Beacon Falls’ Brown commits to Columbia
HAMDEN — Avery Brown had more established basketball schools recruiting him, but he went with a decision that could serve him not only for the next four years but for the next 40.
Brown, a Beacon Falls product, committed to Columbia on Saturday during a ceremony at ConCorp, Inc.
“I think it was a mature decision on his part, because he could have picked a big name,” Brown’s father, Antonio Jr., said. “But he was true to himself. It’s somewhere he’ll get opportunities, not only as a player but as a student, as well.”
Brown, a 6-foot-4 point guard who’s played the past three years at Northfield Mount Hermon Prep in Massachusetts, had been recruited heavily by Colorado, Nebraska and, more recently, Kansas State and St. Bonaventure. But coaching changes at some of those schools made things tricky, and ultimately, Columbia was the school that stayed with him until the end.
“We supported him,” said Antonio, who played high school ball at Kolbe Cathedral with Chris Smith. “We think it’s a great fit.”
Brown was born in Bridgeport, attended elementary school in New Haven and played at Hamden hall for two years, then Fairfield Prep as a freshman before heading up to Northfield
Mount Hermon, which is located north of Springfield, Massachusetts, near the borders of Vermont and New Hampshire. He’ll have some familiar faces with him at Columbia. New Haven product Tobe Carberry is an assistant coach with the Lions, with whom Brown has had a “great relationship.” Carberry was an assistant at Yale for three years before heading to Columbia in 2020.
Brown will also be joined in his freshman class by Blair Thompson, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard who has been Brown’s teammate at Northfield Mount Hermon.
Columbia head coach Jim Engles has been in close contact with Brown since the beginning of his recruitment.