The 2015 college basketball season hasn't even started yet, but head coaches are still out on the recruiting trail for players from the 2016 class and even the 2017 class. Kevin Ollie, the head coach of UConn, has done a tremendous job of recruiting lately, as he has the 31st ranked 2015 recruiting class and the second ranked recruiting class in 2016 so far. Ollie is looking to keep things going by getting an early commitment from Zach Brown, a five-star center in the 2017 class, who recently visited UConn unofficially, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Brown is a 7-foot-1 center out of Miami, Fla. who has said that he is looking to go to a school that is good at developing big men and a good fit in terms of academics. Brown's legal guardian, Michael Lipman, believes that UConn fits those criteria.
"Connecticut is one of the strong considerations. I think you have a head coach, Kevin Ollie, that is a flat-out great coach. He has developed Andre Drummond. We have to find a system that is a good fit academically and a good fit for a big man, and that is going to showcase his offensive skills. And you need a team that's going to compete while he's there for the national championship," said Lipman.
Another thing UConn has going for them in the recruitment of Brown is that he has a past playing with 2016 UConn commit Alterique Gilbert. Gilbert played with Brown in the Nike Global Games, and their team won the whole thing with Brown at center and Gilbert at point guard.
UConn isn't the only team Brown is considering, though, as Kentucky, N.C. State, South Carolina, Florida and his hometown school Miami also make the list. As of right now, UConn is the heavy favorite to land the big man, though, according to 247 Sports.
Brown is ranked as the 18th best prospect overall and the fifth best center in the 2017 class, according to ESPN. Brown's post-game is still very raw, but that is to be expected from a junior in high school. He is already a big kid with the potential to get even bigger, and he has great length, very good hands and a non-stop motor.
UConn has an impressive track record of getting great big men, and getting Brown would just add to that track record. Brown has yet to take any official visits and it is still early in the process for him, but you can tell that he loves the idea of playing for a program with so many banners and a great head coach like Ollie.
