New Georgia coach Tom Crean enters competition for LR's Christian Brown
Christian Brown didn’t use the word disappointing, but it definitely wasn’t how he envisioned his junior season.
Brown, who transferred from A.C. Flora to Lower Richland this season, missed more than a month with a concussion he suffered during a Christmas tournament in Georgia. He came back in late January, but the Diamond Hornets made a first-round exit in the playoffs, losing to Hartsville.
Because of that, Brown is hoping for a big summer season on the AAU circuit. He is playing in-state with Upward Stars after playing with Game Elite out of Georgia the previous two years.
“It definitely was a learning experience and was frustrating not to carry my team at fully healthy,” Brown said this week. “But I’m healthy now and looking forward to a really big summer, getting better and producing for my new team.”
Despite the struggles this season, Brown remains a sought-after recruit in the talented class of 2019 in South Carolina. ESPN ranks the 6-foot-6 forward as the 24th-best prospect nationally.
Clemson and South Carolina continue to show interest as well as Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Auburn and UNLV. Brown made visits to Clemson and Virginia Tech during the season and heard frequently from Tiger coaches as they made their run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
“I wasn’t surprised about the run. I knew they were going to do that. Happy to see that run. It was a big move for the program,” Brown said.
New Georgia coach Tom Crean and assistant coach Jonas Hayes stopped by the school Monday. Hayes is likely to be retained by Crean on his staff and had been recruiting Brown for former Bulldogs coach Mark Fox.
Brown is familiar with Crean, and he was one of the coaches at an Adidas Nations camp. He likely will visit Georgia at some point. Georgia also is recruiting Ashton Hagans, a former AAU teammate of Brown and onetime Bulldog commit
"I always liked coach Crean. He’s a great coach, and I love his energy,” Brown said. “Coach Hayes has made me feel like a priority for UGA since the beginning.”
Brown doesn’t have a timetable for a decision and is likely to stay in the class of 2019 after entertaining the idea of reclassifying and graduating early.
“I think I am going to stay in my class. But I’m weighing the odds and see if anything changes,” Brown said.
This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 2:03 PM with the headline "New Georgia coach Tom Crean enters competition for LR's Christian Brown."