“Colorado State was his first college game, and he looked stuck in the mud,” coach Scott Nagy said.
But that changed in the second outing against Toledo. Brown looked more like the phenom who led Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids to a state title and another runner-up finish and averaged 24.1 points as a senior.
“He turned it up, and you could see his speed with the ball,” Nagy said.
“It was like, ‘Finally, KK is here.’ He can really give us a good push. And he’s a good defender. He’s strong. He’s quick. I’m really proud of all our freshmen.”
The Raiders’ usual M.O. is to groom their freshmen for the future, not rely heavily on them. One or two have typically worked their way into the rotation — Brandon Noel did last year and A.J. Braun and Keaton Norris the year before that — but three are in the playing mix for only the second time under Nagy.
Forward Drey Carter and guard Logan Woods, a pair of redshirt freshmen, are averaging double-digit minutes like Brown — and making the most of them.
The only other significant sub has been senior guard Andrew Welage.
In 2019-20, true freshman Tanner Holden started, and classmate Trey Calvin and redshirt freshman Grant Basile were valuable subs.
Others still have a chance to move up the depth chart, of course, but the newcomers in the bench brigade have earned their coach’s trust.
“They’re doing great,” Nagy said. “They’re still trying to get their bearings and figure out their role. If you look at Kaden, he’s probably never done what we’re asking him to do right now in coming off the bench. He’s trying to get that figured out.
“When we recruited him, we thought Trey wasn’t coming back (for his fifth season). But he’s handling that well. From where we started to where we are now, he’s playing confidently.”
Brown started against Indiana with Calvin out, and he’s racked up 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in six games.
“He’s playing faster and downhill and aggressive. That’s where I want him,” Nagy said.
Being a committed defender is the only path to playing time under Nagy, and that’s why Carter and Woods also have nudged ahead of others.
“Drew and Logan are both doing a good job for us — defensively and rebounding the ball,” the coach said.
Carter, who’s had a growth spurt and is now pushing 6-10, is averaging 5.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12 minutes per game.
He’s 14 of 21 from the field and 6 of 7 on foul shots.
“He’s smart, a good communicator. This summer, he had tremendous confidence. When we got to the fall, it seemed like he lost all of it. But I feel like he’s slowly gaining it back and seeing himself more like he should,” Nagy said.
“That just happens with young guys. They get so much thrown at them.”
Carter is the only available frontcourt sub for Braun and Noel, unless the Raiders play small ball.
“He’s going to have a game where he’ll play a LOT of minutes,” Nagy said.
The 6-4 Woods has gotten the most playing time among the freshmen at 12.3 minutes per game. He’s only taken five shots, making one, but Nagy isn’t concerned.
“He’s a good defender. He’s competitive. He really shot the ball well in the offseason,” he said.
“For a lot of these guys, it’s not a big enough sample size to worry about it. I’ve seen Logan shoot in practice, and he’s a tremendous shooter.”
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
IUPUI at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 1290, 95.7
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