Not only is Aubrey Brown talented — her AAU coach considers her the best sophomore in the WPIAL — but the Belle Vernon standout is also extremely tough.
“She’s physical. She’s strong. She plays with grit,” said SLAAM’s Justin Binion. “She’s not afraid to mix it up with big players, with guards in the post. You can tell that she’s not afraid and even welcomes contact. And I’d say a lot of that is from her time as a wrestler.”
That’s right, before Brown began playing competitive basketball, she was first a wrestler, a sport in which her brother has become a star. A two-time PIAA champion, Elijah Brown will soon begin his college career at Penn State, which has won five consecutive national championships.
Considering her athleticism and genes, Aubrey said that others still try to talk her into becoming a wrestler again.
“Some of the coaches know my brother, obviously, and some of my old teammates are like, ‘You should come back.’ And I’m like, ‘No,’” she explained.
While Brown said that with a laugh, she continues to show that her basketball game is anything but a joke.
Brown is having a strong AAU season, her first with SLAAM. A 6-foot-2 forward with guard skills and several Division I offers, Brown averages team bests of 15 points and nine rebounds per game while playing on Binion’s 2028 team.
Remember the old UPS slogan, “What can Brown do for you?” Well, when it comes to basketball, this Brown does a lot of everything.
“I look at her as kind of our do-it-all player,” Binion said. “Scoring, defensive stop or rebound, I look to her as being that leader. Even if she may not be the vocal leader, she’s probably overall our leader.”
Brown is coming off an excellent sophomore season in which she helped Belle Vernon reach the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals and set a program record with 23 wins. Playing for coach Cornelius Nesbit, Brown averaged 10 points and eight rebounds a game and was one of only 14 sophomores around the WPIAL to receive all-section recognition.
And with five starters set to return, the Leopards figure to be even better next season and could very well win a first WPIAL championship.
“We have so much potential,” Brown said. “I think we have a good chance to go to The Pete.”
There’s a good chance Brown will play college basketball at a high level. She had an offer from Kent State before her freshman year concluded and received one from Mercyhurst in April. And chances are many more will come. June 1 was the first day college coaches could call and text players in the 2028 class, and by day’s end Brown said she had close to 20 schools reach out. A day later, she received her third offer from Oakland before picking up another from Colgate later in the week.
“I think her potential is through the roof, and I think she’s beginning to see that,” Binion said of Brown, who won’t turn 16 until later this month. “She’s had a little bit of a coming out party this AAU season. She’s caught the eyes of a lot of coaches, scouts, and I know her phone is blowing up.”
Among the reasons for the college interest is Brown’s versatility. At 6-2, Brown loves to battle down low — she said her favorite thing to do is rebound — and can make a living scoring in the post with what Binion called a “guard-like layup package.” But she is also adept at handling the ball and creating for others, and, defensively, regularly guards 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and 5’s.
“As a 6-foot-2 solid-framed kid, it’s hard to find kids that move like her,” Binion said. “That’s what really sticks out and what makes her special is that she moves like a guard. She finishes like a guard in a forward frame.”
Shooting has been a focus during AAU season, Brown said. From catch-and-shoot 3’s to one-dribble pull-ups, Brown is working diligently on becoming a better all-around shooter.
Brown’s height comes from her father’s side of the family. She said that her dad, Aaron, is about 6-5 and that her grandfather was 6-6 or 6-7.
Brown is a driven teen, with much of that drive coming from her desire to make her family proud. The Browns are a close-knit bunch. She has four siblings in all — brothers Jalen and Elijah and identical twin sisters Sydney and Jordyn. Jalen played basketball at La Roche.
Aubrey and Elijah are particularly close. Aubrey said that Elijah’s success has inspired her and makes her want to follow in his footsteps, only in a different sport.
“He’s my best friend. I’m going to be sad when he goes away,” said Aubrey, who has a 4.0 GPA and hopes to become a teacher one day.
However, Aubrey said she draws the most inspiration from her mom, Liz, who has been battling ovarian cancer since 2024.
“It’s been hard, obviously. But she still supports me and my whole family supports me. And I do it for her,” Aubrey said.
When you combine Brown’s strength, physicality, athletic ability and versatility with that drive, it’s easy to see why she has a bright future ahead of her.
“She plays to make sure that people respect the Brown name,” Binion added. “She looks up to her mom. She looks up to her brother. I think she carries that on the court with her. And I think that just helps motivate her to want to be the best version of herself, the best player she can be, the best person she can be. To make sure that she really is playing for her mom and her family overall. I’d say that’s one of the driving forces for her.”