Men's Basketball's Jabahri Brown in World University Games

Aug. 23, 2001

NORMAN, Okla. - Jabahri Brown, a 6-10 sophomore center on the OU men's basketball team, scored seven points and registered a team-high 13 rebounds for his U.S. Virgin Islands team against China in first-round World University Games action in Beijing, China, Wednesday.

Brown's effort, which also included a blocked shot, an assist and two steals, was not quite enough to overcome the strong Chinese squad, as the Virgin Islands dropped a 77-65 decision. The Virgin Islands did hold a 40-37 lead at halftime.

China was led by Dallas Mavericks forward Wang Zhizhi, who scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and potential first-round NBA draft prospect Yao Ming, who had 20 points and 21 boards.

Brown, who hails from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, sat out last year after transferring to OU. He competed in 1999-00 at Florida International where he averaged 8.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.6 steals in 24 minutes per game as a freshman. He will not be eligible to compete for the Sooners this season until the conclusion of the fall semester.

"Playing in the World University Games is a tremendous opportunity for Jabahri to represent both his country and the University of Oklahoma," said OU Head Coach Kelvin Sampson. "And getting this type of experience after sitting out last year is extremely important. Jabahri is going to be a big part of our team with his size, athleticism and basketball intelligence. This opportunity is going to make him better and will benefit him a great deal."

The Virgin Islands, a member of Pool A, will face Greece Thursday and Angola Friday. Twenty-eight teams are competing in the men's basketball portion of the World University Games, with competition ending Aug. 31.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Men's Basketball's Jabahri Brown in World University Games

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