Jameel Brown withdraws from transfer portal and announces his return to Penn State
Penn State men’s basketball gets a big win as freshman guard Jameel Brown announces he will be withdrawing from the transfer portal and returning to the Nittany Lions.
On March 29th, Brown became one of five players who entered the transfer portal after the departure of former head coach Micah Shrewsberry.
He now becomes the first player from Penn State’s team to withdraw from the portal and return to Happy Valley to play for new head coach Mike Rhoades.
Brown was a member of one of the top recruiting classes in Penn State history and came to the university as a four-star prospect and the No. 6 ranked recruit in program history.
Under Shrewsberry, Brown and his class became a part of back-to-back Top 30 recruiting classes heading into this offseason.
When Shrewsberry decided to pack his bags and head home to Notre Dame, the three signees in the Class of 2023 as well as five players from this year looked to take their talents elsewhere.
Brown joined fellow freshmen Kebba Njie and Evan Mahaffey in the transfer portal and seemed to be on his way out.
Then, a post on the social media accounts for the team seemed to show a blurred figure of Brown in the background of a practice session with Rhoades.
This created speculation that the highly-touted freshman may return to the blue and white this season.
Now, the Philadelphia native reveals his intentions to play under Mike Rhoades and looks to carve out a much bigger role this season.
Brown’s role was minimal this past season due to the number of experienced guards on Penn State’s roster. He appeared in just 14 games throughout the year and averaged 4.6 minutes per game.
Brown is an excellent three-point shooter and his length at six-foot-four gives him the ability to be a versatile three-and-D player for Rhoades.
In his senior year of high school, Brown was a finalist for the Pennsylvania Mr. Basketball and averaged 15 points, six rebounds and four assists per game. He also knocked down 65 triples and showed his great shooting stroke.
With Brown’s return, Penn State now has six players on their roster and five scholarship players. They retained junior Andy Christos and freshman Demetrius Lilley and Kanye Clary while earning commitments from VCU transfers Ace Baldwin Jr. and Nick Kern.
Adding a player like Jameel Brown to the roster now gives Rhoades solid backcourt depth with Baldwin Jr. and Clary playing point guard and Kern and Brown running shooting guard.
His playstyle is also crucial in keeping Penn State as a three-point shooting threat. The Nittany Lions were one of the top teams in the country in shooting from downtown, with a 38.5% clip.
Brown can be lethal from beyond the arc and Penn State fans should be excited for his return to Happy Valley and to see his development in year two.
The job is not close to being done for Rhoades and his staff, but the retention of Brown is one positive step in the right direction.
Thomas English is a second-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email tfe5082@psu.edu.
