Samir Brown is up next! The guard from Leland, NC, has gained recognition throughout the basketball community. The guard played a year of Juco at Itasca Community College in Minnesota. He now has proven himself to become a Division 1 player, a dream fulfilled. It makes his rise to Division 1 mean more due to the hurdles of Covid-19. Covid caused a lot of game cancellations, limiting Brown to show his talent.
His basketball journey has been anything but smooth sailing. The road to Division 1 was tough. First Brown played at North Brunswick High where he was cut freshman year. He made his way back on the team for his sophomore and junior year. He then played at Rolesville High where he was cut his senior year. Cut from the teams; his perseverance proved too strong. No rankings and no starts but all determination. It was a familiar feeling that fueled his rise to the top level of college basketball. Brown is trained by Milton Chavis. Chavis played at Word of God Christian Academy with John wall and Cj Leslie
“When I first moved to Raleigh, I hit Milton up and he came to the gym. I’ve been working with him since. He’s been there for me when nobody else has. He always keeps it real and tells me the truth. When I got cut I wanted to quit but he told me to come to the gym. We’ve been at it since. So without him; I wouldn’t be here.”
Brown now has signed with Regent University. Regent is a Division I member of the 12-school South Division. The head coach is Dr. Samuel Botta. During his 13 years as a High School basketball coach, Botta led his teams to nine consecutive league championships and nine consecutive 20+ win seasons. He stands 5’11 and 160 pounds but Brown plays bigger than his size. Botta’s style will mesh well with Brown, who has scoring guard skills. His midrange is a strength, and his best contributions come in transition. His game is about aggression, hustle, and emotion. Get ready to see Brown on the national stage as Regent will play on ESPN this year.
“I love being the underdog. Defense is what turns me up. Anybody can score but, not everyone can guard.” Brown said. “ I just wanted to go somewhere with the right system. Where my coach lets me play my game and somewhere that feels like home.”
Brown chose Regent over University of Virginia Lynch, Mid Atlantic University, and Virginia Union. Regent University’s transformational approach to athletic competition equips student-athletes to be winners first and foremost in Christian character. Upcoming on the schedule are Liberty University, Hampton University, Towson, and Carolina University, to name a few.
In the coming years, Samir Brown intends to take his career to greater heights. Samir aims to play professionally after college. But has secondary aspirations to help serve his community. Basketball doesn’t last forever and Brown wants to enjoy life after the sport.
“I’m a student-athlete, student first. Most athletes tend to forget about their grades; my grades are important and personal to me. I make sure I put grades first and then my basketball because if you want to make it somewhere in life, you have to gain knowledge.”
He aspires to open his own physical therapy company and a clothing line. With his remarkable work ethic and incomparably resilient mindset, there is nothing that this ball of fire cannot do. As proven by getting cut and still making it to D1, Brown has heart. Regent University has a flat-out baller in Brown!
