Zach Brown, a 7-foot-2, 265-pound Class of 2017 center from Miami, has committed to St. John’s, his guardian Michael Lipman told SNY.
Brown was arrested in Miami in May on multiple robbery charges, according to a police record.
Brown was charged with armed robbery, credit card fraud and robbery by sudden snatching. The first two carried a bond of $10,000 apiece and the third charge carried a bond of $5,000.
Brown was released from custody and then played with his Nike South Beach team at the Peach Jam earlier this month.
“Two of the cases have been dropped and we remain hopeful about the third that’s pending,” attorneys Michael T. Davis and Benedict P. Kuehen told SNY.tv by phone, referring to the armed robbery and credit card fraud.
He still has a court date on the purse snatching charge in late July, Davis said. David added that Brown was taking summer school courses and is on pace to graduate.
– Zach Brown (@IAMZACH_BROWN) July 21, 2016
Brown committed to UConn Jan. 20 and enrolled at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut soon after, with speculation he might try to re-classify into the class of 2016.
But his time at Putnam was brief. The Hartford Courant reported Brown was involved in a postgame fight in Rhode Island and left the school in mid-February.
UConn and Brown then parted ways in May.
Lipman, Brown’s guardian, told SNY.tv at the time Brown would “reevaluate his options.”
The No. 3-ranked center in the Class of 2017 according to 247Sports.com, Brown held offers from Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Miami, but it is unclear who was still recruiting him after the robbery charges.
He is St. John’s first commit in the Class of 2017. The program technically doesn’t have any scholarships open for 2017 but is involved with several prospects, including PSA Cardinals forward Hasahn French.
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