TU Basketball Adds Rutgers Transfer And Shooting Guard Recruit

Tulsa men's basketball coach Frank Haith announced today that Junior Etou, a transfer from Rutgers University, and high school senior Kajon Brown will join the Golden Hurricane basketball program.

Etou (pronounced: ee-too), a 6'8”, 230-pound forward from Rutgers University, will sit out the 2015-16 season and have two years of eligibility remaining when he becomes eligible for the 2016-17 campaign. Brown is a 6'4” guard from Helen Cox High School in Harvey, La.

Etou, a native of The Republic of Congo, averaged 6.4 points and 5.7 rebounds as a two-year starter at Rutgers. Last season, he averaged 7.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 31 games, including 17 starts in the Big Ten for the Scarlet Knights. He recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Ohio State, and scored a career-high 20 points with five rebounds against Clemson. He averaged 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds as a freshman in 2013-14. Etou played his prep basketball at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Va.

“Junior will add much-needed experience to our team in 2016-17, when we replace our top seven players after graduation. He will fit in well with our up-tempo style of play, because he brings an excellent combination of size, athleticism, strength and skill. He will benefit from his two years as a starter in the Big Ten Conference, and should feel right at home in the American Athletic Conference.”

Brown is a 6'4” guard, who averaged 14 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 per game as a senior. He led Helen Cox to the District 8-5A title and the third round of the state playoffs in 2015, and earned all-district honors as both a junior and a senior. Most recently, Brown averaged 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds playing for the New Orleans Elite traveling team at tournaments in Dallas and Indianapolis during April on the Adidas Gauntlet Circuit.

“Kajon Brown is an explosive, athletic wing who can attack the rim,” Haith said. “He is versatile on both sides of the ball, with the ability to play multiple positions on offense and guard multiple positions on defense. I anticipate our fans will enjoy his high-flying ability to attack the rim. He was the captain of his high school team, he is a quality student, and will fit in very well with our team. His athleticism will translate well into our fast-paced system and help us to compete at a high level in The American, which has some of the most athletic wings in the country.”

Helen Cox Head Coach Tyron Mouzon said, “Kajon is a very versatile player, who played a lot of different positions for us at Helen Cox. He is a very athletic, very explosive player. He's a strong kid who can get to the rim and finish. Probably the biggest thing he did for us this past year is, he defended all five positions if we needed him to. He's very tenacious and a great on-ball defender.”

Etou and Brown join November signees Pat Birt and Sterling Taplin as new team members for the 2015-16 season. Birt is a 6'5” wing from South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, and Taplin is a 6'1” point guard from St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn. Stevie Repichowski, Micah Littlejohn and Keondre Dew left the program after the season.