Elite Hoops Report

Brown sets high goals

Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analysis

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THE RIVALS150: 2015 | 2016
COLORADO SPRINGS -- Through two sessions of play at the USA Basketball minicamp, senior small forward Jaylen Brown has made it quite clear he isn't satisfied. The No. 2 ranked player in his class, Brown's focus and performance have been laser sharp as he prepares for his final season of high school.

Not satisfied

Jaylen Brown will be visiting Kansas and Kentucky soon.

The No. 2 player in the class of 2015, Jaylen Brown, has a lot to feel good about. The 6-foot-7 small forward is a great player who is being recruited by great schools and he has a great future ahead of him. On Saturday, though, Brown made it abundantly clear that he isn't even close to satisfied with where he is as a player.
Brown said that his goals for his senior year include winning a state title and national title while being named state and national player of the year. Lofty goals indeed, but it says right here that it would be unwise to bet against him reaching any of those goals.
Over the next two weekends, Brown will visit Kansas and Kentucky and he'll also get an official to UCLA during the fall. On Saturday, though, Brown had all of his attention focused on the floor as he put together an impressive day.
Brown is physically strong, athletic and can punish defenders at the rim. However, there has been debate about his jump shot and ball-handling. Going off his play Saturday, it is hard to question anything in Brown's game.
Brown was an assassin on the offensive end. He drove for powerful dunks, played very good defense and was all over the floor hustling. However, it was his ball-handling and jump shooting that really stood out. He looked much better attacking with his left and he has pretty much perfected a nice little crossover pull-up jumper. Due to his strength and quickness, Brown creates separation between himself and a defender pretty much when he wants to. Throw a pull-up that keeps defenders on their heels into the mix and he becomes almost impossible to stop with a single defender.
After taking his three official visits, Brown will put his recruitment on ice so that he can focus on his senior season. He said that he will for sure wait until the spring and that he currently has no favorites. Others Brown mentioned include Georgia, Georgia Tech and North Carolina.

Porter a pure scorer

Michael Porter's father is on the Missouri women's staff.

When it comes to pure scoring ability and offensive skill, Michael Porter the No. 4 player in the class of 2017, can hold his own with just about any wing player in the country, regardless of class.
After a strong morning session, the 6-foot-8 small forward from Columbia (Mo.) Father Tolton really got things rolling during Saturday's evening session.
Reputedly one of the top shooters in the country, Porter backed up that reputation. The international three-point line was at most an afterthought to him. Porter also demonstrated good ball-handling ability and fluid athleticism.
What really impressed about Porter's game was how aggressively he attacked the rim. Porter knows he can score from deep or mid-range, but as the night wore on he realized more and more how effective he could be taking the ball to the rim.
Obviously, Missouri will be a big factor in Porter's recruitment. Not only does he live in Columbia, but his father Michael Sr., is an assistant for the Mizzou women's team. On top of that, Porter has one sister playing at Mizzou and another committed to do so.
Porter is aware of the general perception that Missouri will be tough to beat, but he says that he is open to all schools. In addition to Missouri, Porter said that Iowa and Indiana have been by to see him. Duke and North Carolina will both be in to see him in the next few weeks and he holds offers from Mizzou, Kansas, Baylor, Wichita State, Washington, Colorado, Marquette and Illinois.
"I think I'm doing well so far," said Porter. "It is really, really good competition so you can't take any plays off. But it's fun, there's a lot of good dudes out here."

Saturday evening session notes

The No. 3 player in 2017, small forward Jarred Vanderbilt was as advertised on Saturday. A long and quick 6-foot-7 wing from Houston, Vanderbilt is fast to the rim, can pass and rebounds his position well. Quick off his feet, he is also a bouncy finisher in tight quarters. Vanderbilt said that Arizona, Kentucky, Kansas State, Oklahoma State Texas and Arizona State have been by recently. All of them but Arizona and Kentucky have offered and Vanderbilt listed additional offers from Kansas and Baylor.
It is too early to know who the top player in the class of 2018 is, but it isn't unfair to say that it might be Marvin Bagley. As the day wore on, Bagley showed one dimension of his game after another. He played in the post, made medium-range jumpers and did some things off the dribble. Bagley is a plus athlete and has a good feel for the game on both ends of the floor. He is simply an elite prospect.
The same way the senior big men use their strength to their advantage, Villanova-bound five-star point guard Jalen Brunson was a bull on Saturday. He is very physical with the ball, makes great decisions in ball screen action and he is a dangerous scorer via the pull-up. It will be a surprise if he doesn't play major minutes early in Philly.
Class of 2017's No. 23 Ira Lee may have been the hardest playing player in camp. The 6-foot-7 power forward from Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon played with endless energy and was all over the glass. He tries to dunk everything he can and just keeps coming at opponents.
Illinois signee D.J. Williams had a very good night. The 6-foot-7 wing has been a bit of a tweener in the past, but he looked very natural on the wing. Williams was making jumpers from mid-range and was very aggressive in attacking the rim. He is playing with a lot of confidence.
Part of Arizona's terrific 2015 recruiting class, shooting guard Allonzo Trier, was the model of efficiency on the offensive end. He buried jumpers, used his strength and showed an alpha mentality.