Photos courtesy of USU
College Basketball:
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
The hard work and perseverance of Darius Brown II has earned the former PHS point guard a spot in rarified air.
DBII became one of the area’s only basketball players to lead two different programs to consecutive appearances at the NCAA Tournament.
Brown, a 2018 Pasadena High School graduate, has played collegiately for Cal State Northridge, Montana State and Utah State.
Last season, Brown and his teammates finished 25-10, including a second-place effort in the Big Sky Conference.
The Bobcats fell to Kansas State, 77-65, in the first round of March Madness.
When Danny Sprinkle left his post in Bozeman, DBII followed his head coach to Logan, Utah, to play for the Aggies.
In 2023-24, Utah State earned a Mountain West Conference championship.
USU went 27-6 overall, and they had a 14-4 mark in conference play.
The Aggies finished one-game ahead of Nevada (26-7, 13-5), and they were ranked No. 18 in the most recent AP Poll.
When Sunday’s brackets were released, Utah State had earned a spot in the Midwest Region in Indianapolis.
The No. 8 seed will face No. 9 TCU on Friday night at 6:55 (Pacific Time).
The Horned Frogs (21-12) finished sixth in the Big-12 Conference, just one-game back of Kansas.
With a win, the Aggies would likely face No. 1 seeded Purdue.
While at PHS, Bryce Hamilton, Darius Mason and DBII played sizeable roles in Tony Brooks’ program making back-to-back appearances in the CIF-SS finals.
He went on to lead CSUN, Montana State and Utah State in assists.
But Brown’s senior year was arguably his best.
And to back up that claim, consider the following.
DBII led the Aggies in assists (214), assists per game (7), total steals (48), steals per game (2), free-throw pecentage (87), 3-pointers made (60) and 3-point percentage (40).
Brown’s program-best 1,188 minutes played shows just how durable and valuable he is to Sprinkle and the program.
His 214 assists are 119 more than Great Osobor, who was second with 95.
As always, Brown continues to represent his family, PHS and Utah State with honor and dignity.
Darius Brown II’s 2023-24 Stats at Utah State:
Total Points: 410 (third)
Points Per Game: 13 (third)
Field Goals Made: 143 (third)
Defensive Rebounds: 105 (second)
Total Rebounds: 145 (second)
Rebounds Per Game: 5 (second)
Assists: 214 (first)
Assists Per Game: 7 (first)
Total Steals: 48 (first)
Steals Per Game: 2 (first)
Free-Throws Made: 64 (third)
Free-Throw percentage: 87 (first)
3-Pointers: 60 (first)
3-Point percentage: 40 (first)
Minutes Played: 1,188 (first)
2023-24 Mountain West Conference Standings:
Utah State (27-6, 14-4)
Nevada (26-7, 13-5)
Boise State (22-10, 13-5)
UNLV (19-12, 12-6)
SDSU (24-10, 11-7)
New Mexico (26-9, 10-8)
Colorado State (24-10, 10-8)
Wyoming (15-17, 8-10)
Fresno State (12-21, 4-14)
Air Force (9-22, 2-16)
San Jose State (9-23, 2-16)
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