Air Force center no longer at the academy

Center Phillip Brown won't be back at Air Force for his junior season.

Falcons men's basketball coach Jeff Reynolds confirmed Wednesday that Brown no longer is a cadet at the academy. He said he could not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Brown's departure because of the privacy act.

"We're disappointed, but we wish him well," Reynolds said. "We're going to stay in contact with him because he's a great kid, and we're going to help him where we can."

Labeled a "very big-time recruit" by former coach Jeff Bzdelik, the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Brown boasted considerable strength and athleticism.

But his career at Air Force never really got started in large part because of academic struggles.

Brown, from Jonesboro, Ga., was held out of selected practices as a freshman so he could concentrate on academics, and that set him back in learning Air Force's offense.

He played in only one game - at BYU late in the season. He showed flashes of his potential in that appearance, however, scoring six points, grabbing four rebounds and blocking three shots in 13 minutes. The three blocks were the most by any Falcon in a game during the 2007-08 season.

But Brown did not get off the bench again as a freshman, and he was ruled ineligible for the nonconference portion of last season.

He played just 7 minutes in two games during conference play.

"Obviously, his career didn't end up like we had hoped," Reynolds said.