LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The youngest player on the Louisville men\u2019s basketball roster just might be its most emphatic voice.<\/p>\n
Mikel Brown Jr. is 19 years old. He\u2019s a freshman point guard. He hasn\u2019t played a minute of college basketball. He hasn\u2019t even put the uniform on yet. But if belief were bricks, he\u2019d already have a new arena half-built.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, we\u2019re building a beast,\u201d he said Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
It was supposed to be a basketball camp he was putting on for local kids. Turns out, it was a warning.<\/p>\n
Brown has only practiced with the Cardinals in practice for a matter of weeks. But he already sounds like he\u2019s spent years running Pat Kelsey\u2019s locker room, filling whiteboards and water bottles at the same time. He’s got all the tools: Team USA credentials, zip-code speed, and a quote game that would make even Ali smile.<\/p>\n
Of his new coach, he said, \u201cI\u2019m gonna run through a wall for that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure that was metaphorical. He wasn\u2019t joking. No drywall is safe.<\/p>\n
Kelsey has energized the program and fanbase with a whirlwind summer of workouts, media content, and bold scheduling decisions. And Brown \u2014 a Top 10 national recruit who committed on New Year\u2019s Day \u2014 is here for all of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love him to death,\u201d Brown said. \u201c\u2026 You know, he always says, \u2018Man, put a smile on your face.\u2019 Like during practice, when we’re in the heat of battle. We just have fun with things \u2013 and play hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 8-minute session with local reporters was supposed to be a light media stop during the camp. Brown turned it into something more \u2014 a glimpse of how Louisville\u2019s youngest player is already helping to define its tone.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur chemistry is already there, even though we’ve just been we’ve been with each other for about three, four months,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd everybody’s positive, everybody respects each other. Everybody’s work working hard. We’re playing together, and we’re very unselfish, and we love each other. So, I think that goes a long way. We’re gonna play hard and bring it, try to bring a \u2018ship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown said he\u2019s been taking advantage of the periodic presence of last year\u2019s point guard, Chucky Hepburn, and newly elevated Louisville assistant coach Peyton Siva.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust been trying to pick their brains and learn more about, obviously, the system and how PK likes to play and how to be a better point guard for this team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Brown also has experience of his own to draw from \u2014 including time with Team USA and international competition \u2013 a standout role in a gold medal effort at the U19 World Cup in Switzerland this past summer. That, he said, helped mold him into the kind of leader he wants to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to step up as a point guard,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThat just brings the leadership out of me. You\u2019ve got to lead your team to where we\u2019re supposed to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where that is remains to be seen. But Brown says the road starts Oct. 24, when Louisville hosts Kansas in an exhibition game at the KFC Yum! Center. And again, he sounded like Kelsey was feeding him lines through an earpiece.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not looking ahead,\u201d he said. \u201cThe next thing is the most important thing. That\u2019s what Coach says.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s already soaking in the city, too. Brown attended Louisville\u2019s football win over Eastern Kentucky last weekend and said the crowd at L&N Stadium gave him chills. The same goes for his everyday interactions with fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverywhere I walk around, people, people know,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018Go Cards. Bring it home!\u201d That just gives me motivation to just go harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still September. Brown hasn\u2019t made a college assist or taken a shot. But the energy and enthusiasm he\u2019s bringing to Louisville feel authentic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve been putting in the work,\u201d he said. \u201cWe trust our work. We trust each other. We’re building chemistry. We’re definitely gonna be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n
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