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HoopSeen Stories: Jaylen Brown at the Elite Preview

Jaylen Brown
6, Sep 2016

HoopSeen Stories: Jaylen Brown at the Elite Preview

Jaylen Brown was the top player in Georgia’s 2015 class. He just wrapped up his junior season at Wheeler High School. The year ended earlier than he would have liked it to. A huge travel season was waiting in the spring and summer and the conversation was out there about who the top dog was in the class at a national level. It was a storyline I know Jaylen wanted to not only be in but start on his own with the Preview. 

So when he showed up to the Elite Preview in 2014 at Norcross, he brought purpose with him. 

During a quiet moment of the camp, I pulled up a chair with Brown and asked him why he came to camp. 

“Why not?” he said with some confusion in his voice to my question. “If I don’t come then someone else is leaving here today the best player in Georgia and I know that’s not the case.”

I’m paraphrasing there but that’s what Brown played like. And he never looked back. The quest to becoming the number one player in the country was his goal that spring. He finished the year as the top guy in the class in our rankings. 

When I reached out him and said congrats about that spot, he said “Thanks but I’m only concerned about being the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.” 

He was a senior in high school. Less than 18 months later, he walked across the stage, shook Adam Silver’s hand and put on a hat with the legendary Boston Celtics logo on it. 

Brown was the second pick in the draft. I think he will be playing his first NBA season with something to prove this winter. 


Justin Young
Editor-in-Chief

Justin Young has been the editor-in-chief of HoopSeen.com since 2013. He manages the day-to-day operations on the site and in conjunction with our national and regional events. He was the national basketball editor for Rivals.com and a contributing editor at Yahoo! Sports. Young has been earned numerous awards for his work in sports journalism, including the Georgia Press Association Columnist of the Year. His Justin Young Basketball recruiting service has been in existence since 2002 and worked with over 300 schools from all levels. He is the director of HoopSeen Elite Preview camps and our national Preview camp series. 

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