Grad transfer Elijah Brown picks Oregon over Gonzaga

Former New Mexico (and Butler) guard Elijah Brown has committed to play with the Oregon Ducks, FanRag Sports reported on Monday. Per NCAA graduate transfer rules, Brown is eligible to play immediately next season.

This is important for Gonzaga Bulldog fans because Brown visited the campus last week, and with the sudden departure of four scholarships, the Zags were looking to bolster up the lineup.

Brown would have fit that bill slightly, but it never really seemed like he was going to be a solid fit with the Zags from the get go. Brown is about the same size as guards Silas Melson and Josh Perkins, and he has been a volume scorer for much of his collegiate career. He averaged nearly 19 points per game last season for New Mexico, but he also shot less than 40 percent from the floor as the focal point for that offense.

Mark Few can be a bit stubborn in his ways, and Melson most likely will be rewarded with a starting spot in his senior season. Brown could’ve started at the three-spot, but he wouldn’t have been the greatest addition to the lineup. The Zags need a slasher on the wing, and Brown REALLY loved his jump shot last season, only 13.2 percent of his shots came at the rim last season (per Hoop-Math.com).

The “well we did make the NCAA title game” probably worked pretty well, but the Ducks are able to also say, “well we did make the Final Four.”

Brown was one of two big transfers looking at Gonzaga. Duke transfer Chase Jeter was visiting Spokane this past weekend, although Jeter will have to sit out a year.