Report and photo by LBCC’s Chris Ruiz

Long Beach City College’s Chris Brown has signed a national letter of intent to continue his athletic and academic career at Montana State University Northern in Havre, Montana.

Montana State University Northern plays at the NAIA level and is a member of the Frontier Conference, which is comprised of schools from Montana, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon.

Brown, a 6-5, 245-pound forward from Long Beach Poly High School, recently closed out a standout two-season career at LBCC.

“Chris has been a huge asset to the program,” said LBCC head coach Barry Barnes. “I only wished he could have played two consecutive seasons for us. But it shows a lot about his character and work ethic that he was able to come back and play for us after a two-year gap. He played great for us this season and was nearly the conference MVP. I wish him the best of luck in the future.”

Brown was a two-time first-team All-South Coast Conference South Division selection. He earned the honors as a sophomore during this past 2009-10 season and as a freshman in 2006-07.

He closed his sophomore season ranked fourth in the SCC South by averaging 13.8 points and led the division with 9.0 rebounds per game. As a freshman, Brown poured in 11.9 points and grabbed 7.2 rebounds per game.

Brown was recruited by numerous local colleges including Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal Poly Pomona, and Biola University but loved what MSU-Northern head coach Shawn Huse had to say about the program.

“It was an easy choice for me,” said Brown. “I talked a lot to coach Huse and he seemed very truthful and honest. He sounds like a great coach that really cares about his players. He stressed that the team was like a family and that was important to me.”

Brown will attend summer courses at MSU-Northern before the 2010-11 season begins.

Barnes also expects sophomores Lane Whitney and Stephon Gwin to sign letters of intent in the near future as well.