Brandon Mouton facts for kids

Brandon Prescott Mouton (born August 18, 1981) is an American former college basketball player. He played high school basketball at St. Thomas More Catholic in Lafayette, Louisiana. After high school, Mouton joined the Texas Longhorns. He was a key part of the team that reached the 2003 NCAA Tournament Final Four. In August 2003, he played for the United States men's national basketball team at the Pan American Games. He started all five games for the U.S. team. After his senior year in college, he was not chosen in the 2004 NBA draft. He played in the 2004 NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers but did not continue a professional basketball career.

High School Basketball Journey

Brandon Mouton was born in Mount Kisco, Westchester County, New York. His family moved to Louisiana when he was in 8th grade. He went to St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette.

Amazing Sophomore Year

In his second year (1997–98), Brandon was a star player. He scored about 18.6 points and grabbed 9 rebounds per game. His team won the District championship. Brandon was named the District 5-4A Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was also chosen for the All-District First Team and All-State team. USA Today newspaper also recognized him as an Honorable Mention All-American.

Junior and Senior Success

In his junior year, Brandon continued to shine. He averaged 21.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He was again named to the All-District and All-State first teams. He was also the District MVP. His team even played in the state championship game in 1999. USA Today again named him an Honorable Mention All-American.

Before his senior year, he played in the AAU Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas. Playing for the New Orleans Jazz, he scored 33 points in the final game. His team won the tournament. He also attended the ABCD Camp, which features the best high school players.

In his senior year, Brandon was a top player in the country. He was ranked highly by different scouting services. He finished his senior season as District MVP and on the All-State first team. He averaged 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He also won MVP of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association All-Star Game. Street & Smith named him an Honorable Mention All-American. Brandon scored over 1,000 points during his high school career.

College Basketball Career

Many top colleges wanted Brandon Mouton to play for them. He visited schools like Louisiana-Lafayette, LSU, Purdue, Southern Miss, and Texas. He also received interest from famous programs like Kansas and Kentucky. In October 1999, he decided to play for the Texas Longhorns. He officially signed in November.

Freshman Season Highlights

As a freshman, Brandon wore jersey number 3. He mostly played as a backup small forward. On November 22, 2000, he scored a season-high 18 points against Duke. He also grabbed 5 rebounds in that game. He played about 20 minutes per game. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds over 34 games. He was the team's sixth-best scorer. He also shot very well from the three-point line, making 37.3% of his shots. He played in the NCAA tournament game against Temple.

Sophomore Season Success

In his second year, Brandon became a starter for the Longhorns. This happened after Maurice Evans left for the NBA draft. With more playing time, Brandon's scoring improved a lot. He averaged 13.7 points per game. On November 17, 2001, he scored 15 points and had 9 rebounds against Arizona. He set a new personal best with 22 points against Baylor in January. Later, he scored 26 points (with 5 three-pointers) against Oklahoma. He finished the season averaging 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He also shot 39.4% from three-point range. Brandon played in the NCAA tournament again in 2002.

Junior Year and Final Four Run

For his junior year, Coach Rick Barnes kept Brandon in the starting lineup. He scored at least 10 points in the first five games of the season. On March 1, he reached a big milestone: 1,000 career points. He scored 20 points in that game against Texas Tech. Brandon was the team's second-best scorer, averaging 14.8 points per game. He was also the second player in minutes played per game.

Brandon was one of Texas's top players during the 2003 NCAA tournament. He led the team in scoring, averaging 17.8 points. He scored 27 points against UConn in the Sweet Sixteen game. He made 4 of 7 three-pointers in that game. In the Final Four game against Syracuse, he scored a team-best 25 points. He made 5 of 9 three-pointers. After the season, he received many awards. He was named co-MVP of the team with T. J. Ford. He was also a third-team all-conference selection by the coaches.

Senior Season and Final Accolades

In the summer of 2003, Brandon played in the Pan American Games. He got an injury there that affected him during his senior season. Brandon was one of several players who returned for their senior year. These players had been part of the team that reached the Final Four.

On November 24, 2003, Brandon scored 20 points against Sam Houston State. He also scored 20 points against Wofford on December 4. On January 26, 2004, he made a buzzer beater three-pointer against Texas Tech. This shot sent the game into overtime, and Texas won. On February 14, 2004, Brandon scored a career-high 29 points against Iowa State. He then scored 25 points against Oklahoma. These great games earned him the Big 12 Player of the Week award.

Brandon played in the NCAA tournament for the fourth time. He scored 23 points against Princeton. He also scored 21 points against Xavier. He averaged 18.7 points in the tournament. He finished his senior season as the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.9 points per game. He was named to the All-Big 12 First Team by the media.

Brandon finished his college career with 1,582 total points. This placed him 8th on Texas's all-time scoring list at the time. He played 133 career games, which was 3rd all-time. He was also a great three-point shooter, with a career percentage of 38.9%.

After college, Brandon was eligible for the 2004 NBA draft but was not chosen by any team. He played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2004 NBA Summer League. However, he did not join an NBA team.

College Statistics

Playing for Team USA

Brandon Mouton was chosen by coach Tom Izzo to play for the USA team. This was for the 2003 Pan American Games. He started all five games during the tournament. He was the team's sixth-best scorer, averaging 7.2 points per game. He scored 9 points against Puerto Rico in an early game. In the bronze medal game, also against Puerto Rico, he had 7 points and 10 rebounds. He suffered a sprained ankle during the tournament.