AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State head men’s basketball coach Dip Metress announced Thursday that Howard Brown has signed a national letter-of-intent to play for the Jaguars beginning in the fall of 2006. He is the first signee of the spring signing period for Metress, who led the Jaguars to a 15-13 record in 2005-06, his second season at the helm of the Jaguar program.

A 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward from Savannah, Ga., Brown averaged 23.4 points and 12.4 rebounds as a senior at Savannah’s Urban Christian High School. He was a two-time MVP of the Memorial Christmas Classic and is a member of the AAU Atlantic Celtics squad.

“From the time I saw Howard play last spring, all the way through the summer and into the school year, the thing that impressed me most was how competitive he was on the floor,” Metress said. “He is a multi-dimensional athlete with the ability to score in a variety of ways. More importantly, he can guard almost any position on the floor.”

The Jaguars return two starters and nine lettermen from last year’s squad that finished sixth in the Peach Belt Conference regular-season standings and advanced to the PBC Tournament quarterfinals.