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ACC program uses LeBron James’ Homecoming as recruiting tactic for local five-star wing

Jaylen brown

(adidas)

Over the last two weeks, five-star small forward Jaylen Brown played host to some of the top college basketball programs in the nation. Schools like Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA are looking to add the No. 2 player in the 2015 class, according to Rivals, while other programs like Georgia and Georgia Tech are attempting to keep the 6-foot-7 wing at home in the Peach State.

Georgia Tech head coach Brian Gregory made his pitch to Brown on Wednesday night, and according to Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gregory incorporated LeBron James into his recruiting pitch.

“(Gregory) reminded Jaylen that when LeBron decided to come back to Cleveland, one of the first things he said is that he never should’ve left because the importance of him staying within the community that raised him. He mentioned how LeBron talked about how the support system raised him and meant so much to him,” Brown’s grassroots coach, Desmond Eastmond told Carvell.

“Coach Gregory’s message was very, very powerful.”

While Georgia Tech is going the LeBron route, Georgia is using a more common approach of telling Brown how he’ll do his damage on the floor by playing for head coach Mark Fox in the SEC.

“Mark Fox showed Jaylen exactly where his shots were going to come from on the floor,” Eastmond said to Carvell. “He said ‘This is where we expect you to score. And this what we expect of you based on what we know you can do.’ Coach Fox talked about the talent level that he’s had in college — players that have gone on to become productive pros over the years, even when he was at Nevada.”

Overall, Eastmond told Carvell that both visits went well and it appears Brown is seriously considering playing his college ball in Georgia. Kansas has set up an official visit with Brown for October 10th and, so far, Brown doesn’t have any more official visits officially set.

Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and UCLA are all candidates to have Brown for official visits besides Kansas.

The LeBron pitch is a smart move for Georgia Tech and Brian Gregory because kids resonate with the idea of being like the best player in the World and it also doubles as a unique recruiting pitch that Brown won’t hear over-and-over again.

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