St. Anthony guard Josh Brown recommits to Temple

APPARENTLY, Josh Brown's initial impression turned out to be the right one for him after all.

The 6-3 senior lead guard from St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, considered to be one of the best prospects at his position in the Class of 2013, originally said he was Temple-bound. Then, in June, he opted to reopen the recruiting process. Now, he has recommitted to Fran Dunphy's Owls.

Brown announced his decision Monday afternoon on New York's SNY cable station.

"I'm going to be in Philly," he said. "I can't wait to go down there and play in the backcourt with [freshman] Quenton DeCosey, [sophomore] Will Cummings and [frosh] Daniel Dingle. I also get a chance to be coached by one of the most underrated coaches."

His other finalists were Rhode Island, Penn State and Providence. Rhode Island's new coach is Dan Hurley, whose father Bob Sr. is Brown's current coach.

Brown joins Camden Catholic guard Kyle Green in Temple's 2013 Class. The Owls, of course, will be moving from the Atlantic 10 to the Big East starting that year.

Brown's mother, Kimberly, who died when he was a year old, went to Temple.

"It's great that I get to . . . follow her footsteps," Brown said.

He averaged nine points, five rebounds and four assists last season, playing alongside current UCLA freshman Kyle Anderson. He's yet to lose at St. Anthony in 65 games. His teams on the summer AAU circuit, where he hass won two MVPs this year, also have been highly successful.

"I didn't want to have any regrets when all was said and done," Brown explained. "So I decided to . . . weigh my options and see what else I could get . . . which made it really interesting. So committing back to [Temple] now, it feels great.

"I always want to play the best competition. I'm a competitive guy, and the Big East is where it's at."

According to Norm Eavenson, a scouting associate for Bob Gibbons All Star Sports, Brown "is long, athletic; uses his strength and explosiveness to get to the rim. Few guards in the Class of 2013 defend as well."

Sounds like he is well worth the added wait.