Where things stand with Hayden Brown after official visit with Gamecocks basketball
Citadel graduate transfer Hayden Brown is getting closer to deciding where he finishes his college basketball career.
The former Byrnes High standout took an official visit with South Carolina and new coach Lamont Paris over the weekend. Brown was the first official visitor for Paris since he was named the new Gamecocks coach.
“The facilities and accessibility to the resources they have on campus definitely stood out the most to me,” Brown told The State. “We toured most of the campus and facilities and broke it up with meals and meetings, which was really beneficial. I spoke with a few of the players, but spent most of the time with the coaching staff.
“It was great to reconnect with Coach Paris again to hear his heart and the vision for the program.”
Brown and Paris have somewhat of a history with both being in the Southern Conference the last few years. The two talked about their time in the SoCon and how Brown would fit into what Paris is trying to build at USC as he tries to reshape the roster, which has lost six players to the transfer portal.
“If I were to choose USC, they would use me for the versatility and toughness I bring on the court, but also for leadership and culture-building off the court,” Brown said.
Layne Fowler, Brown’s high school coach at Byrnes, thinks his former player can be a big contributor no matter what school he chooses to go to.
“He is a mature, high intensity, high character kid. He will have his masters and The Citadel has helped prepare him for this,” Fowler told The State. “I don’t think five years ago he would have been ready to play in the SEC but now I have no doubt. He can be a big piece no matter what matter where he goes.
“He is very versatile. One night, he could do it with his scoring and another night it will be defense and rebounding. He can shoot the three, but but he can body up a smaller guard or a wing inside. He can take a bigger guy off the dribble. There is a lot to like about his game.”
South Carolina was the second of three official visits for Brown, who also visited Loyola (Chicago). He plans to visit Georgia Tech Monday-Wednesday next week and make his decision shortly after that.
Brown was a standout at Byrnes High and helped the Rebels to their first state title in 26 years when they beat Irmo, 57-50, for the 2016 Class 4A championship. Brown scored 25 points and had 10 rebounds in the title game.
Brown signed with The Citadel and was a starter his final two seasons for the Bulldogs. He was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection as a junior and second-team pick this year.
Brown holds The Citadel record for career double-doubles with 28 and is one of three players in school history with more than 1,400 career points and 700 career rebounds.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 12:10 PM.
