2011 Prospect Watch: Jabari Brown

• By: Craig Yamada – Editor-In-Chief

• Jabari Brown. Get to know the name Dawg fans if you haven’t already. Jabari is quickly becoming a household name on the west coast and across the nation. The highly touted shooting guard from Oakland, CA is now one of Romar’s top targets in the 2011 class. Let’s take a look at this 2011 prospect.

 - “Sweetest stroke on the West Coast.”

- “Rising the recruiting charts”

- “Putting Cali back on the map”

• Name: Jabari Brown
• Height: 6’4” 
• Position: SG 
• Class: 2011 
• Scout Ranking Overall: #15 
• Location: Oakland, CA 
• AAU Team(s): Drew Gooden Soldiers 
• High School Team: Findlay Prep 
• Interested Schools: Kansas, Maryland, Wake Forest, Arizona State, California, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, UNLV and Washington 

 If you haven’t gotten a chance to watch Jabari in action, feast your eyes on these:

Highlight 1 and Highlight 2

What kind of game does Jabari have?

After watching film of this guy, I couldn’t help but compare his game as a hybrid of both Aaron Afflalo and Brandon Roy.  When assessing his frame and stature, he already has the body and strength to be successful at the NCAA level and beyond.  He’s a legit 2-guard who is highly acclaimed for his shooting ability and range. Simply put, this kid can flat out score. Jabari has the offensive skill set that  makes him a threat from all ranges of the court. He can take you off the dribble or he can jab step you and pull up in your eye from beyond the arc. The part of Jabari’s game that is definitely starting to garner attention is his ability to create his own shot.

 The best way to watch one on one skills is to watch some of these summer highlights . He is a master of the dribble and step back jumper. Very B-Roy-esque when you watch him create space for his own jump shot. He is also a very explosive finisher at the rim as well.  The one part of his game that I have yet to see footage of is his work in the post, but it is an aspect of his game that he is working to improve to showcase his offensive versatility.

Jabari’s two favorite NBA players are Brandon Roy and Carmelo Anthony. You can definitely see that portions of his game are molded from his two idols. It couldn’t hurt that one of his favorite players played for Romar right?

 His game fits well with a high octane offense such as UW’s.   He may not have the natural agility of a Terrence Ross, but definitely has shown that he can be counted on as a #1 scoring option and could possibly carry a team as he matures.

What kind of person is Jabari?

From the interviews I have listened to, I can tell you that he is a smart and well spoken individual. He is a born winner and loves the game of basketball.  Definitely a humble personality that wants to improve and prove to the nation that he is one of the best out there. Sounds like a perfect fit for Romar’s  coaching style.

Where would he fit in the rotation in 2011-2012?

This would definitely depend on the personnel we have available next year, but if IT does feel he is ready for the draft next year, Jabari would have a great opportunity to slide in the starting SG spot and play alongside T-Ross in 2011. If that did happen, we would have two guys that really could open up the floor and create their own shots.  

How is Jabari’s recruiting going?

From a web radio show called “Off The Boards” I stumbled upon, I am feeling good that UW is high on his list, if not the leader at this point. I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of that show where they featured an interview with Jabari Brown. Here were some snippets that are worth noting

• Jabari on the huge number of schools recruiting him: “Some schools I am familiar with. There are a few schools I know everything about. You have to talk to the coach and then watch how they play. You have to hear from former players and how they feel about the coach.” 

• Jabari on his visits at Wake Forest and Maryland:  “WF was a good visit.  I like the state of NC…very laid back. Smaller school. Maryland went well. Got to walk around with Keyshawn Howard and he showed me around. “

• Jabari on Kansas: “Coach Self is a great coach. You got to look at the NBA and how many players are going from KU. ”

• Jabari on Washington:  “I love Washington. I love Coach Romar. I talk to him a lot. He’s a real down to earth guy and real good person. I definitely think that’s a place I could see myself playing.  Especially with the backcourt guys that they’ve had: Brandon Roy, Bobby Jones and Nate Rob.”

• Jabari on his parents influencing his decision:  “My parents want me to go over wherever is best for me. They will fly out to watch me.” 

Does UW have a shot at both Jabari and Tony Wroten?

Absolutely there is a possibility. Lucky for us, both of these guys play different positions with Brown at the SG and Wroten at the PG. Getting both of these guys would leap frog UW into a top 10-15 class. We will be stocked with talented guards if that is the case. You can never have enough talent at the guard position in a Romar system.

When will Jabari make a decision?

According to the last twitter comments from Jabari, it sounds like he is aiming to decide and sign in the early signing period this Fall. Let’s just hope Romar and Desmond Simmons can lure him away from the Bay.

All for now. Thanks for coming.