Point Park adds Trumbull transfers Brown, Lanier

July 13, 2013 at 12:05a.m.

PITTSBURGH

Former Trumbull County basketball standouts Nick Brown and T.J. Lanier will continue their college basketball careers next season at Point Park University.

Brown, a 6-foot-7 forward from Warren JFK, was a reserve player at West Liberty University the last three seasons, all of which included an appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, including two final Four finishes. The Hilltoppers were ranked No. 1 in the national polls for much of the last two seasons and have led the country in scoring seven of the last eight years.

At Kennedy, Brown was District Player of the Year and a first-team all-state selection.

“I know Nick has aspirations to play overseas and this is a good opportunity to showcase his skills with just one year left. He should be an immediate impact player for us,” said Gabe Bubon, Point Park assistant coach and a Warren native. “It was a tough decision for him playing at one of the top-ranked Division II schools in the country but after a while you get tired of being a role player. I think it will work out well for him.”

Lanier is a 6-6 guard-forward from Howland who spent his freshman season of 2011-12 at Seton Hill University. He was an all-state special mention choice and was first-team all-district as a senior at Howland. He did not play collegeiately last season.

“T.J. was out of school so we were on him early,” Bubon said. “I heard he was back home and got in contact with him. You could tell he wanted to get back in.”

Bubon is in his eighth season at Point Park as an assistant coach. He still holds the school’s single-game scoring mark of 45 points, set in his lone season as a Pioneer, 1999-2000.

“We have a unique situation in downtown Pittsburgh and not having a great campus facility. It’s hard to sell the city to 18-year-old kids but it’s a lot easier when they are more mature and know what they want to get out of college basketball,” he said.

“We are one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation and we expect these guys to come in and put up some numbers.”

Bob Rager just completed his 24th season as head coach at Point Park and has a career record of 323-313. He has led the school to the NAIA national tournament three times including an NAIA D-I Final Four appearance in 1996-97.

Under Rager’s up-tempo style of play the Pioneers have ranked in the top five of NAIA Division II scoring in five of the last seven years.

In 2012-13 Point Park finished 14-11 overall and 8-7 in its first year in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.