Photos courtesy of Shanna Lockwood/Auburn University Athletics and Stephen Galvin/University of South Florida
Jamal Johnson, at left, played two seasons at Auburn University, while his former Spain Park High School teammate, Justin Brown, at right, played the past three at the University of South Florida. They are now back together at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Jamal Johnson and Justin Brown are going to run it back.
They were teammates at Spain Park High School, and they are set to be on the same roster once again this winter after transferring into the UAB basketball program.
The pair played a season together at Spain Park as the Jaguars advanced to the Class 7A final four in 2016 in a remarkable season.
They both view the move to UAB as a homecoming of sorts. Plenty of family and friends will be in the Bartow Arena stands each and every game.
“It’s going to be good,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be fun to play in front of the home crowd.”
Both players have been at two postsecondary schools previously and have every intention of finishing their college basketball careers in Birmingham.
Johnson played a year at Memphis and spent the last two seasons at Auburn. He made much of his impact at Auburn from behind the 3-point stripe, averaging 9.4 points and 2.4 3-pointers per game last year.
“We are excited to be able to bring Jamal back home to Birmingham to complete his collegiate career,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “He has displayed the ability to impact the game by knocking down perimeter shots, as well as creating scoring opportunities for his teammates with his size and court vision. Our team last season struggled from behind the 3-point line, so Jamal’s proven shooting prowess is a huge addition to our backcourt.”
Johnson has played for two legendary coaches in Tubby Smith and Bruce Pearl and believes his experience in the Southeastern Conference can only help.
“I learned a lot, and it helped me a lot to expand my game defensively and offensively,” he said. “I can bring that and put it all together.”
Brown spent his final year of high school ball at Spain Park after growing up in the Briarwood Christian School program. He has already played four years of college hoops — one year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia and the last three at South Florida — but he has one more year of eligibility with the NCAA’s response to COVID-19.
Like Johnson, Brown was a top-notch 3-point shooter at his previous school. He ranks fourth all-time in USF history with 192 3-pointers made and his 123 games played is third all-time. Brown recorded 39 double figure games and has 951 career points. He also believes he will have the chance to show off some of his other skills as well.
“Justin is a big, strong, versatile wing capable of impacting the game in a variety of ways,” Kennedy said. “He has made over 35% of his 3-pointers over his [three] years at USF, and at 6-[foot]-6 that strength will bolster our perimeter attack.”
I’m very prideful in what UAB has done in the past years. We’ve got to keep that going and get better, and we’re taking the proper steps to win games in the [NCAA] Tournament.
JUSTIN BROWN
Kennedy returned to coach at his alma mater last season, and the arrivals of Johnson and Brown are part of a significant roster overhaul for UAB. There could be as many as six new players on the roster this season, but both players say the team is already jelling together.
“Even before we got on campus, we all knew each other in some way,” Brown said. “We’ve all got that team chemistry right there.”
Johnson and Brown say they know the rich history of the UAB basketball program and are excited to help add another successful chapter to it.
“I’m very prideful in what UAB has done in the past years,” Brown said. “We’ve got to keep that going and get better, and we’re taking the proper steps to win games in the [NCAA] Tournament.”
