University Southern California Trojans
Photo by: John McGillen
Jaden Brownell Embraces Getting out of His Comfort Zone at USC
January 08, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Features
After taking a circuitous college basketball journey, Brownell has found a home at USC
Jaden Brownell knew he had to be ready.
No matter what the situation was or how often he played, Brownell understood that once he got his chance, he had to be ready to score. For his first few weeks at USC, he kept putting in the work in practice, stayed diligent in prayer, and prepared his mind for the moment he could make a difference for his new team.
After playing sporadic minutes in the first six games, Brownell got his first major opportunity in the Maui Invitational championship. With USC trailing Arizona State 12-10 in a back-and-forth battle, Brownell checked into the game with 13 minutes and 45 seconds left in the first half. It was no surprise the Trojans needed someone to score — and fast.
On Brownell's first trip down the floor, Jacob Cofie whipped a pass outside to Brownell in the right corner. As soon as he saw his shot go in, he knew he was going to have a good day.
"When I see one go in, I know two more threes are coming," Brownell said. "I feel like I can heat up really quickly. I can miss three shots in a row, but then once I hit one, all of my confidence is back. My dad always told me that when you're on, shoot. But if you're off, shoot until you're on."
The next possession, Brownell drifted down to the right block, worked his way back to the key to set a screen for Jerry Easter II, then bolted to the left wing. Easter found Brownell, Brownell fired from NBA range. Swish.
Now he was in rhythm. Two minutes later, Brownell curled around a screen on an inbounds play for a wide-open dunk. With eight minutes to go, the 6-foot-10 stretch forward posted up a defender on the low block and made a hook shot through contact for his fourth bucket of the half. Before he knew it, he had 10 points in less than five minutes.
Brownell finished the game with 16 points in just 15 minutes with three made threes. Without his quick scoring in the first half, the Trojans might not have won the Maui Invitational title.
"It felt great to have that good of a game — being able to shoot some threes, have a dunk and a nice hook shot," Brownell said. "It was the championship in Maui, too, and it couldn't be better than that."
Since that game, Brownell has become one of USC's most efficient scorers. Over the last nine games, the senior stretch-forward from Sandy, Utah is averaging 10.1 points in 17.8 minutes per game while connecting on 37.2% of his three-pointers. All told, his play lately has been an affirmation that choosing USC for his final year of college basketball was the right move.
The Sandy, Utah, native began his career at the University of Illinois-Chicago for two seasons before having a breakout season for Samford during the Bulldogs' NIT run last year. When head coach Bucky McMillan left for Texas A&M in the offseason, Brownell decided to enter the portal one more time in hopes of finding the ideal place to end his collegiate career.
One night, after Brownell transferred, he and his now-wife, Alexa, discussed their options over the phone. They knew leaving Samford was the right move. But they also knew they couldn't drag out the decision. With their wedding scheduled for later in the summer, they knew they wanted to be settled in the right spot for both of them. At the end of the call, they prayed together, asking for a sign.
Twenty minutes later, USC called.
"I thought it was too good to be true," Brownell said. "Like it was just one of those things where it was happening way too fast, like, but then it just kept being the best option."
Although Brownell went through the full recruiting process with USC and a couple of other schools, he knew in the back of his mind that USC was his best option all along. He committed to USC on April 25 — less than three weeks after entering the transfer portal — and was the fourth of 10 transfers to commit to Head Coach Eric Musselman's new-look Trojans squad this summer.
This move to USC is the latest stop on Brownell's journey to rediscovering his love for basketball. But thanks to his perseverance over the last four years, he and Alexa have finally found their home in Los Angeles.
If there's one thing to know about Brownell, it's that he likes to get out of his comfort zone. During his senior year of high school, he had three offers: Idaho State, NAU and UIC. Ultimately, he chose UIC because it was the farthest from home. Growing up, his father, Chris, encouraged him to pursue new experiences every chance that he could.
"Utah is great, but I wanted to see something else," Brownell said. "Utah is known for having a bubble, and people love to stay in their bubble. I wanted to get out and experience new things, and Chicago is obviously a crazy difference."
"Getting out of your comfort zone builds character and gives you new experiences, so that if you're thrown into a new situation, you aren't freaking out about it," Brownell added. "How I look at things is that everything can be uncomfortable, but it won't be as bad if I make myself uncomfortable every day."
His time at UIC wasn't easy. During his freshman year, his coaches decided to redshirt him, determining he needed a year to bulk up and get acclimated to the pace of the college game. But as he watched his teammates play through a difficult season, he knew he could help — he just didn't get the chance.
Over the next two seasons, Brownell averaged five points in 12 minutes per game and the Flames had two more early exits in the Horizon League Tournament. Before his junior year, UIC made a coaching change in the offseason and Brownell entered the transfer portal for the first time.
However, Brownell doesn't regret his two years at UIC. Despite the challenges, that first experience getting out of his comfort zone was instrumental in making him the player he is today.
"Overall, I don't regret it," Brownell said. "It was probably for the best. I wouldn't have been able to be here if I hadn't taken that opportunity."
In his first transfer portal stint, Samford emerged as one of the early candidates. The Bulldogs ran an uptempo, shooter-friendly system paired with an intense full-court press dubbed Buckyball, named after head coach Bucky McMillan. During his recruitment, Holladay, Utah, native Rylan Jones encouraged Brownell to consider Samford not only for its system, but also for how the team conducted itself. As long as you played hard, you could thrive at Samford.
Brownell was sold. By the end of fall camp, Brownell fell in love with basketball again. And once McMillan and Jones put their trust in Brownell, their decision paid off. Brownell thrived in the fast-paced system, regained confidence in his shot and became the Bulldogs' second-leading scorer. During the 23-win season, Brownell averaged 14 points and four rebounds per game — both shattering his career highs.
"I enjoyed it," Brownell said of his time in Samford. "[McMillan] let me shoot my shots and allowed me to get the love of basketball back. I was starting to lose my love for it. I didn't know if I really wanted to play. I had never questioned myself until my last couple of years. And then I was like, 'I'm gonna stick with it.'
"I really appreciate Bucky and all the assistants there," Brownell added. "They really helped me regain the love for the game."
Despite the change of scenery from Alabama to USC, Brownell's role has mostly remained unchanged. The Trojans have used Brownell as an effective three-point shooter who can stretch the floor, all while complementing the team's dynamic scorers. Although the road from Sandy to Los Angeles has been circuitous and challenging, Brownell is exactly where he needs to be.
"This team is great," Brownell said. "We definitely want to get to the tournament and show the world what we can do. For me, as long as I keep hitting the shots and keep playing my role, then my coaches and teammates will trust me. I can work on the things I need to work on and just keep shooting the ball."
No matter what the situation was or how often he played, Brownell understood that once he got his chance, he had to be ready to score. For his first few weeks at USC, he kept putting in the work in practice, stayed diligent in prayer, and prepared his mind for the moment he could make a difference for his new team.
After playing sporadic minutes in the first six games, Brownell got his first major opportunity in the Maui Invitational championship. With USC trailing Arizona State 12-10 in a back-and-forth battle, Brownell checked into the game with 13 minutes and 45 seconds left in the first half. It was no surprise the Trojans needed someone to score — and fast.
On Brownell's first trip down the floor, Jacob Cofie whipped a pass outside to Brownell in the right corner. As soon as he saw his shot go in, he knew he was going to have a good day.
"When I see one go in, I know two more threes are coming," Brownell said. "I feel like I can heat up really quickly. I can miss three shots in a row, but then once I hit one, all of my confidence is back. My dad always told me that when you're on, shoot. But if you're off, shoot until you're on."
The next possession, Brownell drifted down to the right block, worked his way back to the key to set a screen for Jerry Easter II, then bolted to the left wing. Easter found Brownell, Brownell fired from NBA range. Swish.
Now he was in rhythm. Two minutes later, Brownell curled around a screen on an inbounds play for a wide-open dunk. With eight minutes to go, the 6-foot-10 stretch forward posted up a defender on the low block and made a hook shot through contact for his fourth bucket of the half. Before he knew it, he had 10 points in less than five minutes.
JB slam off the inbounds‼️🔨
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) November 26, 2025
He's up to 8 points on the day
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/kgXfEyv6i4
Brownell finished the game with 16 points in just 15 minutes with three made threes. Without his quick scoring in the first half, the Trojans might not have won the Maui Invitational title.
"It felt great to have that good of a game — being able to shoot some threes, have a dunk and a nice hook shot," Brownell said. "It was the championship in Maui, too, and it couldn't be better than that."
Since that game, Brownell has become one of USC's most efficient scorers. Over the last nine games, the senior stretch-forward from Sandy, Utah is averaging 10.1 points in 17.8 minutes per game while connecting on 37.2% of his three-pointers. All told, his play lately has been an affirmation that choosing USC for his final year of college basketball was the right move.
The Sandy, Utah, native began his career at the University of Illinois-Chicago for two seasons before having a breakout season for Samford during the Bulldogs' NIT run last year. When head coach Bucky McMillan left for Texas A&M in the offseason, Brownell decided to enter the portal one more time in hopes of finding the ideal place to end his collegiate career.
One night, after Brownell transferred, he and his now-wife, Alexa, discussed their options over the phone. They knew leaving Samford was the right move. But they also knew they couldn't drag out the decision. With their wedding scheduled for later in the summer, they knew they wanted to be settled in the right spot for both of them. At the end of the call, they prayed together, asking for a sign.
Twenty minutes later, USC called.
"I thought it was too good to be true," Brownell said. "Like it was just one of those things where it was happening way too fast, like, but then it just kept being the best option."
Although Brownell went through the full recruiting process with USC and a couple of other schools, he knew in the back of his mind that USC was his best option all along. He committed to USC on April 25 — less than three weeks after entering the transfer portal — and was the fourth of 10 transfers to commit to Head Coach Eric Musselman's new-look Trojans squad this summer.
This move to USC is the latest stop on Brownell's journey to rediscovering his love for basketball. But thanks to his perseverance over the last four years, he and Alexa have finally found their home in Los Angeles.
If there's one thing to know about Brownell, it's that he likes to get out of his comfort zone. During his senior year of high school, he had three offers: Idaho State, NAU and UIC. Ultimately, he chose UIC because it was the farthest from home. Growing up, his father, Chris, encouraged him to pursue new experiences every chance that he could.
"Utah is great, but I wanted to see something else," Brownell said. "Utah is known for having a bubble, and people love to stay in their bubble. I wanted to get out and experience new things, and Chicago is obviously a crazy difference."
"Getting out of your comfort zone builds character and gives you new experiences, so that if you're thrown into a new situation, you aren't freaking out about it," Brownell added. "How I look at things is that everything can be uncomfortable, but it won't be as bad if I make myself uncomfortable every day."
His time at UIC wasn't easy. During his freshman year, his coaches decided to redshirt him, determining he needed a year to bulk up and get acclimated to the pace of the college game. But as he watched his teammates play through a difficult season, he knew he could help — he just didn't get the chance.
Over the next two seasons, Brownell averaged five points in 12 minutes per game and the Flames had two more early exits in the Horizon League Tournament. Before his junior year, UIC made a coaching change in the offseason and Brownell entered the transfer portal for the first time.
However, Brownell doesn't regret his two years at UIC. Despite the challenges, that first experience getting out of his comfort zone was instrumental in making him the player he is today.
"Overall, I don't regret it," Brownell said. "It was probably for the best. I wouldn't have been able to be here if I hadn't taken that opportunity."
In his first transfer portal stint, Samford emerged as one of the early candidates. The Bulldogs ran an uptempo, shooter-friendly system paired with an intense full-court press dubbed Buckyball, named after head coach Bucky McMillan. During his recruitment, Holladay, Utah, native Rylan Jones encouraged Brownell to consider Samford not only for its system, but also for how the team conducted itself. As long as you played hard, you could thrive at Samford.
Brownell was sold. By the end of fall camp, Brownell fell in love with basketball again. And once McMillan and Jones put their trust in Brownell, their decision paid off. Brownell thrived in the fast-paced system, regained confidence in his shot and became the Bulldogs' second-leading scorer. During the 23-win season, Brownell averaged 14 points and four rebounds per game — both shattering his career highs.
"I enjoyed it," Brownell said of his time in Samford. "[McMillan] let me shoot my shots and allowed me to get the love of basketball back. I was starting to lose my love for it. I didn't know if I really wanted to play. I had never questioned myself until my last couple of years. And then I was like, 'I'm gonna stick with it.'
"I really appreciate Bucky and all the assistants there," Brownell added. "They really helped me regain the love for the game."
Despite the change of scenery from Alabama to USC, Brownell's role has mostly remained unchanged. The Trojans have used Brownell as an effective three-point shooter who can stretch the floor, all while complementing the team's dynamic scorers. Although the road from Sandy to Los Angeles has been circuitous and challenging, Brownell is exactly where he needs to be.
"This team is great," Brownell said. "We definitely want to get to the tournament and show the world what we can do. For me, as long as I keep hitting the shots and keep playing my role, then my coaches and teammates will trust me. I can work on the things I need to work on and just keep shooting the ball."
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