By NICK MEDLINE
Special to ZAGSBLOG
CHICAGO — Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and added nine rebounds against China in the Nike Global Challenge morning session on Friday. Despite the team’s 114-110 loss, Brown dominated parts of the game — looking to prove why he’s been ranked the No. 1 player in the country.
After a busy July, Brown moved into August with momentum. And today, he threw down several dunks for Team USA South, played well in transition and led all scorers. The 6-foot-6 Wheeler (GA) native also worked from several positions.
With his recruitment set to intensify, Brown visited UCLA earlier in August and raved about Steve Alford’s experience. Alford knows the process, having played in college and the pros. He’s also able to develop players, which Brown said works as an important factor.
“It’s unheard of for three guards from UCLA all going in the first round,” Brown told SNY.tv. “Zach Lavine, Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson: It’ll be interesting to see how those guys turn out but it’s a good look to have.”
Kansas also stands well in his recruitment. Brown set a visit for Oct. 10 and told Scout.com that he wants to learn more about Bill Self, with assistant Norm Roberts also a strong presence.
“Coach Self is really cool,” Brown said. “I hope to sit down with him to talk some basketball.”
And despite their stretch of basketball in Puerto Rico, Kentucky has made Brown one of its priorities, and will earn one of his visits this fall for Big Blue Madness.
“Coach Cal, Coach Kenny Payne, they’re great coaches,” Brown said. “They hit me up at least once a week. It’s always great hearing from them.”
As Brown looks to prove why he’s No. 1, the top schools in the country are believing the hype.
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FREE THROWS
— Antonio Blakeney also played extremely well for the South team. He scored 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Early in the second quarter, he put home consecutive dunks and then showed nice touch on some pull-up jumpers. He turned the ball over at times — as did everyone — but showed off his potential as a smaller shooting guard.
— Illinois commit DJ Williams impressed in a quieter way. He played 22 efficient minutes and scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He looked comfortable with the ball and made several hustle plays down the stretch. More impressive: he never turned the ball over. He was in command, and despite the team’s loss, made the Illini look good on Friday.
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