KU’s Bill Self made an effort to recruit Texas freshman sensation Greg Brown
.JPG "Davidson forward Hyunjung Lee (1) leaps past Texas forward Kai Jones (22) to try to block a shot by Texas forward Greg Brown (4) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Maui Invitational tournament, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020 in Asheville, N.C. The stands were empty of fans and were replace by cut outs. Texas won 78-76. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)")
The University of Kansas men’s basketball program, which has had success recruiting the state of Texas during the 18-year Bill Self era, attempted to corral Texas freshman forward and likely one-and-done prospect Greg Brown of Austin’s Vandegrift High.
Thing is, KU coach Bill Self said plainly Thursday, “We felt we didn’t have much of a shot.”
“We felt like he was going to go to Texas all along,” Self said. “His dad basically told us he was probably going to go to Texas all along. That wasn’t anything surprising to us at all.”
Facing long odds, Self figured he and his assistant coaches had to at least try to land Brown, even though Brown’s mom, Tonya Wallace, was part of four national-championship track teams at Texas in the late 1990s. Dad Greg Brown was a two-time all-Big 12 honorable mention safety for the Longhorns football team in 1999 and 2000 who went on to play for the NFL’s Denver Broncos in 2001.
Strong family ties to UT also included Brown’s uncle, Roderick Anderson, a two-year letter-winner on a pair of Longhorns hoops teams that won back-to-back Southwest Conference titles in 1994 and ‘95.
“The one thing I did love about him (in recruiting) was the fact I thought he loved to show off how athletic he was,” Self said of the 6-foot-9, 205-pound Brown.
Today. Brown averages 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for No. 8-ranked Texas, which takes a 7-1 record, 1-0 in the Big 12, into Saturday’s game against No. 3 Kansas (8-1, 2-0). Tipoff is 11 a.m. at Allen Fieldhouse, with a live telecast on ESPN2.
Brown, who is projected by ESPN.com to be the 16th player taken in the 2021 NBA Draft, has come into his own, leading the Longhorns in scoring the past three games. He scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, both career highs, in Texas’ 77-74 Big 12-opening victory over Oklahoma State on Dec. 20 in Austin. Brown also scored 18 against Texas State and 17 versus Sam Houston State.
“Isn’t he 11 of 24 from three his last four games?” Self asked reporters, acknowledging Brown’s ability to shoot from anywhere on the court.
Brown — he has made 44.3% of his shots — opened his freshman season 0 for 10 from beyond the three-point line in a stretch spanning three games. Since then, he’s 10 for 28 beyond the arc in five contests. That makes him 10 of 38 from three-point range for an upward-trending 26.3%.
“That makes him extra hard to guard because everybody has to respect his first step. When you pressure out, you give him more opportunities to do that,” Self said.
Brown looks like the type of player who enjoys the big stage.
He emerged victorious in his first head-to-head battle against Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham, who is projected to be the No. 1 player taken in the draft. Cunningham, a 6-foot-8 AAU teammate of Brown, scored 25 points with three rebounds, three assists and six turnovers against Texas. Brown blocked one of Cunningham’s shots and finished with three rejections.
“Let’s be honest. Cade was the No. 1 player in the class (of 2020),” Texas coach Shaka Smart told the Austin American-Statesman. “He’s projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. Greg is a heck of a player in his own right. And he wants to be thought of in a certain way, as well.”
Brown’s rebounding was pivotal in the Longhorns’ victory over Oklahoma State.
“As Kawhi said, ‘Board man gets paid,’” Brown told the American Statesman, referring to Los Angeles Clippers standout Kawhi Leonard. “Every game, game by game, I just get a little more comfortable. So I’ve just got to keep playing, keep practicing and keep on taking my teammates’ guidance. And I’ll get there soon.”
Brown is joined in the Texas frontcourt by 6-10 senior Jericho Sims (6.0 ppg. 6.0 rpg.) and 6-11 sophomore Kai Jones (8.8 ppg., 4.6 rpg.). Jones is 5 of 11 from three-point territory.
“Kai Jones is a threat out there too. That makes them really hard to guard,” Self said of a team run by senior point guard Matt Coleman, who averages 13.9 points and 36 assists against 14 turnovers.
“They have bouncy guys across the board,” Self added, comparing Texas’ athleticism to that of Kentucky.
The Wildcats, who lost 65-62 to KU Dec. 1 in Indianapolis, have a pair of formidable bigs in Isaiah Jackson, who tormented the Jayhawks with eight blocks, 12 rebounds and seven points, and Olivier Sarr, who had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.
“They (Longhorns) have more like three taller Jacksons, when you talk about athleticism and length,” Self said.
KU junior wing Ochai Agbaji, whose career high in scoring (24 points) came against the Longhorns on Jan. 29, 2019 at UT’s Erwin Center, said the Jayhawks have been “practicing against length, guarding their ball screens and their actions. They are similar to Kentucky, how their length is. They are athletic on the wings — all the bigs they start. We’re playing to that and adjusting to that.”
KU junior forward David McCormack realizes he and backup big man Mitch Lightfoot need to battle the Longhorns on the boards.
“As far as playing Texas, they are athletic and lanky,” McCormack said. “Being a physical player, I know if you get into them they like to avoid physicality. I try to play to that as far as my strength.”
KU, which last played a game on Dec. 22, will follow the Texas showdown with a Tuesday battle at TCU (9 p.m. in Fort Worth). Texas, which has been idle since Dec. 20, will meet Iowa State at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Austin.
“This will be as hard a game as we’ve played so far,” said Self, whose team opened league play with two victories: a 58-57 win at current No. 13 Texas Tech and 79-65 at home against No. 9 West Virginia.
“I love their personnel,” Self said of Texas. “I liked it last year. They return their top seven guys, plus throw Brown into the mix. They are an impressive team to watch, Matt (Coleman) obviously running the show, (Andrew) Jones and (Courtney) Raney are experienced guys.
“Shaka has had some good teams since he has been there. This has a chance to be a special team for him.”
This story was originally published January 1, 2021 at 6:15 AM with the headline "KU’s Bill Self made an effort to recruit Texas freshman sensation Greg Brown."
