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Chaundee Brown Leaves His Legacy — ‘The Best Year of My Life’

Few really knew what Michigan Wolverines basketball coach Juwan Howard was getting when Chaundee Brown opted to transfer to Michigan for his senior year. Michigan’s coach, though, had a pretty good idea.

Howard did plenty of film study and homework before handing out offers to transfer portal entries last year. It’s tricky business, after all … sorting through malcontents, guys who are looking to build their brands at other schools or just biding their time before they get their shot at the next level.

Michigan’s man in charge was searching for guys who were hungry for championships and team success while trying to better themselves individually, as well — not the other way around — and he found two gems in Columbia point guard Mike Smith and Wake Forest wing Chaundee Brown.

Both had something to offer the program, of course, and they proved it. Smith was the perfect floor leader, while Brown was the energy off the bench who provided too many key buckets to remember and relentless effort on defense. But Howard kept his promise, too, to do everything he could to help improve their games, and he did.

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Michigan Wolverines basketball's Chaundee Brown was the perfect addition for Juwan Howard's squad.
Michigan Wolverines basketball's Chaundee Brown was the perfect addition for Juwan Howard's squad. (AP Images)
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Both Smith and Brown became better overall players, each shooting over 40 percent from three-point range after having been in the 30s their entire careers.

They also left as champions.

“It was a great year, and I wish we could have gone even further,” Brown said in the weeks following U-M’s Elite Eight loss to UCLA. “But it was a wonderful year with a wonderful group of guys. We fell short of a couple goals; at the same time, I had the best year of my life, not just on the court but off, too.

“Off the court, we were like a family. The coaches all got along; the players got along. We were like a big, happy family.”

Which is exactly what Howard preaches on the recruiting trail, and why so many are lining up to play for him. Nothing will come easy, he tells them, but if you do what’s expected, you’ll get reward.

He’s continued Michigan basketball’s legacy as a program with outstanding culture, and guys like Brown are a big reason why. Nobody will forget how touched the transfer was when he was awarded the game ball after scoring just a single point in a game at Wisconsin, which just happened to be the 1,000th of his career.

And if you missed how special senior night was to him — only a few dozen people got to stick around for the celebration after U-M thrashed — well, you won’t want to miss this purely emotional moment when Howard presented him with his jersey.

The bond between player and coach was real, and it was clear.

“After I got here, he acted just like he did when he recruited me,” Brown said. “The thing I like about him is he’s real, 100, but off the court he’ always laughing and giggling like all the players. On court, he’s really serious.”

He got the best out of Brown, who contributed 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds but so much more than numbers to a championship team. It’s the rare guy who can leave a legacy after only a year in a program, but his bit shots and big moments — his 41.9 percent from three-point range included huge moments in games at Ohio State and down the stretch in a round of 32 game with LSU they wouldn’t have won without them — made it feel he was here much longer.

His impact won’t be forgotten; nor will he forget his short time in Ann Arbor.

“It was pretty hard (to not return for another year), just figuring out what was best for me,” Brown said. “I was back home with my family for a week or so and came to the decision to move forward.

“There are so many great [memories]. One is definitely winning the Big Ten championship, beating Ohio State. The LSU game was good, and beating Florida State — that was a good one. I have a lot of friends on that Florida State team.”

He’s from the Sunshine State, after all, and wanted that one badly.

Brown spent several days after the loss to UCLA back there with his family just relaxing after the grind, catching up on schoolwork so he could finish his degree. He’s exhaling a bit after a whirlwind year that went even better than he could have imagined, and make no mistake … he had high expectations.

Where he’ll play next has yet to be determined, but he’s content to take it as it comes, happy now just to revel in his and his team’s recent success. But he’ll be playing basketball somewhere, probably for a long time, hopefully in the NBA.

“I haven’t even gotten to the point of thinking about [what’s next],” he said with a laugh.

Whatever it is and for how long, he’ll always have the support of Wolverine nation behind him, a ‘Michigan Man’ for life.

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