GARDNER, Kan. -- On day two of the Jayhawk Invitational the big names continued to impress. However, it was a high school freshman that captured the attention of Rivals.com as
Troy Brown of the Las Vegas Pro is well on his way to putting his name up there with high school basketball's elite players.
It won't be until the end of July that Troy Brown turns 15 years old. The product of Las Vegas (Nev.) Centennial is also playing on the Las Vegas Prospects 15-and-under team, meaning he is on a level where elite talents can feast. But make no mistake about it; the 6-foot-5 freshman has all of the tools to develop into an elite talent.
Spending most of his time running the point, Brown scored high marks all across the board. Decision making, control of his dribble, ability to shoot from deep, defensive instincts and a great frame, Brown simply has every tool you could want. While his ability to hit shots from deep, finish on the break and aggressive rebounding were impressive, it was his passing that really stood out. Will he always be a point guard? We aren't sure, but his floor vision is high level. Not only that, Brown whips hand breaking missiles from 30-40 feet in transition and always has his head up surveying the floor.
Surprisingly, the only school in the gym watching the likely five-star talent was
Arizona. Both of Brown's parents went to
Texas A&M (dad played hoop and mom volleyball, according to Brown) and his sister plays hoops at
Kansas. Brown took an unofficial visit to Kansas during the season but was unsure if the Jayhawks have watched him yet and he said that he hasn't heard from the Aggies.
Early offers have come in from
USC and
UNLV and Brown also listed
Oklahoma, Gonzaga, Harvard and Columbia has having shown early interest. That list will grow exponentially in the near future.
"I feel pretty comfortable as a point guard," Brown told Rivals.com. "I think schools will recruit me as that or a combo guard. I'm just getting started."
MWA draws eyes whenever they took the floor and a lot of that has to do with the fact that the top junior in the class of 2015,
Malik Newman, is the star of the show. The team's benefactor is Portland Trailblazer Mo Williams, whose nickname is Mo Gotti and his team shows some love to him by displaying that they are Gotti's boys on their uniforms. They also show him love by hooping.
Led by Newman and 2016 five-star
Terrance Ferguson, MWA navigated their way to Sunday's finals. As usual, Newman was dominant with the ball in his hands. The game comes incredibly easy to him on the offensive end and even when it seems like he's just cruising he's putting 30 in the scorebook. Newman had the pull-up jumper cooking again on Saturday and once again used his explosive first step to get into the lane in a hurry. Once there, Williams finished strong in the paint and asserted his dominance.
A 6-foot-6 wing with deep range and big time athleticism, Ferguson tends to be an up and down player. Saturday, he was up and a lot of that had to do with his long range bombs dropping through on a regular basis. He hit seven threes in an early game and also had a few high flying finishes on the break. On days like Saturday, it is easy to see why he is quickly becoming a high major priority throughout Texas and Big 12 country.
The live period is all about seizing opportunity and junior guard
Anthony Bonner did that on Saturday. A 6-foot-2 product of Lawrence (Kan.) High who plays for the always tough Team YOBO, the three-star guard entered the day with offers from Missouri State, Florida Gulf Coast and Colorado State. Undoubtedly, he finished things up with his name scribbled down on the lists of many more coaches.
During games against Earl Watson Elite and the Las Vegas Prospects, Bonner had outstanding stretches scoring the ball. He showed a solid jump shot, poise and the ability to score off the dribble or via the jumper. He hit from deep, attacked the rim and never seemed out of control while causing defenders headaches.
Bonner said that he has also heard from
Tulsa (since
Frank Haith got the job),
Iowa and UMKC and after a nice weekend he should be seeing more attention.
Three star power forward
Kevin PuryearClick A teammate of Walton's on the Indiana squad, 6-foot-5 wing Sean McDermott has been one of the better shooters in attendance. The three-star prospect listed offers Indiana State, New Orleans, UNCG and preliminary interest from Virginia, Purdue and Indiana.Here to view this Link. of KC Run GMC is a solid 6-foot-7 playe with a strong frame and good skill. Puryear mentioned offers from San Francisco, Creighton, Oklahoma State and Miami (Ohio). He also has interest from
Kansas StateClick A teammate of Walton's on the Indiana squad, 6-foot-5 wing Sean McDermott has been one of the better shooters in attendance. The three-star prospect listed offers Indiana State, New Orleans, UNCG and preliminary interest from Virginia, Purdue and Indiana.Here to view this Link., San Diego, Wichita State.