Markel Brown has his high school jersey retired

On Tuesday, February 17, Brooklyn Nets rookie Markel Brown had his high school jersey, No. 22, retired at Peabody Magnet High School in Alexandria, Louisiana.

"Peabody has a rich tradition and I am blessed to have the honor of winning two championships here," said Brown. "The highlight for me was in my senior year in 2010 going 41 and 0 and being ranked 15th in the nation." In that season, he was named to the All-State team and won "Louisiana Mr. Basketball."

"Markel is a great young man," said his high school coach, Charles Smith. "Since his freshman year he just grew, both on the court and in the classroom. He has had a rough personal life and the fact that he has been able to keep his head above water really shows how's strong of an individual he is. When I asked him about doing this event his first question was if we can involve as many local children as possible. He looks out for the local youth and wants to inspire them."

Brown was an honor roll student in high school, received his degree from Oklahoma State and, this past summer, was drafted 44th overall by the Nets. He has played in just 17 games as a rookie, averaging just 5.6 minutes per game.