Newly hired Penn State men’s basketball coach Mike Rhoades received an early week boost courtesy of a pledge from a familiar face. 

Second-year guard Jameel Brown elected to withdraw his name from the transfer portal Monday afternoon to remain with the Nittany Lions moving forward. 

Brown entered the portal on March 29, just five days after Notre Dame hired Micah Shrewsberry as its next head coach. 

“I’m right where I should be,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “WE ARE.”

Despite averaging less than five minutes per outing in 14 contests, Brown’s upside is evident by the attention he commanded on the recruiting trail. 

The Norristown, Pennsylvania, native signed with the Nittany Lions’ coveted Class of 2022 as the fifth-best prospect in the state, according to 247Sports. Moreover, the same rankings slotted the combo guard as a top-20 commodity at his position. 

Before pledging to Penn State in August 2021 upon Shrewsberry’s hiring, Brown verbally committed to Purdue in December 2020. His long-spanning connection with Shrewsberry, between his stint as an assistant with the Boilermakers and his former head role with the Nittany Lions, had many pegging Brown as a potential Notre Dame signee. 

Brown’s decision to remain with Rhoades’ crew brings the Nittany Lions’ scholarship player count up to five, including former VCU products Ace Baldwin Jr. and Nick Kern. The unit is rounded out by Kanye Clary and Demetrius Lilley, who will accompany Brown as Shrewsberry’s former players.