Backyard to Big Stage: Brown Brothers Continue to Compete
Florida men’s basketball brings a dynamic to the court the program hasn’t seen since 1989: brothers.
AJ Brown and Isaiah Brown started playing one-on-one in their driveway ever since they could remember. Now, they will compete for the same role for the defending national champions.
This season is not the first time the brothers will suit up in the same jersey. Both were high school standouts at Orlando Christian Prep, bringing home two state championships together.
AJ, two years older than Isaiah, chose the mid-major route at Ohio. He averaged 10.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in three years with the Bobcats before entering the transfer portal this offseason after his junior season.
“I was assessing all my options. I mean, it was always in the back of my mind if Florida was ever interested, that of course I’ll be interested in going there as well,” AJ said. “And then when they sent the offer, I was excited, and I looked into everything they had going on, and then everything on and off the court, and I was like this could be a great fit for me.”
Isaiah elected to go to Power 5 route, committing to Florida last year. He received limited minutes as a freshman, only appearing in 19 games with less than four minutes a game. Both brothers are hungry for minutes, and with no set backup small forward, there are some up for grabs.
“I mean, that dynamic is basically the best man wins; we both go out there and compete,” AJ said. “Friendly, of course. We’re not going out there trying to hurt each other. We’re going out there and just make shots and play best defense, and whoever the coaches trust in more, that’s who they’re going to go with.”
Different Styles
AJ described Isaiah as “the most athletic on the team.” Isaiah is a high-flyer who brings agility and energy to this roster. His ability to move his feet with fast-paced SEC backcourts is there, but questions about his scoring ability prohibited him from meaningful minutes last season.
Isaiah has recognized that areas where he needs to improve the most to truly impact this team.
“I’d say ball handling and shooting. I’ve been able to take care of the ball more often than it was the last year during practice,” Isaiah said. “Shooting, as well. It’s been a little shaky, but getting back on track in that shot now.”
AJ is more of the traditional 3-and-D archetype. He is a tremendous shooter off the catch, where he hit 41% of his 3s last season. With two dynamic guards in Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland driving to create space on the perimeter, AJ could be that perfect third, off-ball guard like former Gator and Golden State Warriors rookie Will Richard.
AJ’s goal at his new home is to be a better distributor, not just a catch-and-shoot player.
“I think it’s just playmaking, being the better playmaker, because at Ohio, I was knocking down shots, but assist was a little low. So now I’m looking to playmake a little more,” AJ said. “I’m just a two-way player — somebody that can defend, but also knock down the open shots, and then get my teammates involved.”
Brotherly Love
Even though Thomas Haugh will start at the three, he will transition to four when Gators coach Todd Golden wants to have a smaller lineup. In addition, the backcourt lost a lot of depth. It is unclear who will be the first guard off the bench when Lee and Fland need time to rest.
There will be opportunities for the Brown brothers to make a real impact on this team.
“With us being brothers, it’s like the most wholesome competition ever. So if I’m the one winning this competition, he’s happy for me,” Isaiah said. ”If he’s the one winning the competition, I’m happy. So there’s no bad blood either way the competition goes, so that’s kind of the best competition to have.
Although they are competing for time on the floor, the brothers still share the same end goal: going back-to-back.
“That’s kind of my route when he was going through his recruiting process in the transfer portal,” Isaiah said. “We had this good outcome in high school. Let’s see if we can make this work in college. And now is the time when we try that out throughout this season.”
Category: Basketball, College Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
