Boo Brewer’s Louisville basketball connection has come full circle

Catching up with Louisville basketball alumni Boo Brewer.

When I tell you that my Louisville basketball fanhood has now come full circle…

I don’t recall which game it was, or what year even, but young me fell in love with the Louisville Cardinals during a starting lineup announcement sometime in the early 1990’s.

Most of that game, even the outcome, was a transcendent blur. But, my has-been steel trap does remember one minor (major) detail: the moment former Freedom Hall PA Announcer John Tong introduced a 6’1″ Louisville guard from Bardstown, Kentucky. About halfway through the word “Bardstown”, the home crowd began to erupt in boos. I was flabbergasted. And disheartened.

I leaned toward my grandad who was grinning and clapping.

“Why are they booing him,” I asked.

That’s when he explained the unique celebration. I reacted like I had just been included on deep, dark, inside joke. In a way, it was my rite of passage.

Today, I had the distinct privilege of interviewing that player; none other than James “Boo” Brewer. Fittingly, we discussed his past, present, and future connections to the Louisville basketball program.

The Denny Crum days

Brewer attended Louisville from 1988-1993, rising all the way to 5th all-time in school 3-point shooting percentage, a spot he still holds.

“Coming out of high school, I only had the 3-pointer one year,” he said.

A testament to his body of work. But, Brewer was more than just a deep threat.

“Coach Crum recruited me not just for my shooting, but for my athleticism, toughness, and toughness on the defensive end,” he said.

Brewer was amidst some heavy competition for playing time.

“My freshman year, I was with some elite players,” he said.

One guy, in particular, helped him sharpen his craft from behind the arc.

“Every day after practice, Kenny Payne worked with me shooting extra shots. I had to hit so many shots from this side before I could leave the gym. I give all my credit as a three-point shooter to him,” Brewer said.

Needless to say, Coach Denny Crum wasn’t always the biggest advocate of the deep ball.

“Coach would put me in the game and I could be open for a three and shoot, and in his coach’s voice, he’d be like ‘Brewer! You don’t have to shoot a three every time you get in the game!’ And I’d be like ‘coach, I was open.’ People don’t realize he wasn’t a big fan of the three-point line,” Brewer said.

Boo was scheduled to get together with former teammates this weekend to reminisce their days playing for Crum. One thing about Crum’s players is they all have this nasally impression they do of Coach Crum when they impersonate him.

“We still talk like that (when doing impressions of Crum). We’re supposed to get together in Louisville, all of our classmates: Derwin Webb, Mike Case, Everick Sullivan, and Cornelius Holden,” he said.

How James became “Boo”

Brewer references how the legendary moniker stuck over time.

“I got that name when I was 4 or 5 from my aunt and my grandma. They’d say ‘peek-a-boo’ and stuff like that. I was scared of the dark. So when she said ‘peek-a-boo’, I was always supposed to run to her,” Brewer said.

It followed him through the years.

“That name just stayed with me and everybody just started calling me ‘Boo’ from my hometown all the way to Louisville. To this day, if you go to Bardstown and say ‘James Brewer’ they’ll be like ‘James Brewer?’ But, if you say ‘Boo Brewer’ they’ll say ‘his grandma lives right here, he grew up right here’,” he said.

But, how did it transcend to Louisville basketball fans?

“It really started during the Derby Classic, because my hometown made up shirts that said ‘Boo Brewer’, and a lot of people were wearing them in the stands, so when they introduced me there, they said James ‘Boo’ Brewer,” he said. It became a snowball effect as time went on. “Even Coach Crum would say ‘ok, Boo, go in,'” Brewer said.

It stuck like glue.

Bardstown roots and the collision of two words

Brewer’s hometown is a historic place about 30 minutes south of Louisville called Bardstown. The city synonymous with his name being announced in Louisville starting lineups, as I referenced earlier.

“It’s an athletic community – a sports town. They’re very family-oriented,” Brewer said.

Brewer went on to star at Bardstown High School as a basketball player before becoming a Cardinal. He later became coach of his alma mater, BHS. While at the helm, he coached a kid who would soon follow in his footsteps by making the jump from Bardstown to Louisville. That kid’s name is JJ Traynor. Traynor’s father, Jason Osborne, was a standout at Louisville in the mid-1990’s. At the time of his recruitment, Traynor was on many Louisville fans’ wish lists. But in Bardstown, he was already a celebrity.

“When you have a kid that comes from Bardstown, the community is behind that person, wanting them to be successful and do well,” Brewer said.

It became clear that the coach/player bond that gelled between the two while JJ was playing under Brewer at Bardstown was very tight-knit.

“He has a special place in my heart. It’s really indescribable. He’s like a son to me,” Brewer said. Brewer likes what he sees in Traynor’s development as his college career progresses.

“It’s been amazing to watch him go from a 175-lb. scrawny kid to a 200-lb. strong young man,” Brewer said.

Nevertheless, Brewer sees his protege being overlooked as one of the premier players on this year’s Louisville squad.

“I’m 100% sure they sleep on him,” Brewer said.

However, the teacher isn’t worried about his pupil.

“It doesn’t bother him. He’s comfortable with who he is. when he gets on the floor, he knows what he can do and what he can bring to help the team. He’s a team player,” Brewer said.

Brewer touched on why Traynor has such a huge upside.

“He’s relentless as far as wanting to get better. Every day he’s working on something, and I’m extremely excited for this (season),” Brewer said.

Like this article has been a full circle of fanhood for this writer, it seems Boo Brewer’s player/coach Louisville basketball connection has come full circle as well, poetically. Similar to the days when Crum would bark constructive criticisms at him in his college playing days, Brewer, in turn, now shares similar criticisms with Traynor.

“He knows that if he’s not giving it his all, he’ll get a call from me,” Brewer said.