2020 5-Star Greg Brown III talks his game, early recruiting
Greg Brown III (Joe Cook/IT)
AUSTIN — The Vandegrift Vipers are in just their second season as an UIL 6A athletic program after being in 5A for the rest of their existence. This places them in a district with some of the best teams in Central Texas, including Westlake and Lake Travis.
There’s tough basketball competition in this district, but the Vipers have one of the best sophomores in the nation to help them in their battles in forward Greg Brown III.
Brown is 6-foot-7, putting him mostly at the three or four for the Vipers. He handles the ball well, plays tenaciously, and had one of the smoother shots in the gym even while playing against powerhouse Westlake, who has three current D1 signees and one junior five-star.
The Vipers were no match for Westlake as 2018 Baylor signee Matthew Mayer scored 19 points while 2019 Texas target Will Baker and 2018 UT signee Brock Cunningham tied for a team-high 26 points in an easy 86-59 win.
Brown put up a game-high 27 points, but the rest of his teammates struggled against one of the top basketball programs in the state. When playing against more evenly-matched competition, Brown said he prefers to spread the ball to others.
“I just like to give my teammates the ball and just get the easy buckets,” Brown said after the game. “Facilitate.”
The challenge Westlake gave him was something he expected, as he told Inside Texas after the game he knew the stars on the Chaps’ team and knew they weren’t going to take it easy on him. After the game, Brown spoke and conversed with Baker, Mayer and Cunningham, gracious in defeat. “I just love playing against tough competition,” he said.
While Brown is playing, his focus is on the task at hand. He knows the time for dealing with visiting coaches, like North Carolina’s Roy Williams, Baylor’s Scott Drew, and Texas assistant Darrin Horn (who was joined by Texas players Matt Coleman and Mohamed Bamba), is after the game. Winning the game for Vandegrift? “That’s my main focus,” Brown said.
On his future, there’s still a ways to go before Brown needs to make a decision. The recruiting networks have a fluctuating amount of offers listed for Brown, with Texas A&M, Kansas, OU, Cal, TCU and Rutgers being the ones two networks agree on. Brown also mentioned he hears from UCLA, LSU and Iowa.
One network didn’t list a Texas offer, so Inside Texas asked Brown if he had received an offer from UT.
“Texas Longhorns?” Brown asked. “Yeah, I’ve received an offer from them.”
Inside Texas was able to confirm through a program source he did have an offer. Texas feels good about its chances early, but they know it’s early. They’ll have to compete with the North Carolinas and Kansases of the country for the five-star in their backyard.
One of the things Texas has going for it is the family connection. Brown’s father, Greg Brown II, played defensive back for the Longhorns and was a two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention for DBU. Brown’s uncle is former Longhorn Roderick Anderson, who according to an article by the Austin American-Statesman written last year, tutors him “almost daily.”
Brown keeps up with and communicates with the Texas coaches. What are the topics of his conversations with head coach Shaka Smart and other Texas assistants? “Rebounding, getting on the glass and just playing hard,” Brown said.
As far as upcoming visit plans, Brown said he wants to try to make it to the Erwin Center to watch the Longhorns take on Oklahoma in an important rivalry game.
