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. Later, he joined the Texas Longhorns college team. He was a key part of the team that reached the Final Four in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

In August 2003, Brandon played for the United States men's national basketball team at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. He started all five games. After his final year in college, where he was recognized as one of the best players in his conference, he did not join a professional basketball team.

High School Basketball Star

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

During his sophomore year (1997–98), Brandon averaged 18.6 points and 9 rebounds per game. His team won the District championship. Brandon was named the District MVP and was selected for the All-District First Team. He also earned an All-State selection. USA Today recognized him as an Honorable Mention All-American.

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

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

Brandon was considered one of the top high school players in the nation. In his senior season, he averaged 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He was named District MVP and earned All-State First Team honors. He also won MVP of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association All-Star Game. By the end of his high school career, Brandon had scored over 1,000 points.

College Journey at Texas

Brandon Mouton was a highly sought-after player by many top college teams. He decided to play for the Texas Longhorns. He committed to Texas in October 1999 and officially signed in November. He chose to wear jersey number 3.

Freshman Year Highlights

In his first year (2000–01), Brandon mostly played as a backup small forward. On November 22, 2000, he scored a season-high 18 points against Duke. He also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in that game. On January 10, 2001, he grabbed a season-high 9 rebounds against Kansas State.

Brandon played about 20 minutes per game. He averaged 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 34 games. He was the team's sixth-highest scorer. He also had the second-best 3-point shooting percentage on the team (37.3%). He played 16 minutes in the 2001 NCAA tournament game against Temple, scoring 5 points.

Sophomore Year Success

In his sophomore year (2001–02), Brandon earned a starting spot on the team. This meant he played more, and his 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 of 22 points against Baylor on January 12. He then topped that on February 2, scoring 26 points (with 5 three-pointers) against Oklahoma. He averaged 16.5 points during conference games. He finished the season averaging 13.7 points (second on the team), 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He shot 39.4% from three-point range. Brandon played in the NCAA tournament again in 2002. He started all 3 games, scoring 9 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in the first game.

Junior Year and the Final Four

For his junior year (2002–03), 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 in a game against Texas Tech, where he scored 20 points.

Brandon was the second-highest scorer on the team, 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. His amazing 21.5 points per game during the Regional phase earned him a spot on the All-Region team.

In the NCAA Sweet Sixteen game against UConn, Brandon scored a career-high 27 points. He shot very well from three-point range. In the Final Four game against Syracuse, he scored a team-best 25 points, again shooting well from deep. At the end of the season, he received several awards. He was named co-MVP of the team and Most Improved Player by the Longhorns. He was also selected for the All-Big 12 third team by coaches.

Senior Year and More Awards

In the summer of 2003, Brandon played in the Pan American Games. He battled an injury throughout his senior season (2003–04). He was one of several key players who returned to the Texas Longhorns for their senior year.

Brandon scored 20 points on November 24, 2003, against Sam Houston State. He also scored 20 points on December 4 against Wofford. On January 26, 2004, he hit a buzzer beater three-pointer against Texas Tech. This shot sent the game into overtime, and Texas eventually won.

On February 14, 2004, Brandon set a new career-high with 29 points against Iowa State. He then scored 25 points against Oklahoma. These great performances earned him the Big 12 Player of the Week award. Brandon played in the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in his career. He scored 23 points against Princeton and 21 against Xavier. He averaged 18.7 points in the tournament.

At the end of the season, Brandon was the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.9 points per game. He also led the team in minutes played. He was named to the All-Big 12 First Team by the media.

Brandon finished his college career at Texas with 1,582 total points. This placed him 8th on the all-time scoring list for the Longhorns at that time. He also played 133 career games, which was 3rd all-time. His career 3-point shooting percentage of 38.9% ranked 4th all-time when he retired.

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

College Statistics

Playing for Team USA

In 2003, Brandon Mouton was chosen by coach Tom Izzo to join the USA team for the Pan American Games. He started all 5 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. During the tournament, he suffered a sprained ankle.