River Dell Basketball Phenom Wraps Up Career With Kentucky

It’s not that long ago that Brian Long Jr. helped lead River Dell High School’s boys basketball team to the state playoffs, lighting up North Jersey arenas and earning countless accolades.

Long was a First Team All Conference Big North selection and an Honorable Mention for the All Bergen County Team. During his high school career he averaged 9.6 points and 5.0 assists per game, according to his profile on the Kentucky Wildcats athletics website.

While these were stellar accomplishments, they didn’t earn him sure spots on the nation’s top collegiate teams. But Long was not done yet.

Unwilling to give up on his dream, Long made it as a walk-on to one of the most storied programs in all of college sports history: the University of Kentucky.

He’s seen playing time in all four years of competition at the highest level. He has been named to three consecutive All-SEC Academic Teams. And he’s been a part of multiple Final Four experiences.

This year may have been the most special. Kentucky went undefeated until their loss to Wisconsin Saturday, coming up two wins shy of becoming the first NCAA men’s basketball team to go undefeated for an entire season.

Long has gone from All-Conference to rubbing shoulders with history.