“Hubert Davis HAS to play this guy”: College hoops fans adamant for 6’10 sophomore’s success with UNC

UNC fans will get to see James Brown at Chapel Hill for another season. He will return for his sophomore year, after not entering the transfer portal before it closed at midnight on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-10 center did not feature much for the Tar Heels last season, playing in just 18 games and averaging 2.9 minutes. He recorded a total of 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Brown was not expected to leave the team per the end-of-season meeting between the players and UNC coach Hubert Davis.

He stuck to his words, and fans are calling on the coach to increase his minutes next season under Tar Heel Reports' page on Instagram.

“Hubert HAS TO play this guy!!! He has heart! He strictly loves the paint! Somebody tag him!!,” a fan commented.

“Love his game give him opportunity he will be good,” one fan wrote.

“Honestly think he could big a big part. You can tell when he gets PT, the dude wants to ball. Very high motor guy,” another fan wrote.

College hoops fans adamant for 6’10 sophomore’s success with UNC. Credit: IG/@tarheelreports

Most of the other reactions were positive.

“Makes me happy man makes me smile,” a fan commented.

“He needs better defense but he’s very athletic, he’s a great asset to the team if he got more pt,” another fan commented.

“He’s going to be a beast…lots of talent,” a fan wrote.

Brown was a four-star recruit from Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, and still has three years of eligibility left.

He is expected to have a bigger role in his sophomore season, which will set the tone for his junior and senior years.

UNC's James Brown picks Hakeem Olajuwon over Joel Embiid

NCAA Basketball: James Brown during N.C. State at UNC - Source: Imagn

In a video posted on Instagram by Overtime in January, James Brown and fellow UNC freshman Ian Jackson were asked to break the stick when they heard a name better than Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.

Hall of Famers like David Robinson and Wilt Chamberlain were mentioned, as well as New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing, but James did not budge.

However, he eventually did when two-time NBA champion Hakeem Olajuwon was mentioned.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez