Greg Brown (basketball, born 2001)


Gregory James Brown III is an American basketball player. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best power forwards in the 2020 class. Brown is committed to play college basketball for Texas. At the high school level, he competed for Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas.

Early life and high school career

Brown grew up playing basketball under the guidance of his uncle, Roderick Anderson, a former professional basketball player. Brown attended Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas, where he was a four-year varsity basketball starter, in addition to competed in varsity track and field in the high jump. As a freshman, he recorded his first triple-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and a school-record 18 blocks in a win over Hutto High School. In his freshman season, Brown averaged 17.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game, earning All-Central Texas Newcomer of the Year honors from the Austin American-Statesman.
As a sophomore, Brown averaged 27.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game en route to District 25-6A offensive most valuable player accolades. He led the district in scoring and rebounding. In his junior season, Brown averaged 30.1 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.4 blocks per game. He missed 14 games early in the season with a dislocated finger. Brown was named to the All-Central Texas first team for his third straight year. As a senior, he averaged 26 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game, collecting District 13-6A MVP, Texas Gatorade Player of the Year and Austin American-Statesman All-Central Texas Player of the Year honors. Brown led Vandegrift to a program-best 33–3 record and its first district title. He was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Recruiting

Brown drew the attention of major college basketball programs before high school. In his freshman year, he emerged as one of the best players in the 2020 class and held basketball offers from several schools, including Kansas and Texas. By the end of his high school career, Brown was a consensus five-star recruit and a top-10 player in the 2020 class, according to major recruiting services. He trimmed his offers to Auburn, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan or Texas, or opt to instead play professionally. On April 24, 2020, he announced his commitment to Texas over Auburn, Memphis, Michigan, Kentucky and a $300,000 offer from the G League.

Personal life

Brown's father, Greg Brown II, played college football as a safety for Texas before playing in the NFL Europe and the practice squad of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Brown's uncle, Roderick Anderson, played college basketball as a point guard for Texas before playing professionally overseas.