Featured Alumni:
Brandon Brown, former Phoenix College Men's Basketball player (2013-15) and current professional basketball player.
Ira Brown, former Phoenix College Men's Basketball player and current professional basketball player.
Brandon Brown's story is not only one that compels the hearts of many but it proves how perseverance and determination can lead to success.
"Since being released after serving 21/2 years in prison, the former Laveen Cesar Chavez guard has been committed to greatness on the basketball court and in the classroom.
The 5-foot-11 point guard led Phoenix College to the national junior college championship where he averaged 20 points and six assists and was named first-team All-American. He was the national tournament Most Valuable Player.
He has been named National Player of the Week, while averaging more than 20 points, leading the Bears to a 13-4 start in 2015. He had a 3.7 grade-point average.
Former Phoenix College coach Matt Gordon recruited Brown out of high school. Brown got some interest from Colorado State while he was averaging 22.7 points, 4.2 assists and 4.5 steals his senior season when he led Cesar Chavez to the big-school state championship game, a 71-66 loss to Phoenix North in 2010.
"I just stayed as focused as I could," Brown said.
Gordon knew about Brown's past. He knew Brown was headed to prison after graduating in May 2010.
"He's become a leader, which is a good thing," Gordon said.
Lee gave strong recommendations. One of Gordon's assistants had known Brown since he was 8 years old.
"Coach Lee said he never had a problem with him," Gordon said. "It was a no-brainer for us. We're here to give kids a second chance."
Brown, Cesar Chavez's all-time leading scorer, enrolled at Phoenix College in the spring of 2013. He spent that spring and summer working out with the team. The rust was off, and he was ready to roll.
But nobody expected Brown to take off like he did leading Phoenix College to 15 consecutive wins. He was named the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year.
"The light bulb came on," Gordon said. "He became a complete player. He learned to get others involved, trust other guys, learn how to guard at a higher level. He could always score the ball in high school. That was never a problem. But as a point guard, you've got to pick and choose your spots.
Brown said he relied on his natural gifts to get back into the basketball flow.
"But I put in the work," he said.
And when he gets away from things now, he stays clear of anybody who could steer him astray.
It's school, basketball, winning championships.
From feeling empty to hopeful to isolated to triumphant, Brown keeps preserving.
"That was the greatest experience I ever had," Brown said of the national title. "I know what responsibility is now."
Phoenix College alumus Ira Brown was a part of the debut Japanese 3x3 Olympic basketball team.
Originally from Corsicana, Texas, Brown started his athletic career pitching for five seasons in Minor League Baseball. He played with the Gulf Coast Royals, Spokane Indians, and three other minor league teams before launching a career in basketball that would (unbeknownst to him) take him clear to the Tokyo Olympics.
When Brown first moved to Arizona from his hometown of Corsicana, Texas in 2005, he played pickup basketball games at Phoenix College, and met a great group of players. Brown credits the decision to change sports from baseball to basketball to his time at PC, and the support he received from former Men's Basketball coach, Matt Gordon, and his PC teammates.
Brown has a leg up on his Olympic competitors by having lived and played basketball in Japan for nearly a decade. The first team he played for was the Toyama Grouses from 2011-2014. He was then signed by the Hitachi SunRockers in 2014, played three years for them and is now playing for the Osaka Evessa.
While Brown was building his professional basketball career in Japan, he fell in love with the culture and began learning Japanese in order to take written and oral exams to officially become a citizen. After a two-year process, Brown became a Japanese citizen.
This year's Olympics games serve as the debut for the 3x3 tournament as it was officially added to the Olympic Program in 2017.
https://www.phoenixcollege.edu/news/2021/phoenix-college-olympics
Lastly, current Phoenix College guard Jamar Brown has certainly held up the "Brown" tradition. The Chandler native currently averages 22.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg, shooting 43.8% from three while maintaining a 3.95 G.P.A. Jamar has scored in double figures 29 out of 30 games, including 11 double doubles. He is first in conference for PPG, third in conference in three-point pct and through his resilience at 6'5'' and knack for the ball he is currently third in conference for RPG.
Jamar is the 2023 NJCAA Region 1 Division 2 Player of the Year. Earning All-ACCAC First-Team and All-Region First-Team honors. The true representation of STUDENT-athlete.
Jamar has lead the Bears to the NJCAA Region 1, Division 2 Semifinals where they will face the No. 1 seeded Aztecs on Tuesday, March 7 at the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
