Mid-major programs are known for finding their top recruits in the unlikeliest of places, be it internationally, as a hidden gem on the high school circuit, or as the result of a coaching shakeup.
Georgia Southern guard Tookie Brown falls into the latter category.
Brown signed a letter of intent as a high school junior for Rick Ray and Mississippi State, then re-opened his recruitment when Ray was fired after the 2014-15 season.
At the time, Brown was a four-star recruit, according to ESPN, and had interest from several SEC schools.
But a program just about three hours away in Statesboro, Georgia also wanted the 5'11 point guard badly.
Georgia Southern had a young coach in Mark Byington and was fresh off a Sun Belt Championship game appearance where the Eagles narrowly lost to Georgia State in 2015.
With a huge roster overhaul, playing time was there for the taking. Playing in his home state was a situation that was hard to pass up, and Brown was ready to be an Eagle.
Brown came off the bench in the Eagles’ first four games last season, but after a monster performance against The Citadel (26 points, five rebounds, five assists), Brown became a permanent fixture in the starting lineup.
A matchup with Duke brought out some of Brown’s best work, as he went for 20 points on 8-18 shooting, and knocked down four three-pointers in six attempts. That marked a stretch of three straight 20-point outings, with 25 points against Winthrop and 27 points against Stetson.
In conference play, the big nights continued to mount. First it was 34 points against Appalachian State. Then another three-game stretch of 20 points or more, with 26 against UT Arlington, 25 against Texas State and 20 against Troy.
Carrying the youngest team in Division I all season, Brown’s 17.8 points per game overall was fourth in the conference, and his 18.2 points per game in Sun Belt play was also good for fourth.
As a freshman, Brown showed poise, taking care of the ball with an assist to turnover ration around 1.5. His 81.2 percent free throw shooting ranked seventh in the Sun Belt, and his 51 steals was fourth-best in the league.
All of these numbers led Brown to a Sun Belt Freshman of the Year award and landed him on the Sun Belt’s first team.
A 14-19 season certainly isn’t what Georgia Southern hoped for, but the Eagles are ready for a turnaround year in 2016-17. Brown and backcourt partner Mike Hughes, a third-team Sun Belt selection last year, will lead the Eagles, who return all five of their starters.
Brown and Georgia Southern will play a tough non-conference schedule that includes road games at North Carolina State, Akron, Minnesota, and a home game against Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles begin conference play on New Year's Eve against Georgia State.