Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1410640
4 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M M onths ahead of his competitive debut on the Penn State bench, first-year head men's basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry delivered his biggest win to date. Rivals150 four-star guard Jameel Brown verbally committed to the Nit- tany Lions on Aug. 23, choosing Penn State over more than a dozen schools, including Ohio State, Auburn, Xavier, Virginia, Notre Dame and Minnesota. And with Brown's decision, the Nit- tany Lions secured their third-highest evaluated prospect of the internet re- cruiting era. The No. 148-ranked overall player in the class of 2022 according to Rivals. com (dropping from his spot at No. 112 at the time of his commitment), the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Brown will finish his high school career at West- town School in West Chester, Pa., this season. He became Penn State's most highly regarded commitment since No. 46-ranked Tony Carr and No. 96 Lamar Stevens in the 2016 class. "I felt like Penn State was the right fit for me and my future," Brown said. "When I visited there, I liked it a lot. I liked the feel, the great campus, and my family liked it a lot. So I just felt like it was the best place for me." Brown's commitment had been a top priority for Shrewsberry and his coaching staff since their arrival in the spring. He was originally pledged to Matt Painter's staff at Purdue, having established a strong connection with Shrewsberry while the future Nittany Lions coach still was an assistant with the Boilermakers. But he ultimately re- opened his recruitment to explore his options in the spring. The Nittany Lions first landed an of- ficial visit from Brown this past summer then built upon it to help establish Penn State's place among his leaders. Just two months later, he announced his com- mitment to the Lions. "I felt a real genuine vibe from all the coaching staff and all the guys," Brown said. "I feel like Coach Shrews and Coach [Adam] Fisher's vision for the program is definitely what attracted me to Penn State. "I could see myself going there. Just the feel for the campus, the whole genu- ine vibe I saw there was what attracted me to Penn State." Now committed to the Nittany Lions, Brown will have some time to continue his development before he finally en- rolls next summer. He said he's determined to become faster and stronger, building on the progress he made during the pandemic quarantine in 2020 when he added 20 pounds. That combination of size and speed, coupled with his talent, gives Brown the ability to play both on the ball and off the ball in Shrewsberry's position- less system of basketball. Rejecting the combo guard label, Brown said he can have an effective, impactful role regard- less of whether he has the ball in his Four-Star Guard Joins Nittany Lions' 2022 Class N AT E B A U E R | NBAUER@BLUEWHITEONLINE.COM COMMITMENT PROFILE JAMEEL BROWN Brown is the most highly ranked basketball prospect to commit to Penn State since Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens in the class of 2016. PHOTO COURTESY BROWN FAMILY