Tag: James Brown

Two UNC freshmen will NOT be available against American

UNC will be short two of its star freshmen tonight in basketball action against American.

When the North Carolina Tar Heels take on the American University Eagles tonight in men’s college basketball action, they’ll be doing so without two of their star freshmen.

Per InsideCarolina, guard Ian Jackson and center James Brown will be unavailable due to lower-leg injuries. They are considered day-to-day.

Jackson, a projected starter this offseason, has instead averaged 7.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.5 blocks off the bench. Brown, UNC’s voice of reason who was a key behind its second-half comeback against Kansas, grabbed two points and two rebounds against Kansas on Friday, Nov. 8.

What do Jackson and Brown’s injuries mean for North Carolina, besides the fact it’ll be down two of its best young players?

Brown’s injury likely won’t impact the Tar Heels as much, as they’re deep in the post with Jalen Washington, Jae’Lyn Withers, Ty Claude and Ven-Allen Lubin.

It’s Jackson’s injury, though, where things get a bit tricky for UNC. He is North Carolina’s third-best perimeter shooter, registering a 50 percent clip through two games. The Tar Heels will almost certainly miss Jackson’s speed and him acting as a sixth man off the bench. If UNC’s guard trio of RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble get in foul trouble, the roster is pretty thin behind him – unless UNC elects to dip into its walk-ons.

Luckily for North Carolina, Jackson and Brown’s injuries come in just the third game of 2024. Hopefully their injuries aren’t too serious, but if Jackson and Brown are out for an extended period of time, Hubert will have to re-shuffle his minutes a bit.

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RJ Davis praises freshman teammate for maturity and skill at ACC Tipoff

RJ Davis spent part of his day at ACC Tipoff praising one of his freshman teammates. Who exactly was RJ talking about?

Even if he doesn’t want to admit it, RJ Davis is the grandpa on this year’s UNC men’s basketball roster.

Davis, now entering his fifth year on Chapel Hill, is coming off his best season in which he was named ACC Player of the Year. Davis averaged a career-high 21.2 points per game, became one of the nation’s top perimeter shoots and, most important, showed he was the Tar Heels’ go-to guy when they needed a clutch bucket.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, Davis spent his day at the ACC Tipoff event in Charlotte, N.C. alongside teammate Seth Trimble and head coach Hubert Davis. Instead of choosing to focus on his veteran leadership within what will be a much younger North Carolina squad, Davis spent some time praising one of his freshman teammates: 4-star center James Brown.

With Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram leaving for the NBA, Brown will be counted on to provide some big minutes down low.

“James Brown has been tremendous, just in practice he’s been asking questions, he’s been learning on the fly,” Davis said in UNC’s press conference at ACC Tipoff. “One thing that I love about him is his eagerness and his competitive edge. He’s always willing to learn, but he’s always willing to compete. Even if he makes mistakes, he’s going to do it by going hard. James has been great, he’s great defensively, he’s able to guard guards on the perimeter and bigs down low. He’s going to improve and progress throughout his years of playing here, but it’s kind of just taking him under my wing a little bit: telling him how to set the screens and whenever I snake, kind of just being there on the roll.”

Brown comes to UNC from Link Academy in Branson, Mo. Brown averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, but most appealing to Tar Heel fans, perhaps, is his team-best 29 blocks and impressive .571 field goal percentage.

If Brown is this hyped by the Tar Heels’ best player, expect to see him plenty on the court this coming season.

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Two UNC freshmen get leadership opportunity at Lillard’s camp

Two UNC freshmen will get the opportunity to compete again and lead some of the nation’s top high school players this week.

Beginning today, James Brown and Ian Jackson will get an opportunity to be college counselors in Damian Lillard’s Formula Zero Elite Camp. The two UNC freshmen will look to use this opportunity and bring heightened skills back to Chapel Hill both on the court and in their leadership capabilities.

According to Lillard’s website, the camp’s purpose is to take the top 20 high school players in the nation and pair them with the top 20 college counselors in the country.

They will compete with and against each other for the next three days in Phoenix, Arizona.

Lillard also said, “The Formula is not fake or superficial, It is a catalyst for real change.” That is what Tar Heel fans should want to hear about two potential big-impact freshmen.

The opportunity to mentor and lead the next generation of young basketball stars should translate back to their leadership with their peers on the court this season.

Some other notable names joining them as counselors will be Kansas’ AJ Storr, Florida State‘s Jamir Watkins, and Kentucky’s Koby Brea.

There will be several influential high school stars there including Jasper Johnson, a player that UNC has been linked to and highly recruiting in the past couple of weeks among others.

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What Jonas Aidoo’s Arkansas commitment means for UNC

What will the Tar Heels do at center next season?

In just his three years as UNC’s head men’s basketball coach, Hubert Davis has shown Tar Heel Nation a strong ability to recruit.

Davis landed Elliot Cadeau, Pete Nance and Brady Manek in recent years, and he brings in five-star All-Americans Drake Powell and Ian Jackson this coming season.

One of North Carolina’s greatest needs in the coming season is an experienced center, something it doesn’t have on the roster right now.

Jalen Washington is the projected starting center. Though he has enjoyed some big moments in that role, he averaged just 7.4 minutes per game over his first two years in Chapel Hill. Zayden High will also see minutes at the 5 this season, while the Tar Heels also bring in four-star center James Brown.

UNC is looking to the transfer portal for an experienced big man. After striking out on Danny Wolf, Oumar Ballo, appeared to be among the favorites to land Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo.

However, Aidoo announced his commitment to Arkansas on Monday. If Aidoo had joined the Tar Heels, he would have been playing just 30 minutes down the road from his hometown.

With North Carolina missing three of the portal’s top available centers, what do they do now at the 5?

I like the idea of rolling with Washington, High and Brown. Though none have much collegiate experience, this trio gives Hubert Davis a great idea of which unit his centers fit best with.

The Tar Heels aren’t entirely out of the running for a transfer portal center yet, though. Rutgers big man Cliff Omoruyi is visiting Chapel Hill on Thursday.

If Hubert can get Omoruyi to commit, missing on Aidoo will not be such a big loss after all.

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UNC target Danny Wolf commits to Michigan

The UNC basketball team is no longer in the running for former Yale big man Danny Wolf.

The transfer portal is alive and well in college basketball.

We’ve seen plenty of big-name transfers commit already, with the latest being former Wisconsin guard AJ Storr to Kansas. There’s been several teams who’ve brought players in for visits, only for those players to choose other destinations.

One highly-touted player the North Carolina Tar Heels looked at was Danny Wolf, the 7-foot big man from Yale, who averaged 14.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game last year. UNC is in need of an experienced center for the coming season, as it only returns Jalen Washington and brings in 4-star James Brown.

Unfortunately, Wolf is now off the market, as he committed to Michigan on Saturday.

Michigan was arguably the worst Power 5 basketball school last year, compiling an 8-24 (3-17) record, which led to the recent firing of head coach Juwan Howard. After a shocking win against ranked Wisconsin on Feb. 7, the Wolverines lost nine straight to end the year.

Getting Wolf is a massive win for new head coach Dusty May, who is trying to restore Michigan to Big 10 prominence.

Missing out of Wolf isn’t the end of the world for North Carolina, which is still in the mix for Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo and Rutgers big man Cliff Omuruyi. I’d be fine with either guy, but nabbing Aidoo would allow him to play in his home state, as Aidoo grew up in Durham.

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James Brown brilliantly defused calling himself ‘big chocolate head’ on a hot mic

James Brown’s smooth level? 1,000.

Getting caught saying something a little out of pocket can happen to the best of us. Especially to those who are professional speakers.

Yes, it can even happen to CBS’s James Brown, a broadcasting veteran with over five decades of experience. After the NFL on CBS delivered its halftime report introduction on Sunday, the studio host seemingly didn’t realize he was back live on camera in front of the entire country. Because if he did, he probably wouldn’t have accidentally referred to himself as “big chocolate head” with everyone watching.

To Brown’s credit, he realized his mistake immediately and smoothly played off the hilarious hot mic snafu like a true pro:

How fantastic. Rather than pretend he never said it, Brown showed off a great sense of humor, weaving in his apparent nickname in his welcome to CBS’s spectating audience. That’s a guy who’s been around the broadcasting block and knows that these missteps aren’t necessarily rare.

UNC hoops commit James Brown a rare selection to Formula Zero camp

UNC basketball 2024 recruit James Brown was one of just 20 players selected to NBA superstar Damian Lilliard’s Formula Zero Elite Camp.

James Brown is one of three commits in the UNC basketball program’s 2024 class.

He’s a 6-9, 210-pound center from Chicago, Illinois. Brown played his first three years of high school ball at St. Rita High School, where he averaged 10.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He’ll suit up for Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, the same school incoming Tar Heel freshman Elliot Cadeau played at (and won a championship) last winter.

Not even in his senior season yet, Brown is making big headlines in the offseason circuit.

On Wednesday, Formula Zero announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Brown accepted an invite to NBA superstar Damian Lilliard’s Formula Zero Elite Camp.

Fans will see recruits across the country playing in numerous offseason tournaments and participating in several camps. This camp is unique, though, as Brown was one of just 20 high school players selected from across the United States.

UNC anxiously awaits the arrival of Brown, as he’ll likely be joining Jalen Washington at the five-spot in two years. The Brown-Washington duo will need to produce if Carolina has any future paint success because Armando Bacot is entering his final year in Chapel Hill.

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UNC recruit James Brown showcases skill at both ends of court in Top 100 camp

UNC basketball 2024 commit James Brown showcases his all-around talent at this year’s NBPA Top 100 camp.

Losing Armando Bacot next year is going to be a tough blow for the UNC men’s basketball program, but the blow isn’t going to be as impactful as one might think.

If Jalen Washington sees sufficient court time during the upcoming campaign, he’ll be tempted to stick around for his junior year and beyond. Washington will likely be the starting center next season.

Carolina has another exciting recruit joining the program next season, 4-star center James Brown, the 6-9, 210-pound big man from Chicago Illinois. Brown. He’s playing his high school ball at Branson, Mo.-based Link Academy, just like current Tar Heel Elliot Cadeau.

Want to see what Brown’s doing to prepare for his final high school campaign? Watch these highlights from this year’s NBPA Top 100 Camp:

Brown can do a little bit of everything. He’ll spot up outside and knock down the 3-point shot, something UNC is in desperate need of. He shows a solid ability to finish through contact. He can block shots and pull down rebounds like Bacot.

According to MaxPreps, Brown carried career averages of 10.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in his first three high school years at St. Rita (Chicago, Ill.) High School.

Only a rising senior, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Brown grow a few more inches and developing into an even more imposing player.

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UNC commit helps AAU team get win in Peach Jam opener

UNC basketball commit James Brown had a big game in his team’s Peach Jam opener on Monday.

The Nike EYBL Peach Jam is officially off and running in South Carolina, showcasing some of the top talent in high school basketball.

For the North Carolina Tar Heels, they are being represented with two committed recruits participating in Drake Powell and James Brown. Both players are members of UNC’s 2024 class which ranks No. 1 here so far in the cycle.

While Powell earned some praise from an analyst on Monday in Team CP3’s big win, Brown also played a big role in getting his team a win. In Mokan Elite’s 64-50 win over Team Melo, four-star commit James Brown finished with 18 points to lead his team in scoring.

He also added 7 rebounds and 1 block in the big win.

Mokan Elite is attempting to defend their 2022 title when they beat Team Takeover.

For Brown, having a big showing at the Peach Jam will help elevate his stock for the future. He was once a top 25 recruit but has slipped a little in recent updates to the rankings as a four-star prospect.

This summer could be a big one for the talented recruit who has opted to play for Link Academy.

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Where UNC basketball recruits rank in updated On3 rankings

Here are were the 2024 UNC basketball commits rank in the updated On3 Top 150 rankings that are now updated.

As we hit the summer months, the recruiting evaluation periods will continue on in college basketball. The AAU cycle still has some premier events left this summer as recruits will have the chance to showcase their skills.

But it’s also the time for a recruiting ranking update.

On3 has put out their updated rankings for the 2024 class, putting together the Top 150. That list included all three UNC commits in the 2024 class with Ian Jackson, Drake Powell, and James Brown being ranked. With Elliot Cadeau heading to 2023, the Tar Heels now have a three-man class. But even so, the class is a strong one for Hubert Davis.

Since expanding the rankings from 50 to 150, On3’s recruiting experts have analyzed and scouted players following their junior seasons including events like USA Basketball, Nike EYBL, Adidas 3SSB, and Under Armour Next cycle.

With that, they have put together the Top 150 list which includes some newcomers and familiar faces.

Here is where UNC players rank in the updated On3 Top 150 for the 2024 class.