LEWISTON, N.Y. — Niagara University men’s basketball coach Greg Paulus has a vision for his program.
“We want our program to be about the team,” Paulus said. “We want the program to be about sacrifice, unselfishness, hard work.”
All of those words that can be used to describe sophomore guard Jalen Brown.
“He’s a guy that, he’ll do a little bit of everything," Paulus said. "You need him in at any position, he knows all the positions, you need him to be a scout team guy, he’ll go out there and know all the plays. He’s coming in early, he’s staying late.”
Brown's work ethic and mentality can traced back to growing up playing basketball in Chicago at De La Salle High School, where hard work was they key to standing out amongst a talented crowd.
"It was great. The crowds would be insane," Brown said. "Chicago produces a bunch of great athletes all over the world, so it's like, every day is a battle. You don't know who you're up against, or what team you're up against, but you have to come ready to play."
That mindset helped earn Brown an opportunity to play collegiately, as a walk-on for Paulus and his Purple Eagles.
“When I got here, I just told myself, get better every day," Brown said. "You have to get better every day.”
That's just what Brown's done, bringing his basketball IQ and energy to practice every day. His efforts didn't go unnoticed, with last week providing one of the highlights of his collegiate career.
Paulus and the team had Brown's mother and grandmother join via video chat for a team meeting.
“Hey Jalen. I’m so proud of you," Brown's mom said. "I want you to keep up the good work. Keep your head up, and remember, always keep God first."
Then Paulus explained why she was there.
"So one of the things we wanted your mom and god mom to be here for is because you’re on scholarship Jalen," he said.
The team erupted in cheers and dogpiled over Brown, a moment the sophomore says he won't forget.
“I knew something was up when my mom hopped on a Zoom call. … For (Paulus) to say I’m on scholarship, it just brought me chills," Brown said. "It was beautiful. It's something I didn't know I was going to experience quite yet or here. I didn't know when it was going to come or if it was ever going to come."
“We were so proud to give it to him but also, I think you see the respect, the care and the love that everyone in the room had for him," Paulus said about the team's reaction.
The celebratory mood, Brown and Paulus said, was overwhelming.
"Just really a special moment. It brought alot of emotions, tears. I have goosebumps just thinking about it right now," Paulus said.
Brown added: “I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t let out in front of all the guys."
Brown says he's watched the video "at least 20 times," and that the tears came later on when he was by himself in his room, reflecting on the adversity he’s overcome in his journey from Chicago to Western New York.
“Growing up, just seeing my mom, coming from a single parent home, she pushed me a lot. … Many don’t know, I have lupus and things like that, so that makes me like a stronger person," Brown said.
Brown said that he found out he had lupus in 2019 and that it impacts him in different ways, including fatigue, along with rashes and swelling from flareups.
That's just one more obstacle though that Brown has battled past, helping build him into who he is today.
“He came in the next day like he wasn’t on scholarship," Paulus said. "It didn’t change his attitude. It didn’t change his effort.”
Brown said, “Some think that just because I got a scholarship I’m going to stop working. I’ve been in the gym twice as hard, I’ve been studying twice as hard.”
So scholarship or not, Brown plans to continue making a positive impact on his teammates, and serving as an inspiration for others.
“That’s something that we have so much respect for," Paulus said. "For him to continue to do that, not only in his time at Niagara, but also moving forward for his life. He’s going to have an amazing opportunity to impact so many people in a positive way.”
Brown added: “Just being a great person can get you many ways in life. Don’t limitations on yourself no matter what you go through.
“I want more. Like, I’m not going to stop who I am, what I’m doing. It’s just going to go at a higher level.”