Brown talks UNC visit
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Most of the top college basketball programs began recruiting Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler small forward Jaylen Brown last summer when he emerged as one of the top overall prospects in the country. Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA joined an already long list of suitors for the five-star prospect.
Just a few months ago, North Carolina decided to enter into the mix for Brown. It didn't take long for the Tar Heels to make some serious headway. This past weekend, Brown decided to use his fourth official visit on a trip to Chapel Hill to watch the Tar Heels take down the Louisville Cardinals.
"It was nice. I enjoyed it," Brown said. "I hung out with the team after (the game). I met with the coaches and academic people too while I was up there."
Roy Williams and his staff had one simple message for Brown.
"They are really big on tradition at North Carolina," Brown said. "They have a lot of tradition they follow and they are really big on history, a way of doing things, and Coach Roy talked about that a lot. They have a family-like environment. They have a lot of former players come back during the summers to mentor the young guys. It's just a family environment and that's tradition. That's what Coach Roy stressed the most."
Brown openly admits that North Carolina is the school he grew up hoping to play for, and that's helped them become a serious player in his recruitment, but it's not going to be the deciding factor.
"It's definitely a blessing to be recruited by a school like UNC. They were my dream school growing up. I loved their '05 team and their '09 team that won championships. As I grew up, it's not all about basketball. You have to choose a school where you feel comfortable and choose a school where everything adds up. There is a lot more to it than just basketball. I'm going to choose a school that's best for me."
For a prospect ranked as high as Brown, many would assume he's looking to go somewhere he can start. Some of the schools on his list signed highly rated players at his position last year, but that's not going to play a significant role in his decision.
"I'm just looking for the best fit," he said. "Everything else will take care of itself. I don't want to go to a school just for basketball, because I might not feel comfortable or the coach could leave or anything could happen. I want to be happy at the school even if basketball doesn't go well."
Another assumption that could be made with a prospect ranked No. 2 overall in the Rivals150 is that he won't be in school for long. Brown isn't taking that approach either with regards to his recruitment.
"I'm just taking everything one step at a time. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I haven't chosen a college yet, so there is no reason why I should be thinking about only staying one or two years. I'll stay as many years as it takes. I'd say I'll probably stay somewhere at least two years, but who knows? I'll have to make that decision whenever I get there."
Look for Brown to make a decision after his high school season ends. He says he's still considering Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina and UCLA, but will likely cut down his list a little further before making a decision.
Up next for Brown is a visit to Georgia this weekend to see the Bulldogs take on Florida, followed by his last official visit to Michigan on the weekend of January 24th.
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