NBA coach is a big high school football fan

Sacramento Kings coach has his eye on game featuring 5-star junior QB and 4-star senior Alabama TE commit

Folsom QB Ryder Lyons, left, prays pregame with teammate Jameson Powell. / Photo by Todd Shurtleff

It's still the NBA offseason, so why not catch some high school football on Friday night?

That's Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown's thinking.

He has his eye on a Northern California matchup Friday night featuring a couple of the best players in the country.

Folsom boasts five-star junior quarterback/human highlight reel Ryder Lyons, while Oak Ridge has 6-foot-6 tight end Kaleb Edwards, a four-star senior who's committed to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Oak Ridge tight end Kaleb Edwards fights off a Folsom defender in the 2022 Sac-Joaquin Section championship game. / Ralph Thompson

But it's not just Folsom at Oak Ridge. Brown loves going to high school football games.

He cited the sideline atmosphere with the band and the energy as something he loves being a part of.

"For me it's probably just as exciting being in that environment, or atmosphere, as for them (the players), I'm assuming," he said in an interview with ABC 10. Here's the full clip:

I'm not sure if there's an NBA coach who loves high school football more than Mike Brown. He starts off his presser talking about the Folsom vs Oak Ridge game on Friday night. @FolsomBulldogFB @ORHS_Football pic.twitter.com/9rmqvPGWZA

— Kevin John (@heykevinjohn) October 3, 2024

Folsom heads into the game against Oak Ridge 4-1, with its only loss coming Aug. 30 in a nail-biter against the Serra Padres, 22-21.

Oak Ridge lost its first three games but has won its previous two.

The Bulldogs extended their winning streak against their Highway 50 rivals to 20 games with a 41-21 win last year. The streak dates back to 2006 and includes playoff encounters.

The game kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, at Oak Ridge in El Dorado Hills, California.

Don't be surprised to get a Mike Brown sighting on the sidelines.

Update: He did show up! As captured by West Coast Preps Sacramento:

Mike Brown taking in great high school 🏈 in El Dorado Hills pic.twitter.com/2up3JagLQA

— West Coast Preps Sacramento (@WCPSacramento) October 5, 2024

He was spotted on the Grant sideline last Friday night in the Pacers' loss to San Diego Lincoln, where he also got to take in some Akili Smith Jr. highlights.

Brown graduated from Wurzberg American High School in Germany (his dad was in the U.S. Air Force), where he played basketball and football.

Nothing against the Wurzberg High School football environment in the late 1980s, but the guess is it didn't offer the same charged atmosphere as Friday nights in the U.S. in 2024.

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown talked this week about how much he loves going to high school football games. / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

RYDER LYONS HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2023:

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports