Basketball standout Troy Brown Jr. of Centennial High, a five-star recruiting prospect for the class of 2017, is still considering playing for UNLV.
Brown announced his top eight schools today — on his 17th birthday — and included the hometown Rebels, who before he entered high school gave the 6-foot-6 guard his first scholarship offer. That, however, was previous coach Dave Rice’s staff.
New coach Marvin Menzies has apparently continued the pursuit. Menzies is also after four-star wing Chuck O’Bannon Jr. of Bishop Gorman, who earlier this summer included UNLV in his final eight. O’Bannon and Brown are AAU teammates with the Las Vegas Prospects.
Brown averaged 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists per game in 2015-16 for Centennial, nearly leading them past five-time defending state champion Gorman. This summer, he helped Team USA win a gold medal in Spain at the U17 FIBA World Championships. He scored in double figures and led the squad in minutes played.
Brown’s final eight includes Kansas, Alabama, Oregon, Cal, Georgetown, Arizona and Oregon. Some feel he’s favoring Kansas, where his sister, Jada, plays for the women’s team.
Elite prospects such as Bishop Gorman’s Stephen Zimmerman and Shabazz Muhammad, or Findlay Prep’s Cory Joseph, have included the hometown school in their final list. Some do it out of respect to the city where they were raised. Others, such as Zimmerman, are serious about playing here.
One reason to be a Rebel: If you are a one-and-done college player, such as Zimmerman, you’ll get plenty of court time at UNLV against mid-major competition in the Mountain West.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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