By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Over the next several weeks, we'll be taking a dive into getting to know the members of the 2023-24 Tennessee Tech men's basketball team.
Head coach John Pelphrey's roster will feature 17 student-athletes for the second straight year, with 10 newcomers and seven faces already familiar to Golden Eagle fans. Back for the Tech squad in 2023-24 are Diante Wood, Grant Slatten, Grant Strong, Erik Oliver, Jayvis Harvey, Bogdan Zimonjic, and Jerome Beya.
New to the crew for 2023-24 campaign are sophomore guard Brandon Brown (Bristol, Tenn. / Lees-McRae), sophomore guard Nick Choate (Livingston, Tenn. / Livingston Academy), sophomore center David Craig (Johannesburg, South Africa / Mercer), sophomore guard Josiah Davis (Kitchener, Ontario / West Virginia), junior guard David Early (Logan, W.Va. / Marshall), sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe (Memphis, Tenn. / Little Rock), junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. (Bryan, Texas / Weatherford College), freshman guard Kyle Layton (Birmingham, Ala. / Mountain Brook HS), freshman forward Rylee Samons (Pikeville, Ky. / Pikeville HS), and junior guard DeSean Woods (Lexington, Ky. / Southern U.).
Today we'll take a close look at newcomer Brandon Brown, a sophomore transfer from Lees-McRae College.
#3 Brandon Brown | Guard | 6-3 | 185 | So. | Bristol, Tenn./Lees-McRae
A Tennessee native, Brown makes his way west to Cookeville after spending his rookie campaign as a productive member of the squad at Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, N.C. The incoming sophomore ranked as the Bobcats' fourth-leading scorer in 2022-23, playing 28 of the team's 29 games while making nine starts and playing 18.7 minutes per game.
The guard averaged 8.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, 28.2 percent from distance, and 73.3 percent from the charity stripe. Brown scored in double figures 11 times on the year, including his season debut against Carson-Newman, where he posted 11 in 24 minutes on Nov. 11.
The youngster dropped a season-high 20 points at Francis Marion on Jan. 28, hitting 6-of-13 attempts from the floor and all six of his free-throw attempts. He hauled in a season-best five rebounds against Emmanuel University on Jan. 18 and dished out a season-high five assists at King University on Feb. 13. He also racked up four steals on Jan. 21 against Chowan University.
Prior to his arrival at Lees-McRae, Brown competed with fellow Tech newcomer Josiah Davis at Teays Valley Christian School in Scott Depot, W.Va. He helped lead TVCS to a 19-9 record and USBA State title as a junior.
Fans are encouraged to check back in the coming weeks as we continue our dive into the 2023-24 roster and take a look at the newest members of the Golden Eagles.
Photo courtesy of Lees-McRae Sports Information
