Below are key quotes from my interview with 2018 5-star power forward Jordan Brown. The rest will be saved for the article. Sounds like Ivan Rabb is keeping in touch with him, which is nice to see.
Q: Alright, so first of all just talk about the McDonald’s All-American Award, what that means to you, and your initial reactions to getting that award.
Jordan Brown: “It’s a great honor. I remember I was just with a few of my teammates and we were watching it and just seeing my name pop up I was speechless. Just being able to have the opportunity to play with them.”
Q: And then as far as the recruiting front is concerned, you visited St. John’s, you visited UCLA, how were those visits for ya?
Brown: “They were really good visits because it was my first time in both of those major cities and so it was both great experiences.”
Q: As far as the recruiting front is concerned, do you have any sort of updated timeline on when you might make a decision, anything along those lines?
Brown: “So originally it was around like springtime, but it could come possibly sooner around March. It could.”
Q: As far as the seven schools that are on your list, is that a final seven? Is there any chance anyone else might jump in there? Any schools that you might be looking to see if the might offer you at all?
Brown: “That’s probably going to be my final seven at the moment. So, yeah.”
Q: Can you talk about your relationship with the Cal staff with Wyking Jones and all that, how that’s developed over the course of the season?
Brown: “I mean, it’s cool because they’re real laid back and we relate a lot. And so, it’s easy to get along with them.”
Q: Obviously Cal is in a bit of a rebuilding situation as you probably know. But how much does it appeal to you the possibility of going into a program and making an immediate impact right away?
Brown: “It would be nice. Just being able to go in and just really pick the program back up knowing that they had players like Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown come through and what they could do and being able to possibly follow in those footsteps. It would be nice.”
Q: Do you have any relation with any of those guys? With Jaylen, not with Jaylen so much, but like Ivan or Jabari, guys that were local? Have you talked to those guys? Have you gotten to know any of them at all?
Brown: “Ivan, yeah. Just because he’s a local guy and he was one of the guys that I looked up to and me and him have a little bit of a relationship even though he’s in the NBA right now, he still makes time to give me a little bit of advice every now and then and check up on me.”
Q: What are the main things that he’s kinda told you to improve on, focus on, etc.
Brown: “One major thing is just not to really focus on the media and what the media is talking about and just keeping my head straight.”
Q: Alright, so first of all just talk about the McDonald’s All-American Award, what that means to you, and your initial reactions to getting that award.
Jordan Brown: “It’s a great honor. I remember I was just with a few of my teammates and we were watching it and just seeing my name pop up I was speechless. Just being able to have the opportunity to play with them.”
Q: And then as far as the recruiting front is concerned, you visited St. John’s, you visited UCLA, how were those visits for ya?
Brown: “They were really good visits because it was my first time in both of those major cities and so it was both great experiences.”
Q: As far as the recruiting front is concerned, do you have any sort of updated timeline on when you might make a decision, anything along those lines?
Brown: “So originally it was around like springtime, but it could come possibly sooner around March. It could.”
Q: As far as the seven schools that are on your list, is that a final seven? Is there any chance anyone else might jump in there? Any schools that you might be looking to see if the might offer you at all?
Brown: “That’s probably going to be my final seven at the moment. So, yeah.”
Q: Can you talk about your relationship with the Cal staff with Wyking Jones and all that, how that’s developed over the course of the season?
Brown: “I mean, it’s cool because they’re real laid back and we relate a lot. And so, it’s easy to get along with them.”
Q: Obviously Cal is in a bit of a rebuilding situation as you probably know. But how much does it appeal to you the possibility of going into a program and making an immediate impact right away?
Brown: “It would be nice. Just being able to go in and just really pick the program back up knowing that they had players like Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown come through and what they could do and being able to possibly follow in those footsteps. It would be nice.”
Q: Do you have any relation with any of those guys? With Jaylen, not with Jaylen so much, but like Ivan or Jabari, guys that were local? Have you talked to those guys? Have you gotten to know any of them at all?
Brown: “Ivan, yeah. Just because he’s a local guy and he was one of the guys that I looked up to and me and him have a little bit of a relationship even though he’s in the NBA right now, he still makes time to give me a little bit of advice every now and then and check up on me.”
Q: What are the main things that he’s kinda told you to improve on, focus on, etc.
Brown: “One major thing is just not to really focus on the media and what the media is talking about and just keeping my head straight.”
