Indiana Basketball Hosting Official Visit With 5-Star Point Guard Mikel Brown Jr.

Mikel Brown Jr., a five-star point guard in the class of 2025, plans to take an official visit to Indiana this weekend.
Mikel Brown Jr. drives to the basket against Canada during the 2024 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in Argentina.
Mikel Brown Jr. drives to the basket against Canada during the 2024 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in Argentina. / photo via fiba.basketball
In this story:

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana basketball is set to host one of the top high school point guards in the nation.

Mikel Brown Jr. has scheduled an official visit to Indiana for the weekend of Sept. 13, as first reported by 247Sports. Indiana coach Mike Woodson and staff visited Brown on Sept. 5, according to Derek Murray.

Brown is a 6-foot-3 point guard in the class of 2025 from DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Fla. He previously attended Overtime Elite in Atlanta.

Brown is a five-star recruit ranked No. 7 in the nation by 247Sports, No. 11 by Rivals, No. 12 by ESPN and No. 15 by On3. All recruiting sites list Brown as a top-three point guard in his class, and Rivals ranks him No. 1. 

Brown has not officially narrowed down his list of schools, but he has offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Central Florida, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Ole Miss, Providence, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

Indiana does not currently have any commitments in the class of 2025, though the vast majority of the class remains uncommitted. Indiana recently hosted an official visit for Jalen Haralson, and other top targets include Braylon Mullins, Trent Sisley, Eric Reibe, Bryson Tiller and Nate Ament.

In June, Brown was one of 12 players on the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team, which competed in at the 2024 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in Argentina.

As the team's starting point guard, Brown averaged 10.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.3 rebounds while playing 25 minutes per game. He shot 42.3% from the field (22 for 52), 35.3% from 3-point range (12 for 34) and 66.7% from the free throw line (6 for 9). USA went 6-0 and won the tournament.

Brown also played for Team Loaded (NC) on the adidas 3SSB circuit this summer. He was named first-team All-Circuit and averaged 21.4 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Here is a scouting report on Brown from 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein in July:

  • "Brown first made a name for himself as a diminutive, but extremely skilled, young guard. In recent years though, he's sprouted up to 6-foot-3 and simultaneously embraced being a true point guard, taking his game to new levels. He remains exceptionally skilled. In fact, there isn't much he can't do with the ball in his hands. He has total control of his handle, as both a creator and distributor, and a terrific left hand. He's a talented passer with excellent floor vision and capable of hitting all corners of the court. He can throw pinpoint crosscourt skip passes with both hands, zip in pocket passes off the dribble, and make all the other associated pick-and-roll reads with good timing. He can rise-up for pull-ups off the dribble and posted 45/40/91 shooting splits in 3SSB action. There are still moments when he can be streaky as a shooter, as he continues to adjust to his evolving body mechanics, but he has a very clean release and projects as a real shot-maker long-term. Brown also has very good natural pace and appears to possess a real intellect for the game as well, picking up and implementing concepts quickly. We've also seen more consistent two-way engagement as of late, with a matured motor and overall approach. The biggest limitation in his game right now is just a lack of strength. While he's grown several inches in recent years, and has a 6-foot-6 wingspan, he has a more naturally narrow frame. He can get pushed off his spots at times, on both ends of the floor. Long-term, the question is how much muscle mass his frame will be able to support and how does that impact his ability to put pressure on the rim. Overall though, the totality of Brown's skill, his ability to read the floor, and his newfound positional size makes him as good of a true point guard prospect as there is in this class."

Related stories on Indiana basketball

  • INDIANA OFFERS CHRONISTER: Aidan Chronister is a 6-foot-7, four-star shooting guard from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. Indiana offered him a scholarship during his visit to Bloomington. CLICK HERE
  • WHERE IU TARGETS RANK IN ESPN 100: Seven Indiana basketball recruiting targets in the class of 2025 made the updated ESPN 100 rankings. CLICK HERE
  • REIBE TO VISIT INDIANA: One of the top high school centers in the nation plans to visit Indiana. CLICK HERE
  • HARALSON VISITS INDIANA: Haralson is considered the No. 1 player in Indiana among class of 2025 recruits. CLICK HERE
  • SISLEY TO MONTVERDE: Trent Sisley, an Indiana target, will play the 2024-25 season at Monteverde Academy. CLICK HERE.
  • INDIANA INITIATES REVIEW INTO FORMER TEAM PHYSICIAN: University has retained a law firm to conduct the independent review of alleged abuse by former team physician Brad Bomba Sr. CLICK HERE

Published
Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.