One-time Penn State basketball commit, ex-VCU forward enters transfer portal

Penn State basketball suffered its first blows of the offseason Monday, losing two scholarship players — as well as dismissed guard Kanye Clary — to the transfer portal. However, the departures mean that head coach Mike Rhoades can now go on the offensive in the portal. One of the top players to come available this week, UNC Greensboro forward Mikeal Brown-Jones, has ties, not just to Rhoades from his time at VCU but to the Nittany Lions program, as well.

One-time Nittany Lions commit Mikeal Brown-Jones enters the transfer portal

March Madness isn’t exclusive to the action on the court. Over 330 players have entered their names into the transfer portal since the window for college basketball opened on Monday. But one name stands out from the rest, due to his ties to both the Penn State basketball program and Mike Rhoades.

UNC Greensboro forward Mikeal Brown-Jones hit the portal after two seasons with the Spartans. Brown-Jones is coming off a first-team All-Southern Conference year, averaging 18.9 points and 7.5 rebounds across 28 starts. He started his college career at VCU, where he averaged 2.3 and 4 points, respectively, in two seasons under Mike Rhoades.

But before he signed on to play for Rhoades at VCU, Mikeal Brown-Jones was a Penn State basketball commit. A four-star prospect in the class of 2020 per 247Sports, Brown-Jones committed to Pat Chambers in November 2018 before decomitting in April of the following year. The 6-8, 215-pound forward is a Philadelphia native but attended IMG Academy in Florida.

‼️Transfer Portal Ranking Update‼️

It’s mid-day on Day 2 of the transfer portal and 330 players have already entered in the last 36 hours.

The Up to Date Rankings: https://t.co/rrbfwWnEYu pic.twitter.com/cbypP6Gajd

— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) March 19, 2024

Mikeal Brown-Jones has made quite the splash since entering the transfer portal, rated as the third-best player available in On3’s portal rankings. Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions have yet to contact Brown-Jones, but programs such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Pitt, and Ole Miss, among others, have, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

Iowa, Xavier, and Ole Miss are the latest schools to contact UNCG grad transfer Mikeal Brown Jones, he tells @On3sports.

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 19, 2024

Obviously, the connections to both Mike Rhoades and Penn State basketball would make Mikeal Brown-Jones an interesting target for the Nittany Lions staff. Penn State could potentially return forward Puff Johnson to next year’s roster, as well as Zach Hicks and Demetrius Lilley. The Nittany Lions also bring in top 100 prospect Miles Goodman from the class of 2024.

Penn State basketball portal tracker

As of Tuesday afternoon, Penn State basketball has lost two scholarship players — Bragi Guðmundsson and Favour Aire — to the transfer portal. Dismissed Nittany Lions guard Kanye Clary also entered the portal on Monday. 

There are still outstanding roster moves for the 2024-25 season, including decisions from Johnson and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin, who both have one additional year of eligibility.

The transfer portal for college basketball will remain open for 45 days until May 1.

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