Longhorns host two key 2016 hoops targets this weekend
The Longhorns will host top 25 Oklahoma State on the gridiron Saturday, which means it's another good opportunity for Shaka Smart and the Texas basketball program to bring some official visitors to campus. This weekend, two key 2016 prospects are on the Texas campus - Braxton Blackwell and Clevon Brown. Both prospects have already narrowed their lists to just a handful of teams or less, and with the November signing period rapidly approaching, Texas has a chance to make a big move in both recruitments with strong official visits.
Here's our breakdown:
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THE VISITORS
Position - Wing/Forward
Rivals.com national overall ranking - 71st
Size - 6-7, 205 pounds
School - Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
AAU team - Atlanta Celtics (Adidas circuit) and Team Penny (Nike EYBL circuit)
Twitter - @btwice_11
The skinny - After releasing a top six the end of July, Blackwell's recruitment has remained quiet until now. The four-star prospect began his official visit process last weekend with a trip to Alabama, and has yet to schedule other visits to his now top five, which includes Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Kansas as well.
Projecting where the 6-7, versatile prospect ends up is a bit difficult currently. There is a noticeable amount of chatter behind the scenes about hometown Vanderbilt (Blackwell attended school in Nashville before making the move to Oak Hill Academy). But Blackwell himself doesn't offer many hints, and he has a relationship with Texas assistant David Cason that dates back to when Blackwell was a freshman and Cason was a Vanderbilt assistant. Texas is also one of the few schools that has consistently made the four-star prospect a top priority.
Prospect Breakdown - Blackwell is the type of player that can fit a number of places offensively. Despite being 6-7, he passes and handles the ball well. And the Rivals150 member displays impressive court-vision, especially in the open floor. Blackwell would best fit a 4-out and 1-in system that could profile him at times as a "four" man that could create mismatches around the perimeter and run the break, but is also big and strong enough to hit the glass; use him as a wing in a traditional sense; and also put the ball in his hands some as a guard.
In Las Vegas, Blackwell showed the ability to post-up smaller defenders, and also the ability to push the ball up the floor on the break without needing to find a guard. He's at his best when he's slashing or attacking off-the-bounce to get into a mid-range game. Defensively, he looked particularly impressive as a help-side defender with the ability to defend in the paint and the length and strength to hold his own outside. An area of improvement that would really elevate his game is if he became a more consistent and stronger outside shooter.
During Adidas Gauntlet Series competition, Blackwell averaged 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game and shot 45.4 percent from the floor. As a member of Team Penny in EYBL action, he averaged 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, and shot 48.6 percent.
OB in-person look - Adidas Uprising Summer Championships (three games)
Position - Forward
Rivals.com national overall ranking - 126th
Size - 6-8, 215 pounds
School - Churchill (San Antonio)
AAU team - SABO Warhawks
Twitter - @ClevonJr
The skinny - Brown came out of nowhere, and exploded onto the hoops scene late during one of the final July evaluation periods. In front of dozens of coaches, the San Antonio product probably turned the most heads with a solid performance against five-star Jarrett Allen at the Great American Shootout in Duncanville. After that event, the 6-8 forward's stock took off, which allowed him to go from pretty much an unknown to a prospect that cut a list of 10 back in early August - Texas, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Purdue, Rice, SMU, Oklahoma State, Miami, and Auburn. Now, that list is probably just two - Vanderbilt and Texas.
According to SABO Warhawks coach Seth Engelken, Brown is still planning on a commitment in October, and will sign during the early period. As for what the Rivals150 prospect is looking for when he visits, Engelken spoke on that:
"He's an extremely bright kid. Academics are a big piece of who he is. That's one thing that's important to him. And then the fit - how he fits with the program all-around," the coach said.
Prospect breakdown - The scary thing about Brown is he's young for his age, and is just scratching the surface of what he can become. And he's already a really solid prospect. When we watched him in person, a few things immediately stood out:
Motor
Athleticism (the kind that allows him to be an alley-oop option in a half-court set)
Competitiveness
Developing Skill
Brown attacks the glass aggressively, and get off the floor extremely quickly. Offensively, he showed a little back-to-the-basket ability, and some understanding of how to use his quickness and agility to his advantage. And he also showed the scary part - a developing handle and outside shot that will eventually improve to a level that allows him to play on the wing. Defensively, he's just so quick and springy that even bigger, stronger bigs have an issue with him because he gets to space before they do, and can challenge anything.
The three-star prospect would be a near-perfect fit in a four-out, one-in system that really pushes tempo, and a pressing defense that could allow him to guard the inbounds passer and act as a trapper once the ball is passed in because he can run the floor so well.
At 6-8, Brown probably isn't done growing, and it's a realistic bet that he'll be 6-9 as a college player.
OB in-person look - Great American Shootout (two games)
THE POSSIBLE EFFECT
With Brown deciding in the near future, Texas could establish itself as the clear team to beat with a strong official visit. Like we mentioned, figuring out Blackwell's recruitment is more difficult. However, the Longhorns have a chance this weekend to establish themselves as a very real threat in the race to sign the versatile four-star prospect.