Mr. Brewer goes to Washington: Meet the former NM School for the Deaf hoops star playing for Gallaudet in nation's captial

WASHINGTON — With his team’s lead slipping, Bruce Brewer, Jr. did not yell at his four teammates on the floor as his Gallaudet squad hosted a recent Division III basketball game.

Instead, the product of the New Mexico School for the Deaf was more practical — he used American Sign Language midway through the second half with his team on defense against Penn State Abingdon.

Brewer, who is deaf, later hit two free throws in the closing seconds as the Bison posted a rare win this season. Despite a challenging season, the Santa Fe product has solidified himself as a key player for veteran coach Kevin Kovacs at Gallaudet.

After making just one start last season as a freshman, the 5-foot-10 Brewer was on the court for the opening tip in 21 of the 26 contests this season for Gallaudet, the only liberal arts university in the world dedicated to the deaf and hearing impaired. He averaged 2.5 points per contest and led Gallaudet in assists with 91.

Brewer was a star for New Mexico School for the Deaf, a 1A school based in Santa Fe. In his 2021-2022 senior year, he put up impressive per-game numbers: 27.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 5.3 steals.

“I started playing basketball since I was a little. I was always involved with Little League, middle school, and high school; it has always been a part of my life,” Brewer, wearing a grey Gallaudet windbreaker, said through an interpreter. “Once I came into the college level, there was a dramatic difference in expectation, plus the academics that were involved. It is a time management aspect of it plus there is the physical aspect of the game. However, I have always loved those challenges and that expectation and I was able to grow and prosper from that.”

The Bison saw their season come to an end with a 70-47 loss to St. Mary’s of Maryland on Feb. 17 in the United East conference tournament. Gallaudet was 3-23 overall this season, but Brewer is optimistic about offseason workouts as he prepares for his junior campaign.

“Bruce has worked hard and improved tremendously, but he still has not reached his potential, which is a good thing, meaning he can continue to get better,” veteran Gallaudet coach Kevin Kovacs wrote in an email. “It has been a big jump from him coming from a very small school in Santa Fe to a D-3 school in Washington D.C. playing against players who have come from a much bigger schools playing and specializing in one sport in high school.”

Brewer averaged 27 minutes per game this past season for the Bison after playing just 9.3 minutes per outing with 19 assists as a freshman.

“Yes, he is a pass-first point guard and we are encouraging him to expand his game because we want our point guard to be able to score as well putting more pressure on our opposing teams to guard us and become more of a threat all around,” Kovacs wrote.

“The team is wonderful, but the result wasn’t what we expected,” Brewer said of this past season. “We did not get where we expected; there were a lot of issues … we are a new team and we are still building this chemistry. And when we lose together, we grow together. There are some areas we need to improve, there is some teamwork we need to work on. We need to practice harder and have more of a commitment. This is a hard game and we need to continue to keep going. We need to be there to support one another. I am such a team player and I enjoy playing basketball.”

Brewer took over the point guard duties from Preston Kelly, who had 123 assists as a senior for Gallaudet in 2022-23.

“I think Bruce has improved leaps and strides compared to last year,” Alex Antsiferov, a junior post player this past season for the Bison, said through an interpreter. “I can always feel good and count on him as a teammate. I can see he will improve even more next year. He is a hard worker and is willing to help other people. He is open to everyone and that is how he is.”

Road to Washington

It is a long way from New Mexico to the nation’s capital — literally and figuratively.

“The first year was so exciting,” Brewer said. “We always dreamed of playing college basketball. After that first year, I started getting homesick. I will admit it; I missed my mom, I missed my family, I missed my dog.”

However, Brewer was motivated to succeed.

“But the community (in New Mexico) was rooting for me and supporting me,” he said. “It was a tough transition; I am here to grow and learn. We have a great support system with the team and teammates. As far as D.C. goes, I have really enjoyed it here. Georgetown is beautiful, getting down to the (Potomac) River and going to other gyms and meeting different players. Just learning new things and the food — there are a lot of different foods around here.”

Other college basketball programs within the city limits of Washington include Division I Georgetown, George Washington, American and Howard and Division III Catholic.

At the high school level, the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference is considered one of the best in the country and has produced several NBA and college stars, including former Utah Jazz All-Star Adrian Dantley from DeMatha Catholic High in suburban Maryland.

The Washington Wizards of the NBA play their home games in Chinatown, just a few miles southwest of the Gallaudet campus. Basketball has a rich tradition in the city, whose native sons include Hall of Fame player Dave Bing, Elgin Baylor and the late John Thompson Jr., the Hall of Fame coach of the Georgetown Hoyas.

Gallaudet was founded in 1864, and athletics there stretches to at least the last part of that century, with a photo of the baseball team from 1886 available in online searches.

Deaf Olympics

It is not like Brewer has not traveled far in the past to play basketball.

In 2022, he went to Brazil to take part in the Deaf Olympics.

“The Deaf Olympics was such a rich experience for me. I had never been to a different country,” he said. “I always wanted to travel, so this was a wonderful opportunity and I decided to go for it. I was one of the youngest players on the team and it was such a good experience since this was a worldwide event. And everybody coming there was speaking a different language, and it was beautiful to see everybody coming from these different countries and languages and having this love for the sport, for basketball.”

He was part of the U.S. team.

“Everybody looked up the USA since it was well known for its basketball program. So, I got to meet a lot of these beautiful people and that was such a great experience,” Brewer said. “And playing was also a good experience. The physical play was different; going in there, we were playing against much bigger individuals and it was a good transition into the college level.

“So, it was a good week that we stayed there in Brazil. “I tried to work on my game, increase my speed. Once I got to college the first year, I felt I was playing pretty well. I really learned a lot. Once it became my turn to play point guard, I really love passing first and looking for the players that are open to make those goals. I need to work on scoring a little bit more. I need to have confidence in my leadership abilities and bringing the team together. I will be working on that.”

The Gallaudet coach is optimistic about the future with Brewer.

“I am sure the Deaf Olympics have taught him a lot as he is still growing and learning and evolving as a point guard, leader, player, and person. There is still tremendous growth left in him,” Kovacs noted.

“I am really looking forward to what is coming next,” Brewer said. “College is such a short time — I want to cherish every moment and give my best. I am majoring in business; once I graduate, I am not sure where I am going to go. But I do know I want to give back to the deaf community, whether it is physicality, sports medicine, nutrition, I want to give back to the deaf community. A lot of people do not know how to take care of themselves — I really want to spread that in the deaf community. That is what I want to do.”

David Driver, a long-time resident of the Washington, D.C. area, is the author of “Hoop Dreams in Europe: American Basketball Players Building Careers Overseas.” The book is available on Amazon and at daytondavid.com.