It seems fitting that in the 22nd Annual Freedom Classic, Trey Brown wiggled free from second fiddle status.

The 6-foot-3 Virginia State University back-up junior guard began the Sunday, Jan. 15, Freedom Classic as the Trojans’ sixth-leading scorer, just another back-up sound in the orchestra.

It didn’t take him long to turn up his volume loud and clear in the Trojans’ 74-59 victory over Virginia Union University at the Richmond Coliseum in Downtown.

“I just try and fit in wherever I can, just to help out,” Brown said after netting 16 points — 10 in the first half — on six for six shooting from the field, including two for two from beyond the arc.

And all that in just 15 minutes of floor time.

“Trey is a real good player who gave us an extra lift tonight,” VSU Coach Lonnie Blow Jr. said following the game.

Coach Blow began recruiting Brown when he was a student at Louisburg College, a private, two-year college in North Carolina.

It’s a good thing. Brown’s 3-ball swish at 12:02 in the second half provided VSU with a commanding 50-36 lead, and the Trojans were en route to a seventh straight win.

Avenging a loss to VUU in last year’s Freedom Classic, the Trojans are now 13-3 overall and 5-1 in the CIAA.

After five straight wins, VUU falls to 13-5 overall and 5-1 in the CIAA.

Brown might be nicknamed “Been Around Brown.” Here’s his itinerary:

From Hampton, Brown helped Menchville High School to the Peninsula District title in 2012. From there, he spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia then a season at Louisburg College. He added one semester at North Carolina A&T State University before sitting out all of last season and now playing for VSU.

The Freedom Classic was his orange and blue coming out party.

“It was a big game for me playing here” in the Coliseum, he said. “It’s a big rivalry and I was fired up for it.”

Brown leads VSU in 3-point accuracy (45 percent), but insists it’s “only a coincidence” his name — Trey — reflects his long-distance touch.  

Brown wasn’t alone among VSU heroes.

Kevin Williams’ 20 points included two spine-tingling dunks — one off an alley-oop lob from Walter Williams in traffic.

It’s not often you see a 5-foot-10 man like Kevin Williams soar so high, especially with a man on him. He bounds off the wood like the floor is a trampoline.

Powerful Richard Granberry, battling cramps, had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Ball-handler Waymond Wright combated VUU’s pressure defense with seven assists and just one turnover in 34 minutes.

The assertive 5-foot-11 Wright, a junior from Raleigh sporting a shaved head, beard and trademark headband, was unflappable as VUU turned up the defensive heat in late going.

VSU was solid defensively against VUU’s Ray Anderson. The CIAA’s leading scorer finished with 14 points, but had only five points at intermission, with the Trojans up 33-23.

Brown was among the Trojans taking a turn checking the quicksilver Anderson, who began the night averaging 18.5 points.

Newest Panther: A bright spot for VUU was Marcus Hoosier off the bench. The slender, 6-foot-4, former Petersburg High School athlete had 10 points, four assists and three rebounds in 20 minutes, and was aggressive attacking the rim.

Hoosier sat out the better part of two seasons before joining the VUU roster in late December.

“I think you’ll see more and more of Marcus as the season goes along,” said VUU Coach Jay Butler.

Hoosier, who earlier in the season had 15 points against Shaw University and 11 against Fayetteville State University in close wins, was named CIAA Newcomer of the Week for honors Jan. 9.

In 2014, Hoosier scored 43 points for Southside Virginia Community College in Alberta in a win over Sandhills Community College of North Carolina. Perhaps his move to VUU was destiny. Like VUU, Southside Virginia Community College’s mascot is the Panthers.

Box office woes: There were too many empty seats at the Freedom Classic, especially when considering both squads were on hot streaks and are bona fide CIAA contenders. Although organizers presented no official attendance, the count was probably about 3,000 spectators. 

The Coliseum’s lower bowl alone seats around 6,000 people and it was half full if you don’t count band members, cheerleaders, dancers, etc.

The Freedom Classic is a Sunday night tradition, but that means going head-on with NFL playoffs. It really hurt when the NFL changed its Pittsburgh Steelers-Kansas City Chiefs game, originally scheduled for noon to 8:20 p.m., following the 4:30 p.m. Dallas Cowboys-Green Bay Packers match.  Many fans in attendance seemed as glued to football games and playoff info streamed via their phones and tablets as to basketball action on the Coliseum floor.

Shifting the annual game to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, when many schools and businesses are closed, may help combat that.