Quinn Cook sees bright future for Vanderbilt signee Anthony Brown Jr. – Sports Illustrated

Prince George’s County, Maryland native and 2026 Archbishop Carroll High School (Washington, DC) graduate Anthony Brown Jr. has already experienced a taste of the spotlight. 
He appeared in the Tubi documentary “Comeback Kids: A Middle School Basketball Story” that was released in 2023. 
Directed by Jimmy Jenkins, the documentary followed Brown's middle school team and its pursuit of a county championship.
In an exclusive interview with High School On SI, Anthony Brown Jr. recalled his experience filming the documentary as a middle school student. 
“It was amazing,” he said. “I feel like it got me ready for the cameras early. It was a documentary about young kids just playing the game they love and being brothers on and off the court.” 
Quinn Cook, a former NBA player and fellow Prince George’s County native, was also featured in the documentary about the Thomas G. Pullen middle school basketball team in Landover, Maryland and their pursuit of a county championship during the 2018 season. Cook was also an executive producer for the documentary. 
“I was playing with the (Golden State) Warriors at the time so we were following their journey that entire year,” recalled Cook, who won NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers and an NCAA title at Duke. “They were the best team in the area, obviously some great players but I was also like a mentor so I would check in weekly just to make sure they were doing well.” 
Cook, a former DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, Maryland) standout, said he and Brown’s father have been friends for a long time. 
“I’ve known his dad my entire life and obviously I remember Ant when he was a baby,” said Cook. “He’s always been around the game. His family has done a tremendous job just grooming him to not just be a great basketball player but to be a better person, a better human.” 
Cook said he remembers the days when Brown attended his summer basketball camp as a youth. 
“He was about seven, eight years old and he was just always just wanting to play with the big kids,” explained Cook. “He was always going the hardest in the drills and he’s always been like that.” 
Brown also appeared in a Nike promotional campaign featuring rapper Wale and the GT Future Ice sneaker.
The campaign also featured actor Gbenga Akinnagbe and streetball legend Lonnie Harrell.  
“It was amazing, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Brown said about co-starring in a Nike commercial with Wale and Gbenga Akinnagbe. 
“I was kind of shocked and nervous at first,” Brown admitted. “Out of the first couple of hours I got used to it and I was fine from there.” 
Gbenga Akinnagbe, a native of Montgomery County, Maryland and Wale’s cousin, rose to prominence for his role as Chris Partlow on the HBO series “The Wire.” 
Lonnie Harrell, a Washington, D.C. native who was perhaps best known as “Prime Objective” on the AND1 Mixtape Tour, is the head coach for women’s basketball at Digital Pioneers Academy in the nation’s capital. 
The commercial was filmed in the DMV area, a basketball hotbed that continues to produce elite talent year in and year out. 
“He’s making everybody proud and I just remember when he was that kid dreaming to be where he is now and I know he has a lot of more work to do,” Cook said about Brown.  
“I think he’s going to be a good player,” said Anthony “Jo Jo” Hunter, a Washington, D.C. native who was a superstar at Mackin Catholic High School during the 1970’s. “He could be a good college player because he’s got great vision.” 
Eddie Basden, who played at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland and had a brief NBA stint with the Chicago Bulls, also had some kind words for Brown. 
“He’s just got that star power,” said Basden. “He’s an electrifying player. I love to watch him play. He plays with a lot of heart, a lot of energy, enthusiasm and that’s what the game is about. He’s a tough kid on the offensive end and the defensive end because he’s not backing down at all so I like him. He’s a true testament to what a DMV player, a D.C. player, a Maryland player is built on.” 
Brown, who signed with Vanderbilt University last year, helped lead the Archbishop Carroll Lions to a 23-13 record during his senior campaign at the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) school. He finished his high school career with more than 2,000 points and was a two-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference scoring champion. 
Brown was named DC Player of the Year by Gatorade Player of the Year and several other media outlets and coaches' associations.
Brown was also named Most Valuable Player of the prestigious Capital Classic High School All-Star Game and participated in the annual Allen Iverson Roundball Classic where he earned the 2026 Community Leader Award. He was also named the 2026 All Metropolitan Boys Basketball Player of the Year by the Pigskin Club of Washington, Inc. 
Besides his parents, Brown’s biggest supporters include rapper Fat Trel and various friends and family members.  
“I think he’s an NBA All-Star,” said Cook. “I think he can be a 15, 16-year NBA vet. I think he’ll be a first round pick. I think he’s going to go to the SEC and win. They have a great culture there already. I think he’s going to add to that. He’s won his whole life and he’s had a chip on his shoulder so that won’t change when he gets to the next level and I think he’ll have a long NBA career.” 
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Brandy Simms is an award-winning sports journalist who has covered professional, college and high school sports in the DMV for more than 30 years including the NFL, NBA and WNBA. He has an extensive background in both print and broadcast media and has freelanced for SLAM, Dime Magazine and The Washington Post. A former Sports Editor for The Montgomery County Sentinel, Simms captured first place honors in the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association 2006 Editorial Contest for a sports column entitled “Remembering Len Bias.” The Oakland, California native began his postgraduate career at WMAL-AM Radio in Washington, D.C. where he produced the market’s top-rated sports talk show “Sports Call” with host Ken Beatrice. A former Sports Director for “Cable News 21,” Simms also produced sports at WJLA-TV and served as host of the award-winning “Metro Sports Connection” program on Montgomery Community Television. Simms is a frequent contributor to various radio and television sports talk shows in the Washington, D.C. market. In 2024, he made his national television debut on “The Rich Eisen Show” on the Roku Channel. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025.
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