Prospect Spotlight: Marcellus Brigham (2020)
Marcellus Brigham could be considered as the missing piece for Briarcrest Christian School’s chances at a state championship next season, with his athleticism and uncandidly, glued hands to the basketball.
Brigham is the perfect decoy for the Saints’ offense, as he could be the perfect distraction for defenses while sophomore point guard Kennedy Chandler and junior shooting guard Delvin White wreak havoc on the offensive end. Briarcrest Christian will also have the likes of Reggie Neely, Omari Thomas, and Jabari Small to give the Saints an extra boost.
Brigham can space the floor with his spot up shooting. He has upper body strength, an attribute he can use over his defenders. At 6-foot-6, he can drive to the basket, and can play in any offense. Brigham could be the Dennis Rodman of the 2020 class, with his niche for rebounding.
In the Jerry Peters Memphis Summer Classic last month, Brigham recorded 39 rebounds, which was good for 10th place. He had 14 points and eight rebounds against Melrose. In Briarcrest Christian’s final game of the classic, Brigham recorded a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) in a convincing win over Center Hill High School.
What makes the junior forward special is that he can be effective on the court without scoring a single point, but Brigham wants to improve on his ball handling and jump shot, so he can provide more to his teammates than just a stats sheet full of rebounds.
“I feel like I can be a great offensive threat,” Brigham said. “With Kennedy running the one, and Delvin at shooting guard, we can space the floor out a lot more. “Rodney (Newsome) can space the floor out even more. He can shoot it also.”
The Saints’ head coach John Harrington speaks highly of Brigham, who has a high motor, with a high ceiling included. Harrington feels as time moves along, Brigham will mode himself into a Division 1 basketball player.
“When Marcellus plays with a high motor, and what I mean by that is defensive rebounding and offensive rebounding, he’s going to be a great 3-point shooter,” Harrington said. “He doesn’t get to show that enough. As the season goes along, I think you will see more of that.
“He can guard anybody from a one to a five. He’s 6-6. He’s got long arms. He’s very athletic, so he can guard a point guard in fact, keeping his feet away and making him shoot over him. But, he can also guard a post kid, because he’s so long and athletic.”
Brigham has the rebounding efforts of Rodman, but the offense of a Ben Simmons. His jump shot needs some work, but he can run the floor, finish at the rim, and pass the basketball, with effortless court vision.
Brigham has yet to pick up an offer, and hasn’t thought about it much, but realizes there will come a time in his high school years where coaches from different college basketball programs will contact him for a campus visit or dial up his cell phone for a conversation. Schools such as Virginia, UAB, and Liberty have shown interest in Brigham.