St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Lands Columbia Transfer Avery Brown
4/25/2026 1:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
6-foot-4 point guard averaged 10.0 points and 2.6 assists in 86 appearances at Columbia
QUEENS, N.Y– The St. John's men's basketball program has secured a commitment from Avery Brown, an experienced point guard who spent the past four seasons as the starting point guard at Columbia.
"We needed someone in the backcourt that has had great experience, we wanted an older player, a veteran, that could help lead our new group and Avery brings that to our basketball team," said Head Coach Rick Pitino. "He is a Columbia graduate, he has a great personality, he's physically tough at 6-foot-4 and we're super excited to have him."
Brown, a native of Beacon Falls, Conn., made just three appearances for the Lions last season, earning a medical redshirt.
As a junior in 2024-25, Brown played and started in all 27 games for the Lions, averaging 11.1 points and 2.8 assists per contest to rank third and second, respectively on the team. Brown, who shot 78.0% from the line on 4.6 attempts per game, finished in double figures 15 times, including two 20-point performances.
In the second game of his junior season, Brown launched the Lions to one of their most memorable wins in the program's recent history, scoring 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting in an upset of Villanova at Finneran Pavilion. Brown connected on seven of his eight free throw attempts in addition to recording three assists and two steals in the win over the Wildcats. That win highlighted an 11-1 start to the season for Columbia, the program's best record through 12 games since 1969-70.
In 2023-24, Brown appeared in all 27 games and made 26 starts for the Lions, averaging 9.9 points and 2.6 assists per outing. He also set career-best marks for rebounds per game (2.8) and steals per game (1.3). Brown reached double figures 14 times, including 13 of his first 16 games.
A two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, Brown immediately contributed as a freshman, starting all 29 games and playing 30.0 minutes per contest. In his debut collegiate campaign, Brown average 9.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per outing while connecting on a career-best 26 3-pointers. He finished in double figures 11 times with six efforts of 16 or more points.
Brown finished his prep career at Northfield Mount Hermon, where he earned First Team All-NEPSAC honors after averaging 13.3 points, 4.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds as a senior.
Coming out of high school, both ESPN and 247Sports labeled Brown as a three-star recruit. ESPN rated Brown and the third best recruit in the state of Massachusetts.
On the grassroots circuit, Brown played for the PSA Cardinals and the New York Gauchos. He joins Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman, European big man Lazar Stojkovic and five returners from last year's team on the Red Storm's 2026-27 roster.
The Red Storm boasts a 61-12 record over the last two seasons, has won back-to-back BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships and reached the Sweet 16 this past year for the first time since 1999. Place a deposit for season tickets by clicking here and support the program's efforts by donating to Mike Repole's Red Storm Legacy Investment Fund Match Campaign through April 29. For more information on the match campaign, click here.
"We needed someone in the backcourt that has had great experience, we wanted an older player, a veteran, that could help lead our new group and Avery brings that to our basketball team," said Head Coach Rick Pitino. "He is a Columbia graduate, he has a great personality, he's physically tough at 6-foot-4 and we're super excited to have him."
Brown, a native of Beacon Falls, Conn., made just three appearances for the Lions last season, earning a medical redshirt.
As a junior in 2024-25, Brown played and started in all 27 games for the Lions, averaging 11.1 points and 2.8 assists per contest to rank third and second, respectively on the team. Brown, who shot 78.0% from the line on 4.6 attempts per game, finished in double figures 15 times, including two 20-point performances.
In the second game of his junior season, Brown launched the Lions to one of their most memorable wins in the program's recent history, scoring 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting in an upset of Villanova at Finneran Pavilion. Brown connected on seven of his eight free throw attempts in addition to recording three assists and two steals in the win over the Wildcats. That win highlighted an 11-1 start to the season for Columbia, the program's best record through 12 games since 1969-70.
In 2023-24, Brown appeared in all 27 games and made 26 starts for the Lions, averaging 9.9 points and 2.6 assists per outing. He also set career-best marks for rebounds per game (2.8) and steals per game (1.3). Brown reached double figures 14 times, including 13 of his first 16 games.
A two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, Brown immediately contributed as a freshman, starting all 29 games and playing 30.0 minutes per contest. In his debut collegiate campaign, Brown average 9.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per outing while connecting on a career-best 26 3-pointers. He finished in double figures 11 times with six efforts of 16 or more points.
Brown finished his prep career at Northfield Mount Hermon, where he earned First Team All-NEPSAC honors after averaging 13.3 points, 4.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds as a senior.
Coming out of high school, both ESPN and 247Sports labeled Brown as a three-star recruit. ESPN rated Brown and the third best recruit in the state of Massachusetts.
On the grassroots circuit, Brown played for the PSA Cardinals and the New York Gauchos. He joins Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman, European big man Lazar Stojkovic and five returners from last year's team on the Red Storm's 2026-27 roster.
The Red Storm boasts a 61-12 record over the last two seasons, has won back-to-back BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships and reached the Sweet 16 this past year for the first time since 1999. Place a deposit for season tickets by clicking here and support the program's efforts by donating to Mike Repole's Red Storm Legacy Investment Fund Match Campaign through April 29. For more information on the match campaign, click here.
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