Sports

Decision to attend Hoop Group pays off for Wings’ Brown with FDU offer

READING, Pa. – Jaequan Brown was planning use this week to rest and get ready for the AAU Nationals and Super Showcase in Orlando, Fla. Instead, he found himself in Reading, Pa. at Albright College.

The reason? Former Wings Academy teammate Justin Jenkins.

“He said it was a good experience, you play against top players and you’re with your friends,” Brown said.

He left out exposure, lots of it. Brown, a rising senior who averaging 10 points and eight rebounds per game last year, is already reaping the benefits. He picked up his first offer from FDU Wednesday night.

“I’m real happy I came down,” the second team All-Bronx selection of The Post said. “It’s probably the best decision I made. I knew I played well, but I didn’t think I played well enough to get a scholarship. …. I was very hyped. It was very exciting. Once I got it, I told my mother, my father, my grandmother.”

Jenkins, who landed a scholarship at Fairfield and is currently taking summer courses at the MAAC school, had a big week at Hoop Group last year. His performance led to him landing several mid-major scholarships in the winter. A versatile 6-foot-4 forward, Brown hopes history repeats itself.

“I’m going to attack the basket at will, rebound and play defense,” said Brown, who has drawn high interest from Quinnipiac, along with VCU, Delaware, Drexel, Fordham and Hofstra. “I have to show I have a lot of energy on the court.”

The camp setting is not necessarily the best way for Brown to showcase his talents. For Wings, he was a glue guy, a lockdown defender and strong rebounder whose offense came around late in the season.

“I’m not gonna change at all,” he said. “I’m gonna play how I play.”

That’s particularly true since he missed all of last summer with a serious ankle injury. Instead of playing in front of college coaches, he made various trips to water parks to take his mind off of basketball. He’s happy to be back.

“This is really big for me,” he said.

It already has been.

zbraziller@nypost.com