4-Star SF Prospect Christian Brown Commits to Georgia over Georgetown
March 15, 2019
Christian Brown gave Georgia men's basketball fans reason to be excited about the future when he verbally committed to play for the Bulldogs.
Brown informed 247Sports' Evan Daniels of his decision Friday.
"I'm headed to Georgia and I'm picking Georgia because it's close to home and Georgia has always been a second home to me since I was younger," the South Carolina native said. "Knowing I have good people, it's relaxing. I just love the environment. I know the plan is to go to the next level and to get better I think I needed to go to Georgia."
Georgia now has the fifth-ranked recruiting class of 2019, per 247Sports, with Brown's commitment. Tom Crean's class also includes 5-star guard Anthony Edwards, whom 247Sports ranks as the No. 2 overall recruit for 2019.
Prior to picking the Bulldogs, Brown was being recruited by the likes of Georgetown, Oklahoma State and South Carolina. 247Sports rates him as a 4-star prospect and Virginia's third-ranked recruit.
There's a lot to like about the 6'6", 205-pound small forward's game, as Rivals.com showed:
And as this clip from Overtime displays, the star from Oak Hill Academy in Virginia has no trouble sending fans into a frenzy:
When going up against the top-ranked power forward in the class of 2018 and fellow South Carolinian Zion Williamson, Brown didn't back down, via Take Flight Hoops:
Brown told Mike Grimala of the Las Vegas Sun in April:
"People say I can have a Kawhi Leonard type game on defense. That's why I've been working on my defense and trying to get quicker on D so I can lock down multiple positions.
"I can shoot, I'm a good driver and slasher. Don't let me get to the basket or somebody's going to get on a poster. Highlight reel. That's what I know I'm good at."
While many recruits are drawn to storied programs such as North Carolina and Kentucky, this teenager wanted more than just name recognition.
"I don't really care about the name of the school," Brown said, via Eric Bossi of Rivals.com. "I care about the relationships."
As it turns out, Crean and Co. were the ones to establish the best relationship with the highly touted youngster.
"He's a great coach," Brown said of the first-year Bulldogs coach, per Daniels. "I've been knowing Tom Crean since my sophomore year. He coached me at Nations. I know his coaching style. He'll push you and get you to where you need to be. That's what I need."
Brown will now have the opportunity to try to help the Bulldogs return to relevancy. This is a program that just one NCAA tournament appearance since 2011 and none since 2015. Then again, the Crean era is only just beginning in Georgia, as the former Indiana coach previously led the Hoosiers to the Big Dance four times during his tenure in Bloomington.
Many believe the hype surrounding the recruit is real. Now, he will have the opportunity to prove it himself at Georgia.