Working with kids on the court is a treat for Brown

Anything for a win; anything for a smile.

Both go hand-in-hand at the University of… Anything for a win; anything for a smile.

Both go hand-in-hand at the University of Pittsburgh Men’s Basketball Camp — once a child smiles, Pitt guard Jaron Brown can mark it down as one of his many victories in life.

Brown, who earned his degree in social sciences last year, loves working with kids.

He started working with kids in his senior year of high school, when he was told that he was getting too old and too talented to be a player in his high school coach’s camp. Instead, he joined his coach and other college basketball players in helping the younger kids.

Brown said it was a surprise to have kids come up to him asking how they could better themselves as basketball players.

It wasn’t long ago that he was the one asking the questions.

It was fun to have players who were established college basketball players teaching him how to play, he said. He looked up to players like Mike Allen and Darnell Burton.

Burton played guard for Cincinnati from 1993 to 1997, where he earned sixth man of the year honors and set the Bearcat record for three-point field goal percentage at .394. Allen was a guard at Southwest Louisiana, who led the country in scoring.

Both these players worked at the camp Brown used to attend. He said they had the biggest impact on him and can be given some credit for the major impact Brown has had on the basketball courts of Pitt.

Brown, who originally committed to play for Kentucky under coach Rick Pitino, has become one of Pitt’s brightest stars in recent years. His coming to Pitt was made possible by Pitino’s decision to leave Kentucky for a coaching position in the NBA with the Boston Celtics.

After Brown learned of Pitino’s decision, he backed out of his commitment and played a season at Maine Central Institute before making his way to Pitt. He led MCI to a 34-4 record and to the New England Prep Tournament.

In his sophomore year at Pitt, he started 34 of 35 games, where he helped lead the Panthers to the Sweet 16. He recently scored his 1,000th point as a Panther in Pitt’s game against Virginia Tech earlier this season.

Now, Brown is making the big impact on young kids aspiring to become basketball players.

“He looks like a big brother to the kids,” said guard Carl Krauser, who also participated in the camp over the summer. “He’s very sensitive with the kids. He loves them a lot.”

Brown says his goals are to give the kids the advice they need to hear — to help them think positively and make them happy. And, judging by how kids respond when with Brown, he does just that.

“He’s got the big smile, and kids are drawn to that,” Dixon said. “I think that’s the biggest key.”

Once, a kid Brown was mentoring asked if he could have one of his practice jerseys and a team shirt. Brown fulfilled the kid’s wishes, causing a smile to break out on the child’s face.

“I was like, ‘dang,'” Brown said, smiling and shocked by how much it meant to the kid.

The kids who sign up for these camps are not the only ones who have fun — Brown and teammates have some fun of their own. They teach the kids basic basketball skills and then break them up into teams. Each player takes a team to coach, and the teams compete against each other.

“That’s when you really see [the players’] competitiveness,” Dixon said, laughing as he recalled what went on last summer.

The players are so competitive that they’ll go to great lengths to walk away with a win. They are told not to teach the kids how to full-court press, but Brown will do anything to out-coach his fellow teammates.

“We cheat sometimes,” Brown said, smirking. “We’re so competitive. I just tell my team to press.”

Dixon laughs off the matter of using the full-court press when the players are not supposed to. He says it’s just great to see the players have such a great impact on the kids, even if they are bending the rules to win.

“You see [the kid’s happiness] face-to-face, side-to-side, and then you get to meet different families and parents,” Dixon said. “I guess it makes me think about when I’ll be bringing my kid to a camp.”

But will he be in a camp featuring Brown, whose college career is over after this season?

It’s quite possible, because this is what Brown wants to do. He is on a path to be in a position where he can coach, manage programs — such as the camps — or just mentor.

“You can tell he has a future working with kids.” Krauser said.

Brown is also looking for a future in the NBA, so could there be a “Jaron Brown Foundation for Kids?”

“If I have the money, I’ll do it,” Brown said.

Brown feels that if somebody in the NBA or in any good career helps out with kids, it gives the kids extra motivation to become someone great. They are seeing the real thing in front of their faces, and it makes what they only see on television come to life.

Brown experienced this surreal moment when he was in camp with Burton.

“I know him. He’s on TV,” Brown said, recalling what his thoughts were when the college basketball star was teaching him the intricacies of the game. Back when Burton, too, would do anything for a win and anything for a smile.