Arkansas State University announced Thursday that Corey Brewer, a former NCAA national champion and NBA player, has joined the Red Wolves men’s basketball program as an assistant coach. Head coach Ryan Pannone highlighted Brewer’s extensive experience as both a player and a coach, calling his addition to the team “a great get.”
Brewer, a native of Portland, Tennessee, brings six seasons of professional coaching experience from the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. He joined the Pelicans for the 2020-21 season as a player development coach under Stan Van Gundy and was promoted to assistant coach on Willie Green’s staff for the 2024-25 season.
“Corey Brewer is a former 13-year NBA player and NBA assistant coach that won back-to-back national championships and an NBA championship,” Pannone stated. “We were fortunate to pick him up after losing Anthony Goods to the New Orleans Pelicans. Having coached Corey for five years as a player and then worked alongside him as an assistant in New Orleans, I knew I wanted him on my staff when I became a head coach. His background as a winner and his high character make him a tremendous asset to our program.”
During his tenure with the Pelicans, New Orleans achieved notable rankings for defensive stats, including top-10 finishes in both steals and blocks per game. Brewer played a role in the team's metrics, which included 8.5 steals and 5.2 blocks per game in the 2024-25 season and 8.9 steals with 5.2 blocks the season after.
As a player, Brewer was the seventh overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and enjoyed a 13-year NBA career, including an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2010-11 season. Over 819 games, he averaged 8.7 points per game on 42.5% shooting. He is also remembered for an extraordinary performance on April 11, 2014, when he scored a career-high 51 points with six steals in a Minnesota Timberwolves game against the Houston Rockets. Brewer became one of just six players in NBA history to record at least 50 points and six steals in a single game.
Before his NBA tenure, Brewer made his mark in college basketball at the University of Florida. He was part of the Gators teams that won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. Brewer was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 Final Four, where he averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Over three seasons at Florida, Brewer averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He received numerous honors, including SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman All-SEC recognition.
Brewer’s decorated basketball journey began in high school, where he earned TSSAA Class AA Mr. Basketball and McDonald’s All-American Team honors at Portland High School in Tennessee.
Brewer joins an Arkansas State program guided by first-year head coach Ryan Pannone, who is working to build a competitive program in the Sun Belt Conference. His addition to the coaching staff brings a wealth of championship experience at every level of basketball.