Georgia has produced its share of the nation’s top high school basketball players, but no prospect in the state the past 10 seasons has been more highly rated than Wheeler’s Jaylen Brown.
The 6-foot-7 wing player averages 25 points and 12 rebounds for the top-ranked team in Class AAAAAA. He is the consensus No. 2 recruit in the nation, the highest by any Georgia player since Southwest Atlanta Christian’s Dwight Howard was No. 1 in 2004.
Earlier this week, Brown was named to the East squad for the McDonald’s All American game. He became the fourth Wheeler player to earn the honor, joining former Wildcats Sharif Abdur-Rahim (1995), J.J. Hickson (2007) and Jelan Kendrick (2010).
“The No. 1 thing is that he’s coachable,” Wheeler coach Doug Lipscomb said. “He listens, and he wants to get better. He’s a good kid and his parents are good people. I’ve never had one bit of trouble from Jaylen Brown.”
Brown turned in another strong all-around performance Friday in a 76-61 victory at Walton. He scored 26 points and had eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots.
Wheeler broke the game open with a 16-2 run to start the second quarter for a 36-20 lead. Walton got within seven points in the fourth quarter, but Wheeler pulled away, thanks in large part to Brown’s 12 points down the stretch. Makhai Eastmond scored 13 points and Kenny Aninye had 10 for Wheeler, which is 14-0 in Region 5-AAAAAA.
Walton (10-13, 6-9) got all but 10 of its points from Junaye Colon (20), Nick Wells (16) and Josh McGrath (15).
Wheeler is 21-2 overall against a schedule that has included several games against tough out-of-state competition. That’s where the Wildcats took both of their losses (West Linn of Oregon and Bishop O’Dowd of California) but also got their signature victory.
Wheeler beat Montverde Academy of Florida 72-65 on Dec. 23, snapping the two-time national champion’s 45-game winning streak. Brown was right on his average with 25 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Montverde’s star player is Ben Simmons, the LSU signee who is regarded as the nation’s top senior.
Brown has received about 20 college offers but has not made a decision. He reportedly has seven finalists – Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia and Georgia Tech.
“It’s going very well,” Brown said of the recruiting process. “It’s a blessing. I’m trying to take it as slowly as possible to make the best decision I can. I haven’t really focused on it that much right now because of the school season, but once that ends, hopefully I’ll make the right decision.”
Wheeler concludes the regular season next week against Milton and No. 9 Pope. Then the Wildcats will play in the region tournament, the start of what they hope will be their sixth state championship run. Wheeler won titles in 1994, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2009.
“I’m happy for the kids,” Lipscomb said. “They’ve had a good ride, and I want them to enjoy what they’ve accomplished.”
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