Scaling a mountain: Junior Jacari Brim of West Forsyth commits to play college basketball at Appalachian

Published 7:41 pm Friday, June 21, 2024

Jacari Brim had fantastic run this past season as a junior on the West Forsyth boys basketball team.

Although he just finished his junior year of high school where he was named player of the year in the Central Piedmont 4-A in helping West Forsyth finished 20-8 overall, he wanted to go ahead and get the recruiting process out the way. So, he did just that Friday night. Brim announced Friday night on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) that he intends to sign to play college basketball with Appalachian State.

“I’ve decided to go to Appalachian State,” Jacari said. “I would just say Coach (Dustin) Kerns (head coach at Appalachian) and the coaching staff, they preached about building a player on and off the court and making a family, and that’s where I felt that’s where I wanted to go.”

The NCHSAA has stated that basketball practice for the upcoming 2024-25 season starts Oct. 30 and the first available playing date is Nov. 13.

“I think it’s going to relieve a lot of pressure knowing that I’ve already committed to a good D-I school,” Jacari said. “So, I feel that will relieve all the pressure.”

According to nationalletter.org, Jacari, who finished this past season averaging 19.2 points, 6.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds, can officially sign his National Letter Intent with Appalachian State from Nov. 13-20 or from April 16-May 21 of next week. Jacari’s father, Marlon Brim, who is the head coach at West Forsyth, said they decide later when to officially sign.

“I’m excited for him,” Marlon said. “It’s been a long process. You know, I was talking to coaches (Friday) and they liked him ever since they saw him as a freshman, and then again as a sophomore. So, the process has been great and I think he made the right decision about picking App.”

Marlon said he chose Appalachian State over, Furman, College of Charleston, Presbyterian, Western Carolina and UNC Greensboro. Marlon also said they visited each school but Furman.

“I feel like that (signing) will be a big step to my journey,” Jacari said. “I feel like that will be one of the biggest days of my life I would say.”

According to Jacari, Appalachian State has recruited him hard the past year and a half, and he added that he went to three or four games this past season.

“It felt good,” Jacari said. “It felt good. It made it seem they knew who I was from the start. And when I first went up there some of the players saw me on Instagram and seen me sometimes and talked to them sometimes about App and how it was.”

Because Marlon is a head high school basketball coach, he gets a chance to meet many college coaches who recruit all of his players. This time, it just happens to be his son.

“We (Marlon and his wife) talked about it a lot,” Marlon said. “Mainly, me talking about it as his coach, or just talking about opportunities that high school basketball players get. You know, we have a lot of coming out of high school that sign a bunch of Division I scholarships with the transfer portal and just things like that.

“So, like I told him, you find a school that really wants you, really likes you, and that’s a better fit. So, to me that’s something we’ve always talked about, just me and him, and we had a family sit-down and he weighed his pros and cons and his options, and he made his decision that App was a better fit for him. We decided as family we would just back him as he made a decision.”

One thing that helped Jacari make the decision was that Kerns signed an extension this past April that could keep him at Appalachian State, which finished 27-7 this past season, through the 2029-30 season.

“Everybody that we talked to about Coach Kerns and his staff, everybody speaks highly of,” Marlon said. “So, I thought it was a great fit that he can go to App.”

Jacari said that NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) is something that neither he nor Appalachian State have discussed.

“They haven’t really talked about that part, but I’m sure they will,” Jacari said.

Even though Jacari had a very successful junior season for the Titans, he still has a full season to play as a senior before he heads to college.

“I’d say I’ve improved a lot as a player on and off the court, I would say,” he said. “I’ve gotten better overall I think each year.”

And Jacari also gets to have his dad as his head coach for one more season.

“It’s been crazy, I would say.” Jacari said.

One other enticement is the short distance it is to Boone. According to Google, it’s 78.7 miles from West Forsyth to Appalachian State.

“Wherever he went, we would be there,” Marlon said. “But being in Boone, an hour and a half away is great. Our family can get there, not just me — my wife and his siblings — but his other family can get to Boone and watch some games. So, I think that will be a great fit, too, as well.”

There’s just one drawback to going to school in Boone — the weather in the winter.

“That’s the only thing,” Jacari said.