It's not often you see father-son duos in college basketball. We often think of the Boeheims at Syracuse or the McCafferys at Iowa, but we have our own duo in the Capital Region with University at Albany men’s head coach Will Brown and son Jackson Brown.

"Not many kids are able to do that," Jackson said about playing for his father. "Not a lot of kids are able to say that their father is their coach and their mentor."

Jackson's journey to the Great Danes is certainly unexpected. He originally planned on attending a Division III school near Boston, but wanted to stay closer to home when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.

"I sat him down with my wife, and we talked about the pros and the cons as far as how difficult it could be for him in the locker room and being the coaches' son," Will said.

But Jackson took those challenges on. For Will, it was a chance to coach his son, like his father before him when Will was a high school standout.

"While I was going through it, I don't think I appreciated it to the full extent," Will said. "Now that I'm older, I can look back and say it was the greatest time of my life."

Will did struggle at times with balancing the coach/player mindset on the court and the father-son role at home. But that balance has since been found thanks to his wife Jamie.

"Jamie has been the rock that has allowed all this to happen," Will says. "She's been a great support system for us all, and I know she'll continue to do so."

Jackson saw his first action as a college player in a win over New Hampshire last Sunday, logging 2 minutes on the court. But he says his game is still improving and he's getting to where he wants to be mentally, thanks in part to his father.