Son of Kentucky Legend’s Path to Hogs Features Triple-Layered Coincidence

Darin Minniefield Kentucky basketball
Credit: Razorback Communications

The Minniefield family’s legacy in the basketball world was cemented in 1983, when Kentucky basketball great Dirk Minniefield threw down a dunk heard ‘round the world against Mississippi State.

While many folks assume today’s college players are by and large more athletic than their predecessors of four decades ago, the below clip shows Cooper Flagg, Coen Carr, VJ Edgecombe and Adou Thiero have nothing on Dirk:

Nowadays, his son Darin Minniefield is carrying the family torch as a graduate assistant for Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari. On Saturday night, he’ll be wearing red alongside so many other Wildcats-turned-Razorbacks when Arkansas plays Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Going back to Lexington is extra personal for Darin because his father is from Lexington and so is about as dyed in blue as the come.

Yet his family has a tie to one of the one of the most dyed-in-cardinal-red father-son duos. Darin was totally unaware of the connection before he moved to Fayetteville this past summer

“Until I arrived at Arkansas, I had no idea my dad and Ron Brewer played together,” he told Best of Arkansas Sports in August. “I saw his name and then I called my dad and told him, ‘Hey, I met Ron Brewer Sr. today.’”

Dirk actually used to babysit a young Ronnie Brewer while he and Dirk were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1986, Darin said. That connection was no coincidence, either – it was Dirk who made sure the Cavs went through with the trade for Brewer.

“He wasn’t supposed to be involved in the trade until my dad asked for Ron Brewer,” the younger Minniefield said. “They were going to trade for someone and my dad says, ‘No, we need Ron Brewer. He just put up numbers against us the other night. We need another guy that can score; go get Ron Brewer.’”

The stars didn’t exactly align for the Cavs on the court, as they sputtered to a 29-53 record that year. It was Minniefield’s first year in the NBA, and Brewer’s last. While their timelines didn’t quite match up at the professional level, their time in college at Arkansas and Kentucky was very memorable for their respective fanbases.

Brewer, a Fort Smith native, helped lead the Arkansas basketball program to the Final Four in 1978 and was named Southwest Conference Player of the Year. In addition to his iconic dunk, Minniefield had an impressive four-year career for the Wildcats and was named to the All-SEC squads three times.

Fast forward a generation, and the former teammates’ sons have forged a friendship on the Razorback coaching staff. After spending a few years as Eric Musselman’s recruiting coordinator, the younger Brewer was retained by Calipari as an assistant coach, and the pair hung out a few times over the summer as the staff was getting to know each other.

Darin Minniefield’s Role in John Calipari Apparatus

In August, Minniefield said being a graduate assistant means you wear a lot of different hats, sort of a jack of all trades who helps out wherever he can. 

That includes individual work with the players, assisting with recruiting and compiling a variety of film – from practice tape and opponents’ game clips to NBA players the staff wants the Hogs to learn from. One example he gave was showing clips of Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland to help Boogie Fland hone his similar skill set.

He met Calipari around 10 years ago through his friends, twin brothers Andrew and Aaron Harrison, who were playing for Kentucky at the time. Minniefield said he didn’t think Calipari remembered the interaction, but it turns out Cal had met his father years ago while he was an assistant coach at Pittsburgh. That relationship led to Darin getting a job as a GA at Kentucky last season.

“He used to always love bringing up my dad. Anytime he saw the video [of the dunk], he would send it to me,” he said with a laugh.

Mennfield, who was 29 years old in August, said he’s trying his best to be a sponge and absorb as much knowledge as he can from Calipari, calling it a “dream come true” to work under the Naismith Hall of Famer. Minniefield is pursuing a master’s degree in adult life learning at the university, and said he aspires to become a head coach himself one day.

Lucas Family Adds Another Dimension to “Small World” Connections

Another piece of Minniefield family lore is Darin’s connection to the Lucas family. The patriarch, John Lucas II, was the first point guard ever selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft in 1976, and his successful NBA career lasted over a decade. His son, John Lucas III, also played in the NBA and recently served as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns.

Minniefield said Lucas II is his godfather, and Lucas III was like a big brother to him while they were growing up together in Houston. Another layer to the Arkansas onion is the fact that Lucas III was teammates with Ronnie Brewer on the Chicago Bulls in the early 2010s.

Dirk Minniefield and Lucas II have been friends for years, and were able to bond over their shared troubled past with drugs. Both struggled with addiction that hampered their playing careers, but have since achieved sobriety and worked tirelessly to help other athletes with similar troubles.

Dirk was actually able to find his way at the drug abuse center that Lucas II founded in Houston.

“I finally found that person who talked my language,” the elder Minniefield said of Lucas II. “He could see past the outside facade I learned to put up.”

Lucas II said Dirk is like “one of my children. He’s delightful. He’s helped me as much as I helped him.”

Minniefield has been sober since the early 1990s, and said in 2007 that “my younger kids have never seen me take a drink. They don’t know the daddy the older kids know. They know a totally different guy.”

He fathered three children in a previous marriage that ended in divorce. He has had two children in his current marriage – one of them being Darin, who said his father has been a great role model for him.

“It’s been a pleasure to be able to look up to him and get everything that I could from him,” he said. “I’ll always understand to be selfless and put others before myself, because helping guys goes a long way.”

Life after basketball continues to be successful for both Lucas II and the elder Minniefield. Lucas II has coached in the NBA on and off for the last 30 years, most recently with the Rockets from 2020-23, and also runs a player development program in Houston. Dirk works as a counselor for the NBA’s drug and alcohol program, Darin said.

Four decades later, the friendship between the Minniefield, Brewer and Lucas families continues – a connection rekindled in the unexpected destination of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

***

John Lucas III was on the wrong side of a memorable dunk by LeBron James:

Dirk Minniefield’s iconic dunk for Kentucky in 1983:

YouTube video

Ron Brewer saucing it up for Arkansas in grainy 1970s glory:

YouTube video

***

More on Arkansas basketball from BoAS:

Facebook Comments