STATESBORO – Georgia Southern basketball fans should be sending Mississippi State annual Christmas cards.
An ESPN four-star recruit by the name of Quindarious "Tookie" Brown was committed to be a Bulldog when the school made a coaching change following the 2014-15 season. Georgia Southern head coach
Mark Byington had seen the Georgia 3-A State Player of the Year numerous times and thought Mississippi State was getting a great player, so when Brown decided to reopen his recruitment, Byington got on the phone.
The college basketball gods smiled on Georgia Southern.
Brown signed with the Eagles, became the starting point guard five games into his freshman season, and the rest is history.
Well, almost history.
Now a senior, Brown is on the cusp of rewriting the Georgia Southern basketball record books. With 1,718 points, he is seventh among returning active career scoring leaders in the NCAA and 153 points shy of becoming Georgia Southern's all-time leader in the Division I era. One of 17 players to earn first-team All-Sun Belt honors in three seasons, he is seeking to become the first to accomplish the feat all four years.
Brown dipped his toe into the NBA Draft waters in the spring but decided to return to Georgia Southern - yet another wink and a nod from the college basketball gods. The 5-foot-11 guard put together one of the most efficient offensive performances in the country last year, shooting 53 percent from the field – one of two players in the country under 6' tall to rank in the top 100 in field goal percentage - 47 percent from long distance and 75 percent from the free-throw line while averaging 18.9 points a game. The feedback he received from NBA scouts was positive, but there is more work to be done.
"They are just telling me to be a leader and more of a leader on defense, like get up in guys and stuff like that," said Brown. "They want to see me put pressure on the ball for 94 feet, which I know I can do, I just have to work on that. The whole process was good for me, and I just want come back here with my brothers and try to win a bunch of games."
If there is a knock on Brown's defense, it is his aggressive nature that also has him ranked 10th in Georgia Southern's Division I era in steals with his senior season still to play. The tendency to reach in from time to time has gotten him into foul trouble.
"I have to use my feet more than my hands," said Brown. "Coach is always preaching that to me about sliding my feet and getting to the right spots in the rotation. It's just a little thing I have to learn, and there's a lot of film I can watch that will help."
The fan favorite with the generous smile, who is always willing to give high fives or sign autographs, also knows there is unfinished business at Georgia Southern.
"I think everybody in the program wants to see him in the NCAA Tournament because he deserves it," said Byington, "but nobody is hungrier to see that happen than he is. He is the person who drives everything around here right now."
Leadership, making his team better and coachability are also characteristics NBA scouts look for.
Check, check and check.
"He drives us in practice and in games with his enthusiasm and playmaking and unselfish ability, and he is the most coachable guy on the team," said Byington. "As good a player as he is, he wants to learn and wants to get better, and that is great for the other guys to see. They kind of fall in line after that."
The once-in-a-couple-decades type of player has already left his mark on Georgia Southern basketball, but the program is hungry for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1992.
As the quote goes in the movie Major League, "there's only one thing left to do…"
Georgia Southern reached 20 wins for the second time in four years in 2017-18, posting a 21-12 mark, and joined Louisiana and UTA as the only three Sun Belt schools to notch double-digit conference wins in each of the last four seasons. The Eagles return three starters and five lettermen to the 2018-19 team and open the campaign with a home exhibition contest against Charleston Southern in Hanner Fieldhouse Oct. 30.
Georgia Southern annually offers one of the best values in the Sun Belt for men's basketball season tickets and this year is no different. Season tickets in the lower reserved sections (F-J) are $175 and sell out quickly while season tickets in the upper reserved sections (7-12) are $140. General admission season tickets are $100 and courtside seats are $450 each (minimum $1,200 Eagle Fund donation required to purchase courtside seats).
Fans who purchase a men's season tickets will have a women's season ticket included for no additional charge.
