Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush. Freshman Jordan Brown poses for a photo at Nevada Men’s Basketball Media Day. Brown is the highest rated recruit in Nevada history.

Jordan Brown can help the Nevada Wolf Pack men’s basketball team reach new heights.

The 6’10” power forward headlines a group of new additions to an already loaded Wolf Pack roster. Brown is the first five-star recruit Nevada has signed in program history. He was ESPN’s No. 31 rated prospect during his senior season at Prolific Prep High School, located in Napa, California.

Brown has earned several other accolades and honors, he was a USA Today All-USA California first-team honoree and a MaxPreps All-America second-team selection.

Brown’s commitment to the university may come as a surprise for some — he was the only McDonald’s All-American this year to commit to a non-power five conference school — but Nevada planted the seeds for his eventual signing all along. They were the first school to offer Brown a basketball scholarship after his freshman season at Woodcreek High School in 2015, several other prestigious universities followed soon after.

Fast forward to this season and Brown may just be the final piece for an extended run in the NCAA Tournament for the Wolf Pack.

“It was just the opportunity on the roster they had for me,” he said. “They had an awesome run to the Sweet Sixteen last year and it was really fun to see how they play. Hopefully with my addition and a few other transfers, we can go even further this year.”

Brown was a consistent double-double machine throughout his high school career. He capped off his senior season with averages of 23.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. Brown tallied 26 points in the McDonald’s All-Star game, the third most by any California player in the history of the game.

His size, length and athleticism on both ends of the floor are fitting in nicely with the rest of the squad.

“I want to help open the offense up even more,” he said. “I can bring an inside presence down low on offense and I can be defensive threat by protecting the rim on the other end. So I feel that those skills can really help fit with the rest of the team.”

Settling into the culture of Nevada has been an easy transition for Brown. He’s learning the team’s standards under seniors Caleb and Cody Martin, both have challenged Brown to reach his full potential.

“They have really taken me under their wing,” he said. “They want to help me to fulfill my role with the rest of the guys and they’ve pushed me to be a better player.”

With Brown in the mix, head coach Eric Musselman can experiment with an array of lineups on the floor. He can go big with Brown and 6’11” senior Trey Porter together or utilize a smaller unit with Brown at the center position. No matter where he is on the court, Brown can give the opposing team headaches defensively.

“I just want to build upon last year’s performance and help us improve from there,” he added.

Brown’s schematic fit and talent can be a perfect match for Nevada and ultimately put them over the top of a highly anticipated 2018-19 basketball season

Isaiah Burrows can be reached at dstrugs@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.