The junior to be from South Florida has entered into the transfer portal. After two successful seasons as the starting lead guard for the Bulls, Brown is testing the open market to gauge his market value. Presumably, Providence is on the short list of schools to consider, as Brown stuck around when Hodgson was hired and had a successful season under him. In his sole year under Hodgson, he started all 34 games, averaging 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.
CJ Brown was a highly touted recruit for USF. 247 had him as a 4 star, #11 point guard in the class, and 114 overall in his class. The Peach State native chose the Bulls over offers from in-state Georgia, Georgia Tech, and SEC member Mississippi State.
We recap his career to date, detail his playstyle, and what he’d bring to the Friar program.
CJ Brown Career to Date
Brown was the team leader in assists, accumulating 160 assists on the year. The next closest was Pinion who had 81 assists. Clearly, Brown ran the show.
For comparison, the assist leader for Providence this past year was Stefan Vaaks who totaled 61 less assists at 99 total assists. Bensley Joseph and Jayden Pierre had 101 assists the year prior. Devin Carter in his BE POY campaign where he was all-world? 120 assists. Getting the picture here?
The last guy to eclipse Brown’s 160 assists? Kyron Cartwright in 2017-2018 with 196 assists (my personal favorite Friar of all time, FYI). Cartwright led the Big East in assists in his junior and senior year. Heady company.
What I like most about his stats from his first two years in college are his assist to turnover ratio. In his first year, he had a 2.5 assist to turnover ratio (2.5 assists to 1 turnover), while in his sophomore year he had a 2.35 ATO (4.7 assists to 2 turnovers). In 7 games last year, he had 8 assists or more. In 11 games last year, he had 6 assists or more. We’ve been longing for a pure point for the entirety of the English era, and CJ Brown checks that box while also raising the athleticism on the team. More to come on that.
His shooting numbers are subpar, but I can live with that if he is the facilitator of the offense. You just need to ensure you surround him with shooters and scoring options at the 2-5. He’s a career 40.1% shooter and 24.7% three point shooter. You’d think his free throw numbers would follow suit and be subpar, but he’s a steady shooter from the charity stripe at 73.7% in his collegiate career. That gives me hope that he can straighten out his shooting numbers.
Friar fans see the potential pairing of CJ Brown and Wes Enis at the 1-2 and are apprehensive about the lack of size at the Big East. I completely understand that apprehension, and Friar fans have been scarred of recent with diminutive guards not being able to hold up defensively. What I will say, however, is that CJ Brown is a freaky athlete who will overcome any perceived size issues with his athleticism. Brown has a 42 inch vertical and was known at South Florida for his eye-popping plays.
Athleticism translates at all levels, and I think it would help him acclimate easier to the Big East. Said athleticism can be attributed to his high rebounding numbers for a 6’2 guard.
Brown will make his living attacking the hoop and using his athleticism, physicality, and ball-handling to get to where he wants in the paint. As I mentioned, he can play above the rim, but he also finishes through contact. Adding him as an upperclassman in the rugged Big East will pay off, and I do think his game will translate.
Defensively, Brown can guard and use his athleticism to jump passing lanes, get deflections, and stick with his man 1 on 1. Last year, Brown had 8 games with 2 steals or more, and he has averaged 1.0 steals or more in both years in college.
Fit With Providence
Brown would fit like a glove at Providence as the one holdover at this moment for the Friars is wing Ryan Mela. Hodgson needs somebody to run the show for him, and Hodgson clearly thinks highly of the lead guard. Coach Hodgson would love to have his “1” spot locked up presumably for the next two years with CJ making the migration up north to Providence.
If Brown and Enis follow Hodgson to Friartown, the starting backcourt is likely set, and Hodgson can begin to poach elite frontcourt talent with the surplus of NIL money remaining.