Penn basketball recruit Jule Brown speaks about Jerome Allen's firing

We spoke with Penn basketball Class of 2019 recruit Jule Brown about the report that Jerome Allen's firing once the season is over. Here's what Brown had to say.

Daily Pennsylvanian: So what was your initial reaction to Allen's firing? How did you first hear about it?

Jule Brown: I got a lot of text messages saying that he was leaving. I’m not really sure. I know it’s really sad. I thought I had a great connection with him, along with the other coaches. But I’m shocked. That’s all I can say.

DP: When you were being recruited, did you see this as a possibility?

JB: I heard things about it. I had no doubt in my mind that he would come back. So that’s why I’m so surprised. Y’know, I don’t know. I can’t explain it.

DP: Have you thought about how it might affect whether you are coming to Penn in the fall?

JB: I had heard things about him not coming back at the beginning of the year. Penn’s a great school, besides the basketball part, so I’m not really sure what the future holds, but I’m not going to make a decision or anything. But Penn’s a great school, so it would be foolish not to look at Penn, just because of the decision at the coaching spot. But I’m not really sure … I’m not really sure.

DP: How have you been doing so far this year? How has the team been doing?

JB: We’ve had some up-and-downs this year. We got it together... Today we actually lost to Cedar Crest, the first round of States. So, our season’s over. But, uh, I’m really proud of our season and the way we fought back. We- we had a great season.

DP: How have you developed over the past year or so as a player, and how do you continue to get better, especially with the college level coming pretty soon?

JB: I think my development has been pretty good. I think I’m getting a lot stronger. My shot is coming along really well. I struggled with my shot earlier in my freshman and sophomore year, but it’s getting a lot better. I still have a lot of things to work on. Ball handling – strength is huge, so I’m gonna be in the weight room a lot before I get there. But I bring a lot of good things to the team. As far as being a good teammate, that’s something that I really stress. So I think that’s a great quality that I’ll be bringing to the college level.

DP: When you were initially being recruited, were you considering other schools besides Penn? Which schools in particular were on your radar at the time?

JB: I sorta ended my recruitment pretty early. I had offers from Columbia, Lafayette and Hartford. But I made a decision that Penn was the right place for me. That’s why I ended my recruitment early. And coach Allen played a big part in that recruitment ... So, I’m sad to see him go. But you know, Penn’s a great school, great basketball team, great school, so I’d be foolish not to stick with them. But, yeah.

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