Pick Brown was a good guy, who always had a smile on his face and was well liked by everybody. He would talk to anyone and everyone and seemed to have a good outlook on life. I did not know him well but I when I first saw it mentioned that Ivan Brown was killed I hoped it was not him. When I knew it was him I got the same feeling that I did when Len Bias and Hank Gathers died. I hope Bonner does something in tribute to him such as a scholarship or a mass, etc.
-- Jim Hallinan

Ted:
   Although I haven't spoken with Pick in about 5 years I feel an overwhelming sadness.
   Since I heard the news I have been thinking of him.
   It is hard to think of Pick without thinking about his big smile.
   He had a good heart and a world of talent.
   He will be missed.
-- Fondly,
Brian Daly

Hi Ted,
   My name is Cary Martin, SJU Class of ’90. I was a good friend of Pick’s
when he was on campus from '86-88, regrettably losing touch after he
moved on from Saint Joe’s.
   I was moved by your story and very appreciative of the way you really
captured his essence. Beyond being an extremely talented basketball
player, first and foremost I think of Pick as a warm-hearted,
fun-loving, good guy…and very much the character as you noted. He
always had a smile on his face and treated others with respect and
kindness, even when those attributes weren’t returned to him in the
early days of Prop 48 and the stigma associated with it. I can’t recall
ever hearing him say a bad word about anyone, nor did I ever hear him
complain about his background or circumstances. In my conversations
with Pick about his situation, he expressed that all he ever wanted was
a chance to “do his thing” and not to be judged by any “label” – be it
his skin color, his basketball skills or his test scores.
   Many nights we’d spend – with my roommate and best friend Bill Warren
(also SJU ’90) – playing Intellivision basketball or football (remember
Intellivision?), eating Larry's, laughing and telling stories, or going
over to the Fieldhouse for some games of 2-on-1 (which he dominated
despite being outmanned). Perhaps my favorite memory is watching the
news with Pick and his friends in my apartment in December, 1987, hours
after he had hit the game-winning shot against Villanova at DuPont. The
interviewer asked Pick what he was thinking when he took the last shot.
In classic Pick fashion, he flashed a wide grin and replied, “When it
kissed the glass, I kissed myself.”
   That was Pick.
   Unique. Personable. Memorable. Fun to be around. And gone far too
soon.
   The Hawk Will Never Die.
Sincerely,
Cary

Dear Ted,
As a Monsignor Bonner player, I want to thank Pick for all he has done for the program and his contributions over the last 20 years. Pick may not be here to receieve our thanks, but he is withotu a doubt with us in spirit. Pick spent many nights with us in the gym practicing and working us hard. He loved the game, and he loved Bonner even more. He worked out with a few of the guys, Jackie Glacken and Phil D, but he always asked myself and anyone else if we would want to go over to St. Joe's to work with him. Not only did Pick want to see us work hard ont he court, he wanted us to represent the name Monsignor Bonner as proud as we could. So not only Should Pick  be remembered as a standout Bonner player and friend, he should be remembered as a person who showed all that Bonner is, once you put on that uniform you were part of a family, and we lost a fmaily member but he will never be forgotten.
Thank You,
Kevin Ward, class of 2005

Ted,
This is Jack Glacken from Bonner class of 2005. I worked out with Pick before the season began last year. I had absolutely zero confidence in my game. I worked out with Pick and when tryouts for the team came around I was playing great, handling the ball and winning all the sprints. All of it was because of Pick. He made me a better player and more then that he improved my work ethic and the person I am. We only worked out for about 2 or 3 months but in that time I felt like we became good freinds because we spent a lot of time talking waiting for my dad to come pick us up. He truely was a good guy. He listened to every word I had to say and wanted to hear all my input. He wouldn't let me give up which while I working out I didn't like to much but I knew he did it because he knew I was good enough. I am real upset about loseing Pick not just because he would of made me an even better player if we had of worked out again, but because I lost a freind.
--Jack Glacken (Bonner, 2005)

PICK'S OBIT . . .

Daily News, June 8, 2004

By Ted Silary
   Ivan "Pick" Brown was officially long gone from Hawk Hill, but was still a part of the Saint Joseph's University basketball family.
   A few times in each of the past couple of seasons, Brown called coach Phil Martelli looking for tickets. And every so often, Brown would receive permission to use the Fieldhouse to work out assorted young players he was coaching.
   The mood was somber at 54th Street and City Avenue yesterday. Brown, a former Hawks guard, was shot to death in the back just before 4:30 a.m. Friday in Southwest Philadelphia, police said. Police said last night they had no suspects and had not determined a motive.
   "We were all talking about how rough this would be for Pick's friends and family," Martelli said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
   "It's just another example of the senseless stuff that goes on. You see the reports all the time in the paper, or on TV. This guy killed. That got killed. But it's just names. You reach a point where you're immune to it. But then it's a name you KNOW, and it brings it all home. Tragic."
   Brown, a point guard of rare skills and court sense, starred at Monsignor Bonner High (Class of 1986). Martelli was an assistant under Jim Boyle when Brown was a senior and the two developed a friendship when Brown joined the Hawks.
   "Unfortunately, like a lot of people, Pick was one of the guys I couldn't help with tickets this past season," Martelli said. "I remember being able to help him for La Salle and Temple. But not for Villanova and our last home game with St. Bonaventure. He understood."
  In '86, Brown averaged 14.7 points, 7.2 assists and 3.5 steals for the 20-10 Friars and was named a first team Daily News All-City selection.
   This paper also picked an All-Scholastic team in that era (best players in five-county area) and Brown was among the top five. The Philly-flavor photo was scheduled for Boathouse Row. The idea was to put the five kids in a boat on the water.
   The personable Brown, very much a character, said he was afraid of the water and wasn't going in.
   "I'll get in the boat, but we're staying on the DOCK," he said, emphatically, and smiling broadly.
   The picture ran in the paper. Five kids in a boat. On a dock.
   The Class of 1986 was the first to be affected by what was then called Proposition 48. Athletes needed a minimum SAT score to be eligible as freshmen in Division I. Brown didn't have it.
   "I can see the college people wanting to raise the standards," Brown said at the time, while attending three classes each summer day in a demanding program at St. Joe's. "I can see where they don't want guys coming out of college who can't read or write. I could see judging students on their grades, but not on a test like the SAT. This makes it look like I'm incompetent to learn, like I'm stupid. I feel degraded.
   "I don't lack intelligence. I just lacked skill in taking that test."
   After sitting out one season, Brown became an important player in 1987-88. His highlight came when his last-second, running, 15-footer provided a 53-52 win over Villanova.
   He did not remain on Hawk Hill for the 1988-89 school year.
   John Miller, the long-time La Salle University women's coach, was Bonner's coach in '86.
   "Ivan was a great kid," Miller said. "As a coach, you always feel blessed when your best player is also your hardest worker and most unselfish kid. You just know it's going to make for an enjoyable year.
   "When we beat Episcopal in a tournament, Scott Smythe, our little jumpshooter, got the MVP trophy. I happened to look at Ivan when that was being announced. He was the happiest person. I remember telling him later, 'Ivan, that says SO much about you.' "
Miller said he always heard from Brown once a year.
   "This last year, it was maybe five times," Miller said. "He brought some of his players to see us play Richmond. He gave me a big hug. I kissed him on the forehead. He had that big Ivan Brown smile he always had. He looked good. Looked happy. He said he'd be coming to more games in the future."
   A viewing will be held Saturday, 9 to 11 a.m., at St. Francis DeSales Church, 47th and Springfield. Mass to follow.

STORY ABOUT "PICK"
FROM HIS HIGH SCHOOL CAREER . . .

Jan 28, 1986

By TED SILARY, Daily News Sports Writer

   Basketball opponents of Monsignor Bonner , assuming that their ultimate
fate is to lose, are now in position to "pick" their method of doom.

   The modus operandi of 6-foot lead guard Ivan "Pick" Brown has not
changed; it has merely undergone alteration, and expansion.

   Brown still accounts for 30-odd points a game for the Friars, but no
longer is scoring, say, 14 and dealing eight assists worth 16 more a
given.

   Last Friday afternoon, Pick came out of his non-scoring shell with all
the splash of a debutante, netting 24 points, including a game-winning,
left-wing jumper with two seconds remaining, as Bonner earned a 66-64
overtime victory in a Catholic South game at St. Joseph's Prep.
Yesterday, he managed 23 points in a 68-56 non-league win at Cardinal
Dougherty.

   "The last time I had two straight over 20? We're talking eighth grade,"
Brown said, laughing.

   While Brown talked outside the locker room, you can bet that, inside,
his teammates were not complaining about his newly developed penchant
for shooting the ball. As the other Friars know, if Brown is not
contributing heavily, they can pick up their ball and go home.

   "Ivan has to try to take at least 15 shots a game," coach John Miller
said. "Just by him penetrating and shooting, it means the defense has to
play all of us. Before, defenses wouldn't honor Ivan (because of his
unselfishness). They'd stay back, slough off.

   "It's not that his shot is super, but when he wants to score, he's the
biggest threat in the league. He's a winner. I don't know if fear is the
right word, but everybody has a real big respect for Ivan ."

   Brown, who also had four assists and 10 steals against the Cardinals,
is the quintessential modern-day lead guard. He runs the team in perfect
fashion at one end and he runs his opposite number into the floor at the
other. He does everything, asks for nothing.

   "He's exactly the way you'd want a player to be," Miller said. "That's
why the other guys are happy to see some attention come his way. A lot
of guys have said to me, 'It's very obvious that your team gets along.'
One of the main reasons is Ivan ."

   Brown said he learned to appreciate defense in his days with the
Blazers, a now-defunct independent team coached by former Bulletin
sports writer Julius Thompson. The Blazers traveled often, won often and
always heard Thompson screaming in their ears about defense.

   Then, when Brown played junior varsity as a Bonner frosh, his practice
assignment was to stay with Tom Gormley, cast from the same relentless
mold and now starring for Loyola (Md.).

   "The way I see it, a team leader has to play defense as well as
offense," Brown said. "The better defense I play, the more I can inspire
my teammates. I like to get a steal and make a pass up ahead that lets
someone have a layup. That makes me feel good.

   "I enjoy defense. I pride myself on it. I like to stand up to a
challenge. Trying to stop somebody else . . . well, that's a big one."

   It pales in comparison, however, to the challenge Brown faces in the
classroom for the remainder of the school year.

   St. Joseph's and La Salle have expressed an interest, but it is touch
and go whether Brown will graduate with a 2.0 grade-point average. Thus,
myriad non-Division I-A schools, including Textile and Kutztown, are
allowing themselves to envision Brown in their lineup.

   Not so fast, guys. Brown said it would not bother him at all to sit out
a year at St. Joe's or La Salle.

   "It would help me mature, get used to the college atmosphere, develop
better work habits," he said. "I'm not thinking about it too much,
though. I have to play the rest of the season first, then graduate.
Those are the two main things. I have to do those two things to deserve
a scholarship."

   "I just want Ivan to know he has two options," Miller said. "His head's
on so well, I know he'll think it through. He has no delusions of
grandeur. Every time he has talked to a college coach, one of his first
questions has been, 'Would I get tutoring at your place?' "

   If Brown could ask one question of those coaches who face Bonner , it
would be, "Would you please play us man-to-man?"

   "We don't get played man-to-man that much and coach says it's out of
respect for me," he said. "Every scouting report we get, I ask him,
'Will they play us man?' He keeps saying no, that they're scared of our
quickness. I like getting that kind of respect. It inspires me from week
to week to week, knowing that a team is that aware of me. It makes me
always play hard."

   In last Friday's game, Brown had the opportunity to give Bonner the win
in regulation. But after shooting 8-for-8 from the line in the last
quarter, he missed a one-and-one at with four seconds remaining.

   "Eye-van choked! Eye-van choked!" The Prep's fans chanted.

   "I didn't choke," he said. "The ball was there, it just spun out. That
was a tough crowd out there. I loved it, though. It made me get more
into the game. The more they teased us, the more we said, 'We've got to
outdo these guys.' "

   Then, with four seconds left in overtime, a turnover gave Bonner
possession in its own end. Bonner ran a play in which congestion at
midcourt was enough to slow Brown's defender and enable him to catch a
looping pass in stride from guard John Roe.

   His "J" was taken off balance, not to mention a step or two out of his
range, but in the ball went. And off the court he trotted, never
bothering to respond to the fans' taunts.