Jamil Brown was honored at a special signing ceremony on Wednesday, April 14. The Upper Dublin senior has accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Jamil Brown – Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Basketball)
Major: Undecided
Describe the progression that led you to IUP: “My goal was to go Division One, but my grades were too low. I still wanted to go to school and play basketball.
“I got calls from coaches, and they told me I had to go to a prep school. I was going to go to prep school if I had never gotten a call from coach (Joe) Lombardi. If it wasn’t IUP, I wasn’t going to a Division II school.
“I read about them, and I had heard about them. They were in the top two in the country in Division II this season. I went on a visit last weekend. It was a nice campus. I had a chance to play basketball with them, and I stayed at one of the houses. It’s exciting.”
Have you always dreamed of playing collegiate basketball? “At first, no, but when I realized I was real good at it, I started thinking about it.
“My next goal is to get through college without getting in any trouble and playing in the NBA or overseas.”
What advice would you give to young players who aspire to play at the next level? “Academics are important because without the grades, you can’t really do anything. Now I wish I would have worked a little harder.”
Upper Dublin coach Josh Adelman said: “It was exciting. We went up to IUP this past Thursday and knew there was the possibility of this happening. To see Jamil interact with the college students and get a chance to play against some of the guys and to see the level of talent from a school that went to the National championship at Division II - I think it opened his eyes to the possibilities.
“At the end of the visit, they offered him the scholarship, and to hear him say, ‘This is where I’d like to go’ really meant a lot.
“IUP is losing two players and one is (former Plymouth Whitemarsh star) Thomas Young. Jamil is going to go in right where he left off. He’s going to have to get stronger, but they’ll get him in the weight room.
“Jamil was an excellent teammate, a really strong leader, and his play - to say he got even better than he was before is an understatement. He really was a force within the Suburban One League.
“He can shoot the three-pointer from NBA range. He can take you off the dribble. He can finish with both hands. He’s an excellent ball handler. He’s just a nightmare for opposing coaches. I’m going to miss that.
“He’s a quiet guy off the court, unless you know him, but on the court, he lets his game speak for itself. He doesn’t shy away from the best talent out there. That’s why I love to see him compete against the Wissahickons, the PWs and the Norristowns. He rises to the occasion.”
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