Column: In recruit Jameel Brown, do Nittany Lions have icing or foundation?
Penn State's first four-star addition to the program since the Class of 2016, and only third ever, Rivals150 guard Jameel Brown has his sights set on success for the Nittany Lions.
Jameel Brown left no room for misinterpretation.
The Nittany Lions’ newest member of the Class of 2022, a Rivals150, four-star guard ranked No. 112 nationally, Brown was asked what message he’d like to relay to Penn State men’s basketball fans upon his verbal commitment to the program. Without hesitation, Brown offered the purpose that drove the decision, his belief in head coach Micah Shrewsberry, and the direction he sees for the Nittany Lions moving forward.
“I'm coming to win,” Brown said. “That's really what I want to do at Penn State is win.”
Surely, Brown understands the challenges tied into accomplishing that intention.
A well-documented struggle through the history of the program, Penn State men’s basketball is attempting to reverse its fortunes with the hiring of Shrewsberry as its new coach this past spring. An accomplished assistant with stops at Butler, Purdue, and the NBA’s Boston Celtics, reaching the highest echelon of basketball in every place he’s been, Shrewsberry has been tasked with shepherding the Nittany Lions into a future of sustained success.
And in the 6-4, 190-pound Brown, Penn State basketball has its most notable and accomplished recruiting piece to that puzzle since the commitments of four-star prospects Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens joined the Nittany Lions in the Class of 2016.
A guard who can excel either on or off the ball, Brown is a notably accomplished shooter with range he described as proficient from “anywhere, honestly.” Boasting the ability to pass and defend, his game gives the Nittany Lions a well-rounded centerpiece on which to build in 2022 and beyond.
“I feel like I will come in and make an impact right away, coming in, being a leader,” Brown said of his mature approach to the game. “I feel like that's just wanting to be in the gym every day, getting better, even other things to get better like stretching and stuff like that. Just constantly developing every day would help me and the team out a lot.”
The question for the Nittany Lions, Shrewsberry, and Brown himself is what significance his commitment will have for the program beyond his presence.
A sterling centerpiece prospect in his own right, the reality of Brown’s impact with the Nittany Lions could potentially be emboldened by the confidence it inspires to other key targets in the program’s recruiting efforts moving forward.
RELATED: PSU class moves into top-25 in Rivals rankings after Brown commits
Class Breakdown: Penn State adds third name to '22 class in Jameel Brown
Set to join a Penn State roster that could see as many as seven scholarship participants move on after their senior seasons in 2021-22 (with the options for some to return given the NCAA’s ruling of bonus eligibility for all participants of the 2020-21 season), that Brown is the third verbal commitment of the Class of 2022 is but a small component of how the Nittany Lions will look in the future. Whether those future additions to the program come through the NCAA transfer portal or at the prep level, though, likely needing to rely on both to create a balanced distribution of scholarships by eligibility, two of Brown’s Team Final teammates are undeniably part of the program’s plans to create those conditions for success.
At the pinnacle of that wish list, 6-foot-11, 200-pound stretch-center Dereck Lively represents a shooting star pursuit for the program. A Rivals five-star ranked No. 14 overall in the country, and even higher by some other recruiting services, Lively’s addition would shatter all of the program’s historical benchmarks in the recruiting arena.
Even beyond the dogged pursuit of Lively though, who has included Penn State in his finalists, the Nittany Lions are also fighting to land fellow Rivals150 member, shooting guard Otega Oweh. Ranked No. 128 nationally with a three-star rating, the 6-3, 170-pounder could be a critically important boost to the success the program is trying to establish.
And Brown, now firmly committed to the Nittany Lions, very much intends to be one of the considerations those friends and teammates keep in mind when making their college choice.
“Obviously, we want Dereck Lively to come. Otega Oweh,” Brown said. “Both those two guys. I'm going to Westtown with Dereck, so I'm going to be on him a lot. I'll definitely be trying to get him to come as well.”
Understanding the draw of Penn State to each player, Lively originally from nearby Bellefonte, Pa., whose mother is a Penn State graduate and employee in the athletics department and Oweh, brother to former Nittany Lion standout defensive end Otega, the Brown’s efforts and influence could extend well-beyond his mere presence.
And for that, the celebration of Brown’s commitment will be a brief occasion as the program redoubles its efforts to maximize its impact.
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