Cal Basketball Video: Joel Brown on Chillin' in Canada During the Pandemic

Like most college students, Cal freshman basketball player Joel Brown is back home, waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Brown’s case, home is Brampton, Ontario, a Canadian city of about 600,000, located a half-hour from Toronto, but three time zones away from Berkeley.

We talked with the Bears’ point guard via Zoom this week and he said he’s wrapping up school remotely while sharing home with his parents.

All in all, life in Canada sounds pretty familiar: less traffic on the roads but plenty in markets, while most non-essential facilities remain closed. Brown said his family has plenty of toilet paper.

“Now people are starting to go outside, go on walks, while still keeping their social distance,” Brown said.

Brown hasn’t been able to visit with other family members or friends, but said that’s not who he misses the most.

“I’d for sure say the guys,” he said of his teammates. “It’s much different when you’re with a bunch of guys for a certain amount of months, starting from the summertime and you’re seeing their faces every day, interacting with them, to going home and you’re not seeing them for about a month.

“Definitely missing the college life and experience. Now that I’m back at home it’s kind of reminds me a lot of the high school days before I went off to prep school.”

Brown attended Brewster Academy in New Hampshire before arriving at Cal. He started 17 games for the Bears as a freshman and is expected to play an even larger role next season.

When he first returned to Canada, Brown was forced to quarantine within his family’s home, largely steering clear of his parents until it was confirmed he was not a threat to share the coronavirus.

“I stayed in quarantine for two weeks before I went out,” he explained. “My parents had a little leeway so I was able to go up and down the stairs and walk around the house. They were working from home. I was able to kind of be in contact with them but kind of keep my distance. No hugs from Mom at all.”

Preparing now to take final exams, Brown said the school workload hasn’t been quite as intense as usual.

Mostly, he said, he’s been “chillin' out.”

“I’d have to say this is the most I’ve slept,” he said, adding that he’s spent more time playing video games than usual. He also tries to watch basketball tape and go on runs.

“Just stay active so I’m not out of shape.”

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @JeffFaraudo

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