaundart. As a senior, Brewer led the Grizzlies to a 30-0 record and the 1974 Arkansas Overall State Basketball Championship.
A highly-coveted NCAA Division I recruit, Brewer instead followed Kaundart to Westark, then a junior college, where he played one season for the Lions. Brewer made an immediate impact for the Lions, who went 32-4 during his freshman season. It was one of eight 30-plus win seasons in the history of the Lions basketball program and garnered Brewer several accolades. He was named All-Bi-State Conference and All-Region II and was the MVP of the Region II tournament, along with being named a junior college All-American.
Following his stellar freshman season, Brewer transferred to the University of Arkansas, where he became one of the famed “Triplets” along with Sidney Moncrief and Marvin Delph. He helped lead the Razorbacks to the Final Four of the 1978 NCAA national tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
He was a NCAA All-American in 1978 after averaging 18 points per game.
Brewer, whose nickname is “Boot”, was selected by the Portland Trailblazers with the seventh overall pick of the 1978 NBA Draft, becoming the first of four UA Fort Smith men’s basketball players to play in the NBA. He was named to the 1978-79 NBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 13.3 points and 1.3 steals per game.
He played eight seasons in the NBA with the Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls. He averaged 11.9 points for his professional career, shooting 46 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free-throw line.
Brewer is a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Northside High School Basketball Hall of Fame.
