The Valparaiso University men's basketball program and head coach Roger Powell Jr. have announced the signing of Mark Brown Jr. (South Phoenix, Ariz. / Bella Vista Prep [Snow College]), who will join the program as a junior for the 2025-26 season.
 
A 6-foot point guard, Brown joins the Beacons after two seasons at the junior college level. He is ranked No. 61 among JUCO players nationally according to JUCORecruiting.com.
 
"Mark is a veteran point guard and proven winner at that position," Powell said. "He led his team to a No. 1 ranking in JUCO last year. He is an older, savvy guard with scoring ability who gives us significant experience.
 
Brown averaged 13.3 points per game in 2024-25 while also dishing out 4.3 assists per contest. Over his two seasons at Snow, he totaled 669 points, 220 rebounds and 215 assists. He turned in 33 double-figure scoring outputs in two seasons including a career-high 34 points on Nov. 22, 2024 at Odessa College. Brown had five or more assists on 16 occasions over the last two years including a pair of points-assists double-doubles this year.
 
"I'm truly blessed and grateful for the opportunity to play at Valpo," Snow said. "It's the next chapter in my life, and I'm ready to keep working. I've always liked the program and the coaching staff. They've been recruiting me the whole year. They stayed in contact with me and that kept them on my mind."
 
After originally committing to a different Division-I institution, Brown decided to reopen his recruitment, and quickly reconnected with the Valpo staff.
 
"I got on FaceTime with Coach Powell and Coach Baldwin, and they wanted to know what they had to do to get me to Valpo," Brown said. "Coach Powell asked, 'Where are you in Phoenix,' and he was on the first plane there. He flew out to see me at the house and talked to me, showed me film and I committed right there at my house."
 
An all-conference honoree, Brown had a 20-point, 12-assist performance in the Region 18 title game against Southern Idaho. He was named the Region 18 Tournament Most Valuable Player for a Badgers team that went 32-2 overall and 15-0 in conference play.
 
"Getting a championship ring at Snow was special, and now I'm trying to bring one to Valpo," he said. "I'm a real point guard who can do everything. I can pass, score and defend at a high level. The Valpo fans are getting a great point guard."
 
During his days at Bella Vista Prep, Brown was named to the all-region team after averaging 15 points, six rebounds, seven assists and two steals per game. Brown, who plans to pursue a degree in business, enjoys clothing and putting on outfits in his spare time. He likes sightseeing, being outdoors and going on adventures.
 
Mark's older brother Brandon Brown began his career in the JUCO ranks at Phoenix College, where he won a national title as a freshman and lost in the semifinals as a sophomore, before going on to play two seasons at the NCAA Division-I level at Loyola Marymount. Brandon earned back-to-back All-West Coast Conference honors, earning honorable mention in 2015-16 and second team in 2016-17. Brandon averaged 13.5 points per game and totaled 811 in two seasons at LMU while shooting 40.9 percent from 3 and 40.5 percent from the floor as a senior. He went on to a professional career overseas.