Drug trial for former cager begins today

After two months of sitting in a Harford County, Md., jail cell, Monroe Brown travels to circuit court today for the beginning of his trial.

Brown, a former Penn State men's basketball player and assistant coach, was charged with 17 counts of distributing a controlled dangerous substance, including the charge of being a drug kingpin. Cpl. Jim Way of the Harford County Sheriff's Office described the kingpin charge as the "top of the top, a very serious charge."

Brown was indicted on Nov. 20 along with 38 other people for allegedly being a part of a cocaine network. He surrendered to authorities a day later and since then he has been in jail.

Baltimore undercover police had been watching Aaron N. Mathis of Edgewood, Md., on suspicion that he was dealing drugs. The police linked Brown to Mathis, also facing drug kingpin charges, through extensive wiretaps.

Mathis, it turns out, was a high school classmate of Brown at Aberdeen High School (Md.), where Brown first established himself as a basketball standout. Police allege Brown was shipping as much as a pound of cocaine a week to Mathis who was then distributing it.

The charges came as a shock to those who knew Brown during his days at Penn State. Brown was a guard for the Nittany Lions from 1989-1992. During that time he was a four-time letterman and was given the John Lawther Award, awarded to the most valuable player, in his senior season.

Brown, known as "Monnie", still ranks eighth on Penn State's all-time scoring list and third in assists. Brown graduated with a liberal arts degree in 1992 and returned as a part-time assistant coach before the 1994-95 season. He left after the '95-96 season for a full-time assistant position at Marist in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Associate athletic director Bruce Parkhill was the head coach at the time Brown was hired and coached him during his time with the Lions. Parkhill expressed disbelief at the time Brown was arrested.

"I'm hoping and praying there's a mistake," Parkhill said in November. "Until it's proven I have a hard time believing it."