ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ added an immediate boost to its backcourt Monday when Seattle University grad transfer Terrell Brown committed to the Wildcats.
A first-team all-Western Athletic Conference pick last season, Brown just announced on Thursday that he was considering transferring from Seattle U and quickly heard from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and a number of other high-major schools including Washington, Oregon State, BYU, Texas Tech, Auburn and Wake Forest.
Brown said he considered San Diego State, Arkansas, BYU, Washington State and Washington but that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was the first team to contact him once he made the announcement. He said he was impressed with the communication from coach Sean Miller, who gave Brown a PowerPoint presentation over the phone during weekend along with associate head coach Jack Murphy.
“It was awesome,†Brown said. “He was honest from the beginning. Ever since then we've been in constant communication. He’s been, I would say, more genuine. He told me, `We're losing seven guys. Nothing’s guaranteed because I want to win games.’ I completely understand, it’s working hard and getting the job done or not.â€
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A 6-foot-1 and 175-pound combo guard, Brown is expected to play alongside returning junior Jemarl Baker and Georgetown transfer James Akinjo in UA’s backcourt rotation next season, while the Wildcats also have incoming wings in freshman Dalen Terry and Bennedict Mathurin.
The Wildcats are losing guards Nico Mannion and Josh Green to the NBA Draft, along with senior wing Dylan Smith, while they also are bracing to again be without redshirt sophomore Brandon Williams.
Last season, Brown averaged 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists while proving adept at penetrating and getting to the free throw line. He shot 41.4% overall and just 29.1% from 3-point territory but took an average of 5.9 free throws per game and hit them at a 78.4% rate.
While he played a starring role for the Redhawks last season, Brown said he was willing to play whatever role Miller directed him to.
“I would fit in whatever the team needs me to do,†Brown said. “I'm a team player first. As long as the team wins, I'm happy. I'm gonna do whatever Coach Miller needs me to do. If he needs five minutes, I’m coming in and playing the hardest five minutes ever. Obviously, the relationship we built was very honest form the beginning. He very honest from the beginning.â€
The move to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is the latest step in Brown’s quick rise from an unrecruited high school player who was overlooked on talented teams at Seattle’s Garfield High School and the Seattle Rotary club team.
After leaving Garfield, where Stanford guard Daejon Davis was among those playing with him, Brown played one season at Shoreline Community College in the North Seattle area, where he was named conference freshman of the year.
Even then, Brown had to walk on at Seattle U to make his next step. He was given a scholarship in the second semester of his first year there, 2018-19, while it became clear he was one of the team’s best players.
Not to be confused with the New Mexico State guard of the same name, Brown was a second-team all-WAC pick that season as a sophomore, averaging averaged 14.1 points on 45.1% shooting, 6.8 rebounds while playing 33.4 minutes per game.
In 2019-20, Brown led the WAC and ranked 20th in the nation in scoring, reaching double figures in all but one of the Redhawks’ 29 games.
Brown will join Akinjo, Mathurin and Terry in the Wildcats’ 2020 recruiting class, while the Wildcats are expected to add at least four other players this spring. UA now has nine players lined up for 2020-21, but only eight if Williams leaves to play professionally or for medical reasons related to his knee issues.
Because of Brown's commitment, the Wildcats are no longer expected to be pursuing UNLV grad transfer guard Amauri Hardy and instead focusing their remaining spring recruiting efforts on wings and bigger players. They are also considering sit-out transfers at any position, since they potentially would not be available to play until 2021-22, pending NCAA rules changes or waivers.
Here's how ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s tentative 2020-21 roster looks now. Four scholarship spots remain open:
James Akinjo* Jr. G 6-0 Richmond, Calif.
Jemarl Baker Jr. G 6-4Â Menifee, Calif.
Jordan Brown So. F 6-11 Roseville, Calif.
Terrell Brown Sr. G 6-1 Seattle
Christian Koloko So. C 7-0 Douala, Cameroon
Ira Lee Sr. F 6-7 Los Angeles
Bennedict Mathurin Fr. F 6-6 Montreal
Dalen Terry Fr. G 6-6 Tempe
Brandon Williams** So. G 6-3 Los Angeles
* Will not be eligible until December 2020, unless he receives a waiver to play earlier.
**Tentative