Here’s how Haverford’s Jameel Brown became ‘a weapon’ for Penn State in its season opener

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — On his first basket of the night, Jameel Brown cut outside to the three-point line. Penn State point guard Kanye Clary found a lane and kicked it out to the sophomore guard. Brown got the ball, put up a shot and drained it.

It kick-started a career-high 20-point performance in the Nittany Lions’ 79-45 season-opening victory over Delaware State on Monday. The three was the first of six that Brown knocked down from beyond the arc, resembling the star he became over his three years at Haverford High School and then again during a state-championship season at Westtown School.

When asked the last time he felt as dominant shooting the ball, Brown said, “Definitely [not] since high school.”

When Brown announced his return to Penn State after the departure of former coach Micah Shrewsberry, now at Notre Dame, it was unclear how much playing time he’d receive in the system of newly hired coach Mike Rhoades.

Rhoades told Brown the only way he’d see the floor is by making defense his “No. 1 approach.” After months of preparation, Brown finally got his defensive prowess up to par and had a block and a steal on Monday night.

“Put all your attention on defense,” Rhoades told Brown. “You don’t have to make a shot to get in the game, you have to play. When I got here I told him that ‘I already know you can play on the offensive end, but you have to be able to guard the ball, you have to get through screens, you have to get through ball screens. And if you do that, you’ll help us because you’re a weapon.’”

Penn State is beginning to rebuild its ties to the Philadelphia area, thanks in part to the hiring of assistant coach Jimmy Martelli, the son of legendary former St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli. One of Jimmy Martelli’s first recruiting wins with the Nittany Lions came in the transfer portal, nabbing former Temple forward and Camden Catholic grad Zach Hicks.

Hicks, who led the Owls with 80 three-pointers last season, made his mark from beyond the arc in his Nittany Lions debut, scoring 12 points on four threes.

“He’s a guy who wants to win,” Jimmy Martelli said of Hicks. “A guy who went through some things at Temple, and he came here to win. So in our practices and things of that nature, he’s really played well.”

Hicks’ ability to shoot the ball is clear, but he said he’d also like to develop other facets of his game this season. In a Rhoades system that expects high basketball IQ and physicality, Hicks could soon be asked to do more than camp out beyond the arc.

“Coach and I are working out every day after practice, just being able to hit the ball on the floor,” Hicks said. “A little bit more playmaking, [trying to knock down] midrange shots, stuff like that. And obviously, [we] talk about defense all the time since he got up here.”

Rhoades wasn’t the only first-year coach at a Pennsylvania school to notch a win in his debut. Temple coach Adam Fisher, a Penn State grad and former Nittany Lions assistant, led the Owls to an 85-65 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Monday.

» READ MORE: Temple tops Maryland-Eastern Shore to win in Adam Fisher’s debut

Fisher was a key member of a Penn State coaching staff that in March led the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade. Brown, Clary, and Lower Merion grad Demetrius Lilley are the only three who remain from last year’s squad. Clary broke down what Temple could be getting long-term in Fisher.

“As a person, his energy is very infectious,” Clary said. “He walks [into] a room, he could light it up. He’s a very funny, very easygoing guy. But when it’s time to be on the court basketball-wise, he can be tough on you, but it’s all out of love and just making you a better player.”

With Shrewsberry, an Indiana native, at the helm over the previous two seasons, Fisher was essential in maintaining a Philadelphia connection. Fisher, a Bucks County native, played a major role in the recruitment of the three remaining Nittany Lions from 2022-23.

“He’s a Philly guy and he taught me a lot about college basketball,” Lilley said. “He’s a great coach and an all-around great guy. He’s really good, so I can’t wait to see how he does this year.”