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  • Conversation with UK target Jaylen Brown

    By: LARRY VAUGHT


    Photo: Courtesy USA Basketball


    Jaylen Brown was not surprised that he made the USA Basketball under 18 national team that will host the FIBA Americas under 18 Championship at Colorado Springs starting Friday.

    “I felt I was one of the best players here and I performed well, played great defense and just feel blessed to be on the team,” said Brown after a team practice at the training facility in Colorado Springs.

    The 6-6 Brown is one of the top players in the 2015 recruiting class. The Georgia junior measured 6-7 with shoes and 207 pounds at the LeBron James Skills Academy and his wingspan was measured at 6-11.5 wingspan at the USA tryouts. He also has a 8-8.5 reach.

    Brown earned a spot on the 12-man team even though he left the Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy on a Monday so that he could compete in the tryouts the next day in Colorado.

    “I have been busy,” Brown said. “I have been busy ripping and running a lot and I have been finding ways to help my body recover. Playing in Italy definitely helped my game, but it took something out of me. My legs, conditioning were gone. I got kind of beat up across the water. But I just focused, made no excuses and played my heart out to make the team. I am not sure what I did best. I just tried to show a lot of energy and ability to hep the team.”

    He’s taken great pride in his defense and has gone against Arizona signee Stanley Johnson, a one-time UK target.

    “Whoever the best player is, I’m guarding them and I’m going at them,” Brown said.

    He’s also showing an improved jump shot that he has worked to perfect.

    “I’ve been working real hard to develop everything and the jumper is becoming one of my strengths now. Being able to get my shot off at any time and in a rhythm is big. It’s a big key for people to respect my jump shot because it makes it that much easier to get to the basket.”

    Brown has not narrowed his list of college choices — or at least not publicly. Instead he lists schools such as UCLA, Kentucky, Florida, Kansas, Ohio State, Georgia and Georgia Tech among those recruiting him the hardest. He’s not sure when he’ll end the recruiting process, but he says he would prefer to do it sooner than later.

    “Playing on Team USA is somewhat of a break from recruiting, but it never stops,” Brown said. “I try to keep myself open to new schools. I am still building relationship with coaches right now and hopefully I can come to a decision soon. But being here does help take my mind off recruiting and stuff like that. I am with a great group trying to win a gold medal for our country, so we are all focused on that. Just being on this team is absolutely a dream for me. Since childhood I have wanted to play in the Olympics and that could be a step in that direction. It’s an honor to play USA Basketball, so that overwhelms me.”

    He admits he has a “big interest” in Kentucky even though he has not set any recruiting visits yet.

    “My hard work is paying off for a school like Kentucky to recruit me. I know they don’t offer too many players, so it’s a blessing to get an offer but I have to keep getting better,” he said. “Coach Cal is a great guy, great coach. I talk to him at least once a week. He congratulated me on making this team. I am really looking forward to building a relationship with him and his staff.

    “I did watch them play a lot last season. I watched how they grew up as freshmen and turned into veterans in a matter of months to get to the national championship game. They came together at the end and that did impress me. Not many coaches could get a team to do that.”

    Florida coach Billy Donovan is head coach of the under 18 team and Brown says “getting a feel” for how he coaches is a plus.

    “I’m looking forward to my recruitment with Florida. It’s a great experience to be around him. He is probably one of the best in the game and he is pushing us hard and making sure we all give a full effort. He wants to win that gold medal pretty bad and I like that,” Brown said. “Winning the gold medal would mean a lot to me, too. Where I am from, having a gold medal would be huge.”

    Brown says he has a “long list” of things he’s looking for in a college and coach.

    “Probably too much to even say,” he said. “But it’s pretty much my decision to make. I just have to see what feels right. But now I want to concentrate on bringing energy and unselfish play to my team. That’s all I want to do until we win the gold medal. After that, I’ll get back to worrying about recruiting.”
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