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Jensen: Yes, St. Joe's Charlie Brown hears a lot about his name

If you've never heard of Charlie Brown - wait, everyone's heard of Charlie Brown. It's rare that a St. Joseph's freshman basketball player, already demonstrating advanced skills on Hawk Hill, gets through a day without some reference to . . . being Charlie Brown.

If you've never heard of Charlie Brown - wait, everyone's heard of Charlie Brown.

It's rare that a St. Joseph's freshman basketball player, already demonstrating advanced skills on Hawk Hill, gets through a day without some reference to . . . being Charlie Brown.

At Saturday's Penn game, Quakers students sang the Peanuts theme music and chanted "We want Linus" as Brown shot free throws. (He had career highs with 19 points and nine rebounds.)

Last month, a Villanova student held up a sign, "Good grief Charlie Brown." (Good sign if Brown makes a turnover).

He did notice the sign a Temple fan had brought, Lucy saying, "You're no use to anyone Charlie Brown." He laughs.

Even at St. Joseph's, a few students have taken to wearing Charlie Brown shirts to games.

"At least two every day," Brown said of Charlie Brown jokes coming his way. "At least two a day. Sometimes on Instagram and Twitter, sometimes in person."

Last time anybody made HIM laugh?

"Oh, before the game," said Brown, standing outside his locker room right after St. Joseph's had beaten Penn. "A little youngblood came up to me. . . . There he is, over there, right over there. He showed me a picture of Charlie Brown, but with my hair."

Brown's colorful hair also had kids after the Palestra game yelling that they want to touch it. He gets that a lot?

"Always," Brown said.

He got his name from his grandpop, and his dad also is Charles Brown, so "it just came on to me." He was Charles until George Washington High, then switched to Charlie. He was always good with the name, knowing the background.

"I'm the only Charlie Brown that I know and my friends know," Brown said.

Did he have a dog growing up?

"Yeah, yeah," Charlie Brown said.

What was the dog's name?

"Champ," Brown said.

Rats.

Would he watch Charlie Brown on TV?

"All the time," Charlie Brown said. "Especially around the holidays."

Favorite character?

"Charlie Brown," Charlie Brown said.

After the interview, Brown stopped and took a photo with a little guy with his Charlie Brown shirt. Hawks coach Phil Martelli remembers when they began recruiting Brown, calling him Charles or CB. Martelli asked assistant coach Geoff Arnold, what does he go by, Charles or Charlie?

The real Charlie Brown wouldn't get a ball pulled away from him too often. He knows how to pump fake and get a little space for his smooth jumper. His offensive skills may be as college-ready as any player arriving in the Big Five in the last decade.

The guy with the name and the hair has a distinctive game.

"I think I would pay him an ultimate compliment. I don't see him as a freshman," Martelli said. "I see him as a player, as a sponge, a guy who wants to please and wants to get better."

A lot of players say they want to improve, Martelli said. This guy lives it.

"If he could live in the gym, he would live in here," the coach said.

You've never heard of Charlie Brown? You will.

mjensen@phillynews.com

@jensenoffcampus