Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
By JACK LeGWINTroy Brown‘s recruitment has taken off in the past year, and for good reason.
This past weekend, the 6-foot-6 Brown scored 28 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and added in 3 assists in a win in front of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and Kansas assistant Kurtis Townsend. Despite the stat line, Brown remains low key about the game.
“It wasn’t too crazy because I didn’t even realize they were there,” Brown, the No. 2 player in the 247Sports composite rankings in the Class of 2017 told SNY.tv. “I just played my game and it all happened really quick.”
As for Brown’s thoughts on Louisville and Kansas, he says that he is impressed with what both schools bring to the table, especially the connection of family, with his sister Jada currently playing for the Jayhawks.
“Both are great schools,” Brown said. “I’ve been down to Kansas multiple times to see my sister play, they have a great coach and a great history, so I really like it down there. For Louisville, what they’ve done and what they’ve accomplished as a program, and how they came together around the whole Kevin Ware situation, too.”
A day prior to visits from Pitino and Townsend, Kentucky Assistant Barry “Slice” Rohrssen watched Brown in a win over Shadow Ridge (Nev.). Brown says the Wildcats are in the equation because of their past history and the players that have played at Rupp.
“They’re a great program,” Brown said. “I am keeping my options open, but Kentucky has always been a school that I’ve kept in mind, just because of the great players that have gone there.”
Duke offered Brown back in August, and he says that the Blue Devils are one of his favorites.
“Duke is one of my top schools,” Brown said. “They have such a good history, a great program and a great coach, winning the National Championship in 2010, they’re definitely one of my top schools.”
As for schools that are in the gym the most, two came to mind for Brown.
“Arizona State has been down to my school a lot,” Brown said. “Arizona has been down here a lot too. Coach [Sean] Miller is a great coach, Coach [Damon] Stoudemire always comes down, too. They’re great coaches.”
In a previous article, Brown’s coach for the Las Vegas Prospects, Anthony Brown, compared Troy to Penny Hardaway and Magic Johnson.
“It’s amazing to be compared to someone that is a legend,” Brown said. “Just to have people hear that and to be compared to guys like them, it’s just amazing. Especially when you see the way that Penny Hardaway has played and how his game transferred to the NBA.”
Brown currently has offers from Arizona, Duke, Arizona State, UCLA, Kansas, UNLV and Louisville.
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.