Moses Brown: A 7-Foot Center in a Land Full of Guards

By David Cordova

New York City has been considered the Mecca of Basketball for a very long time, but in the Big Apple, point guards and shooting guards are very common. However, having a center that ranges between 6-10 and 7-foot is a rarity, with the few of them that are from the area going to schools either south or north of the city.

But just recently, there is one center that has risen from obscurity and is making himself known around the national spotlight. That big man is Moses Brown from Archbishop Molloy in the Briarwood section of Queens, NY, the alma mater of players such as Kevin Joyce, Brian Winters, Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson, Sundiata Gaines and Russ Smith.

The 7-foot rising junior from Queens is the most imposing figure in New York City because he stands out with his height.

“What motivates me to be successful in the game of basketball is just being 7-foot and living up to hard expectations. God made me this way for a reason and I feel like I’m talented enough to be a pro, so I have to work hard everyday. I started out with New Heights in the seventh or eighth grade and when I got with them, I wasn’t really that good, but Coach Rahme Anderson and Coach Frazier had faith in me and they worked with me so that I could be the player that I am now.”

When asked what it is like being the tallest player in the city, he added: “It’s different, there’s a lot of guards that come out of New York City, when you grow up there as a tall person, nobody really expects your game to be different, they expect a lot of guard play, so you go to Rucker Park or Dyckman and places like that, they’re not really expecting a big man to get on the court.”

Although his game is still developing, Brown has a high motor and is very tough to box out in the paint when going up for rebounds. He also runs the floor well and also throws down monstrous dunks.

As a sophomore at Archbishop Molloy, he averaged 8.4 points per game and led the Stanners to a berth in the CHSAA semifinals, where they lost to the eventual city champion, Xaverian.

When asked about his experience at Molloy, he says, “Archbishop Molloy is a good school, they have lot of pros from there. Not only do they have a great basketball program, but they are also a great academic institution.”

However, the AAU season would prove to be a revelation of his immense talent. Playing on the Under Armour Association circuit with New Heights, Brown averaged 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

“I feel that this year was my breakout year, because I last year, I got injured and I wasn’t as strong as I am this year and I wasn’t as tall as I am now.”Brown says about his summer. Brown’s play earned him invitations to the Under Armour All-American Camp in July in Charlotte, North Carolina and recently in August at the Under Armour Elite 24 in Brooklyn, in front of a national television audience and NBA scouts.

Also, Brown played spectacularly in local events such as the Dyckman tournament in Inwood and IS8, even dueling against another 7-footer from Queens, rising senior Nick Richards, who attends the Patrick School in New Jersey. His outstanding play this summer has earned him a top-flight ranking in the ESPN Top 60 rankings for the Class of 2018, as he was ranked No. 19 in the country.

Because of his great play, Brown has earned offers from about 15 schools, such as Maryland, UConn, Georgetown, Louisville, Florida, Michigan, UCLA, Arizona, SMU and Alabama, to name a few.

This coming year, Brown will be a part of a great nucleus at Molloy, with highly-recruited players such as fellow junior Khalid Moore and sophomore Cole Anthony, ranked No. 6 in the country by Rivals, in the Class of 2019.

But right now, his plans for next year are simple, “You’re going to see a lot of versatility, a lot of things you’ve never seen before, I’ll be getting stronger, working on my jumpshot, getting a better handle, just becoming an all-around basketball player, not just a big man.”

Highlights of Moses Brown: