Kentucky’s top-ranked basketball target is done with visits. What’s next for Greg Brown?
All of his recruiting visits now behind him, top 10 national basketball prospect Greg Brown III is inching nearer to a much-anticipated college decision.
He’s just not ready to make it quite yet. Or, more accurately, his dad wants him to think about it a little bit longer.
Greg Brown Jr., the star recruit’s father, told the Herald-Leader this week that he and his son hadn’t even sat down to seriously talk about his college options, a couple of days removed from the family’s final official visit, a trip to Michigan this past weekend. The Wolverines are among a list of five finalists that also includes Kentucky, Auburn, Memphis and hometown school Texas, all programs that have hosted the Brown family for previous official visits.
Brown Jr. said the plan is to wait until late March or early April to really assess those five schools, figure out where his son fits best, and make a final decision.
The reasoning for the wait is simple. According to his dad, Brown’s favorite school has always been the most recent one to host him for a visit.
“It’s like, ‘Oh, I like this place now, Dad.’ And I’m like, ‘Slow down, we haven’t even been to the rest of the places yet!’” Brown Jr. said with a laugh. “And then we go to another place, and it’s, ‘Ohhhh this is my number one place now!’ I’m like, ‘Bro, stop telling me all this stuff. You change your mind like the damn weather changes in Texas. So chill out.”
Brown — a versatile 6-foot-9 forward from Austin — is the No. 9 overall player in the 2020 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. His standing in this recruiting cycle — due to his limitless ceiling on the court — means Brown can wait as long as he wants and still have a roster spot at any of his finalists. It appears that will be the most likely scenario, and Kentucky and the other four schools on his list won’t be getting an answer anytime soon.
Growing as a player
Back in October — as his son impressed at the high-profile USA Basketball camp in Colorado Springs — Brown Jr. told the Herald-Leader that he thought the 18-year-old was, of all the high school prospects in the country, “the best player by far … that doesn’t know how to play basketball.”
By that, he meant Greg III had the size, athleticism, motor and raw-but-growing skill set to be a star, he just lacked much of the basketball understanding needed to achieve such a status.
That, Brown’s father said this week, is changing.
So far this season, Brown is averaging 27.3 points, 13.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game. He’s led Vandegrift High School to a 29-2 record, and the team hasn’t lost a game since November.
During the offseason, Brown was met with several opportunities to play his senior year at a major prep school. His dad is glad he stayed put in Texas.
“Because I think it’s made him grow tremendously as a player,” he said. “IQ-wise, passing-wise — I don’t think he would’ve gotten the opportunity to do a lot of the things he’s doing at a prep school. And just the maturity of being able to lead a team to as many wins.”
Instead of playing on one of the nationally traveling all-star prep squads and possibly getting pigeon-holed into a role that played up his strengths, Brown has been able to work on his weaknesses, turning into more of an all-around player and shedding the preconceived “just a dunker” notion that he was saddled with earlier in his high school days.
Brown Jr. said shooting and ball handling have been the two primary areas for improvement this season. “Those are two of the major things that he works on quite a bit. Just because that’s the way the league is going. If you can shoot and you can handle the ball and you’re 6-9 — and you’re a good guy — you can play as long as you want.”
His son has also been watching film of NBA stars — from point guards to post players — to try and learn the nuances of each position and see the game from different points of view.
It’s all adding up to a better version of Greg Brown III, who’s moving on from that “best player who doesn’t know how to play basketball” label and developing into something much more.
“It’s come quite a ways,” his dad said of that skill level. “And it honestly still has a long way to go.”
Greg Brown and Kentucky
Count UK’s coaching staff among those who have noticed the improvement over the past few months. Brown’s father said John Calipari’s staff has been evaluating his son throughout this season, and their message about how he could fit in Lexington has evolved since the spring and summer stops on the Nike circuit.
“It’s actually changed the more that his staff has seen Greg,” said Brown Jr. “You know, you have an impression of a kid based off of what you see over the summer — the couple times you see him. So, it went more from being a ‘4’-’5’ to more like, ‘Well, s---, he can do it all.’”
The family was in Lexington last month for their official visit, which was centered on the Wildcats’ home game against Alabama, an afternoon that featured “We Want Greg!” chants from some fans near the UK bench.
“It was a great trip to Kentucky,” Brown Jr. said. “We were kind of in awe of a lot of things that we already knew, but it’s different seeing in person than it is hearing through the rumor mill or whatever. So, we were very impressed with Calipari and how he handles his practices, how he handles his guys. He’s just basically old school and holds your ass accountable. What else can you ask for? So, what you see is what you get from him.
“And the crazy part about it is, Greg’s like, ‘He’s not even as bad as my dad. My dad holds me crazy accountable. … Dealing with Calipari ain’t gonna be a hard deal.’ So we left the Kentucky visit with everything in a very positive light.”
Greg Brown’s Crystal Ball
Despite the kind words Brown’s father has had for the Kentucky program, the Wildcats aren’t seen by any national recruiting experts as the favorite to land his commitment.
That’s not to say UK doesn’t have a legitimate chance.
Brown’s 247Sports Crystal Ball page is murky, at best. Texas has been the leader, but all predictions in favor of the Longhorns are several months old, and no national analysts have weighed in with their picks. Over at Rivals.com, national analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans have both logged recent Future Cast predictions in favor of Memphis, but Evans noted this week that Brown’s recruitment “remains a fluid one” going into the spring.
The possibility of playing a year of professional ball before the 2021 NBA Draft — where ESPN already projects Brown as the No. 12 overall pick — has also been floated, but the college route seems much more likely at this stage in the recruitment.
Brown’s father said his son’s interest in Texas is closely tied to the future of Coach Shaka Smart, who has developed a strong relationship with the family during his five seasons at the hometown school but has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game with the Longhorns, who are not projected to make the tournament this season. If Texas parts ways with Smart — as has been speculated — what does that mean for Brown’s interest?
“It is one thousand percent tied to Shaka,” Brown Jr. said. “If he’s not there, I don’t know if they could bring anybody in that we would say, ‘OK, yeah, let’s go to Texas now.’ … It is one thousand percent tied to if he’s going to be there.”
The three deciding factors in the decision will be each team’s chances at winning big next season, how Brown will fit with his future teammates, and — most importantly, according to his dad — how Brown will be used on the court, especially on offense, where he wants to continue to grow as a versatile player.
Over the next few weeks, they’ll be watching these final teams on his list, thinking about how the coaches have said they’ll use Brown on the court, and trying to get a sense for the best fit.
“I just kind of want him to get a collective feel for it over the whole season. Just watching these kids play,” Brown Jr. said. “And you don’t know how he’s going to be utilized. How he thinks he’s going to be utilized — that’s going to be a major decision as far as where he wants to play next year.
“So, we’ll hang tight, and then we’ll chop it up in late March/early April and just kind of put everything into perspective based off what we already know, and based off what we see the rest of the season.”
