Brownsville native Rhamel Brown has a chance to become a household name.
The former East New York Transit Tech star entered Manhattan College as a premier defender with a raw offensive game. He’s set to leave as a complete package — a two-time conference defensive player of the year and arguably the best player on a Jaspers team that’s the preseason favorite to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and reach the NCAA tournament.
“I think he is at a different level than he’s been at during his career,” Manhattan coach Steve Masiello said.
The coach can’t put his finger on exactly why the 6-foot-7 Brown isn’t better known in college basketball. He understands Manhattan winning more will help, but feels Brown’s shot blocking and rebounding put him on par with the rest of nation’s front-line players.
“There is no reason why he isn’t one of the better bigs in the country,” Masiello said.
The soft-spoken player proved that last year when the team’s leading scorer, George Beamon, was out for the season with an ankle injury and Brown reluctantly became a bigger part of the offense. He watched his double doubles pile up, and the idea of him making a run at the NBA began to seem plausible. He will have to adapt again in this coming season, with Beamon and his 19-points-per-game average back in the lineup, but Brown is just fine with that.
“It’s all about adjusting,” he said at an open practice last week. “That ability to score is always going to be there, but I’m not going to be called upon as much to score.”
Brown averaged 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds to help lead Manhattan to the conference title game last year. He was named to the All-Second team, and the first-team snub lit a fire in him.
“It just serves as motivation to just keep going and prove people wrong,” he said.
Brown has always been more comfortable in the background, always more focused on defense than offense. But it’s getting harder not to notice him as he enters his final college season in the best shape of his career, his frame more chiseled and his shoulders broader than ever.
His ever-present drive to improve will be the key to him building off his finest season in a Jaspers uniform. Brown got people’s attention with his play last season. Now he can earn their complete respect.
“I just don’t think people realize how good he is,” Masiello said.
It is now Brown’s job to make people understand.
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.
