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Spotsylvanians Shanda Malamphy and Aaron Coen pose with singer Chris Brown at UMW Tuesday night. |
He's actually a pretty skinny kid.
He doesn't have much game.
And he picked an ironic time to show up at the University of Mary Washington--during White Ribbon Week, which promotes awareness of violence against women.
That's the buzz after music superstar and Tappahannock native Chris Brown turned up on the Fredericksburg campus Tuesday evening.
Brown has been in the headlines recently after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend, singer Rihanna.
While at UMW, he played basketball with some friends in Goolrick Gym.
Spotsylvania resident Aaron Coen, who graduated from Riverbend High School last year, heard Brown was in town and rushed over to UMW to see for himself.
He and friend Shanda Malamphy, a current Riverbend student, spent about a half-hour watching Brown shoot three-pointers.
"He missed like every shot," Coen reported.
Celebrity Web site TMZ.com, which chronicles Brown's every move, already had video online yesterday morning, and UMW spokesperson Marty Morrison reported that "Access Hollywood" has called for details, as well. US magazine was on the case, too.
Martin Wilder, UMW's vice president for enrollment and communications, said the school had no advance notice of Brown's arrival and, frankly, he didn't know what the fuss is about.
"I don't know that this is anything that is even newsworthy," Wilder said. "I don't know anything about this individual."
UMW, he noted, is an open campus, meaning anyone who wants to can walk around the school.
"This was just a pickup basketball game," he said. "It was not a university event or anything of that sort."
Inside Goolrick, students snapped photos with cell phones and talked out of Brown's earshot.
"A lot of people were bashing him at how bad he was at basketball," Coen said, "and how skinny he was and not as muscular" as he seems on TV. Brown wore huge baggy blue shorts and a black T-shirt.
Coen and Malamphy then waited outside by
Their patience paid off. After about two hours, Brown emerged from the gym with a few friends.
"Shanda was like, 'Chris!' And he was like, 'Hey.' We took a picture with him," Coen said.
"It was insane. We were both pretty nervous."
Coen said he's been a big Chris Brown fan, but admits to being shocked by the apparent violence of the charges Brown is facing.
But meeting him in person changed his feelings. Now, Coen said, "I don't think any less of him."
Brian Baer: 540/368-5053
Email: bbaer@fredericksburg.com
