NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 2020 F Greg Brown’s final five

Memphis Tigers

The trendy new program on the block, Memphis has become a major factor in recruiting high-level talent since Penny Hardaway took over as head coach. He reeled in the nation’s top recruiting class in 2019 and could very well follow it up with another top class in 2020.

That momentum surrounding the program is something that has become infectious and certainly appeals to Brown and other top prospects. Hardaway is able to connect with recruits and serve as a mentor for them – but he’s largely unproven.

And that is why the upcoming season is as important for Memphis has any other school on this list when it comes to their recruitment of Brown.

If they have successful year with a roster loaded with (and almost exclusively filled with) talented freshmen, they become a much more appealing destination. Proving you can win big right away with one-and-done players can do that for you. However, if they struggle, it will have the opposite effect on Brown and other top recruits considering the Tigers.

Furthermore, Memphis has a player similar to Brown in Precious Achiuwa, a five-star forward in the 2019 class and projected first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He’s an uber athletic 6-9 forward who can play inside and out and, while Brown is a bit more skilled at this point, he will be playing close attention to how Achiuwa is used by Hardaway.

There’s a lot of unknown with how Memphis will look and perform this year, so there is a bit of a wait-and-see approach when it comes to Brown’s fit. That said, like Auburn, he fits perfectly with their up-tempo style.