The last time any Gonzaga fans probably heard of Ira Brown was when the senior helped the Zags reach the Sweet 16 in 2009.
Brown would later be a fourth round draft pick in the 2009 NBA D-League Draft, but he instead decided to take his basketball talents overseas and played for clubs in the Philippines, Mexico, Argentina and Japan.
He is back on American soil, and now he is heading to Greek soil as part of Team USA in the FIBA 3x3 World Championships.
Brown was initially skeptical of the idea.
USA Basketball: Different Paths Lead To USA Basketball Men’s 3x3 National Team
"He called me and asked if I wanted to play in a 3x3 tournament with USA Basketball," said Brown. "I told him, ‘There's no 3x3 at USA Basketball.' We started talking and he told me this was serious, and told me if I wanted on they would love to have me because they didn't know if they could do it without me. I was kind of skeptical about it but then he gave me some more information and I told him I definitely want to be a part of that. We came over and ended up winning the whole thing (the USA Basketball 3x3 National Team Tournament) . We have a lot of talent on our team, some great players and great attitudes. We're looking forward to heading over to Greece and making some noise over there."
Brown, along with Tyree Hardge, Adetayo Adseanya and Allen Williams form the team Desert Pro-Am who went 8-0 and won the first ever USA Basketball 3x3 National Championship. They are heading to Athens, Greece to play in the first ever world championships on August 23 - 26.
The team will open against Turkey and Egypt on August 23 and then face England and Lebanon on August 24.
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