Brown Basketball Set to Open 2017-18 Season Against Johnson & Wales
Saturday, November 11, 2017
The Brown Bears men’s basketball team is set to open their 112th season on Saturday when they host Johnson & Wales at the Pizzitola Center.
After going 13-17 last season, the Bears return this season with three of their five starters from last season and six freshmen.
“I’ve been really pleased with the way the team is working so far. I am excited about what I think we can become, we definitely have a lot of work to do, but we got some guys that are eager to learn. There is a great hunger with this group and a really good competitive spirit that I think is going to help us out as we get started,” said Brown head coach Mike Martin.
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Who is Returning
The Bears return three key players for the 2017-18 season in junior Obi Okolie, sophomore Joshua Howard, and sophomore Brandon Anderson.
Okolie is Brown’s top returning scorer after averaging nine points and four rebounds per game last season.
He started 29 of 30 games for Brown last season.
Howard is returning for his sophomore season after starting 22 of 30 games for Brown last season. He ranked fourth in the Ivy League and first on the team in field goal percentage, shooting 51% from the field.
He averaged 8.7 points per game and reached double figures 11 times.
Anderson will lead the Bears backcourt after averaging 8.2 points per game for Brown as a freshman last season.
Anderson ranked 5th in the Ivy League with 1.3 steals per game, and poured in a career-high 21 points vs. Penn, hitting 5-of-10 field goals and 10-of-11 free throws.
He started 28 of 30 games on the year.
The Newcomers
The newcomers in Brown’s frontcourt include Barrington’s Matt DeWolf and Tamenang Choh.
DeWolf is a rugged forward, who averaged 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds as a senior at Northfield Mt. Hermon.
“He's really developed into a strong, physical, and highly competitive frontcourt player. He brings great size and strength, which will allow him to be strong interior defender and rebounder. He's also a good low post scorer and has the ability to play at the high post and handle the ball on the perimeter, great qualities for a frontcourt player in our system,” said Martin.
Choh was an All-ISL selection at the Brooks School and MVP of the NEPSAC Class B Championship.
“He will be able to rebound, defend, and finish high above the rim. He also possesses the ability to handle the ball on the perimeter and is a very good passer. He hasn't lost a game in well over a calendar year as his AAU team (Mass Rivals) went undefeated on the Adidas circuit last summer and his Brooks team went undefeated and won the New England Prep School Class B Championship this past winter,” said Martin.
Brown’s backcourt will be bolstered by 6’3” freshman Jake Shaper out of The Kinkaid School.
"Jake comes to us from Kincaid High School in Houston, TX and from another really good high school program. He's a highly competitive young man and very capable of scoring the ball from the perimeter or in the paint. He possesses a strong work ethic and plays the game with a relentless approach. He has good size on the wing and will add a physical presence to our unit."
Shaper will be joined in the backcourt by Desmond Cambridge out of The Hun School in New Jersey. While there, he averaged 17 points and five rebounds per game as a senior.
"Desmond has an impressive combination of athletic ability, basketball skills, and a competitive fire that we think will allow him to make a significant contribution to our program. He's a very good shooter, both from 3-point range and from the mid-range, and is an explosive finisher at the rim. He also has very good size and length, giving him the potential to be an outstanding defender and rebounder at the guard position. He's played for two terrific programs at Ensworth and the Hun School,” said Martin.
George Mawanda-Kalema out of Burke, Virginia and Episcopal high school. In high school, he averaged 20 points, five rebounds and two assists as a senior.
"George comes to Brown fresh off a fantastic career at Episcopal, a terrific basketball program in the IAC, which is a very good private school league in the Washington DC area. He has good length and quickness, can handle the ball, and should be a good perimeter defender. Above all else, George is a scorer. He's a lethal 3-point shooter with deep range, he can shoot it off the bounce, and just has a knack for scoring,” said Martin.
Looking Ahead
Following their game against Johnson & Wales, Brown hits the road for three straight games where they will play Quinnipiac, St. Francis Brooklyn and Stony Brook before returning home to play LIU Brooklyn.
Brown then visits in-state rivals Bryant and the University of Rhode Island before hosting Central Connecticut on December 2.
A visit to Providence and Northwestern with home games against UMass Lowell, Marist, and NJIT rounds out the non-conference schedule.
The Bears open Ivy League play against Yale on January 12.
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