Tag Archives: Brannen Greene

Brannen Greene Sets a June Visit to Duke

BDN Photo, Andrew Slater

In early May, BDN Recruiting Analyst Andrew Slater, told you that Brannen Greene was setting up a visit to Duke.  In our usual follow up interview, a BDN Premium standard  practice others have now borrowed, Greene tells us that visit is set.  Our west coast recruiting correspondent Varand Kachadouri has all the latest as BDN continues to set the pace on AAU Basketball scene coverage.  - Mark Watson

A name that has popped up on Duke’s radar recently is 2013 wing prospect Brannen Greene of Forsyth, Georgia. The 6’6 wing prospect did not attend the L.A session of the Nike EYBL, but did compete at the Pangos All American camp. The once Southern Kings player says he will now be playing with the Atlanta Celtics. BDN got a chance to catch up with the Duke prospect last weekend, here’s what he had to say.

BDN: We didn’t see you last weekend at the EYBL, what happened with that?

BG: Well the head of our program, Morris Gordon, got into a little bit of trouble and he got removed from the head position and he lost his job and everything. So now there was a new head and everything was just all crazy and stuff. So I just decided to take that weekend off.

Tell me a little bit about Mary Persons High School.

BG: Well it’s about 15 minutes north of Macon, Georgia, about 45 minutes south of Atlanta. It’s kind of in the suburbs, it’s a real nice country school that’s big on academics.

I had read that you stated [private] when you moved up to the 16’s and 17’s there was chemistry issues, naturally. How did you guys as a team solve that?

BG: Well last year I was 15 and played up with the 16’s so I knew most of those guys from last year, but it was a change when I moved up last year. I only played with the 16’s for two games and then moved up. It took me about two games to get use to the 17’s and I was fine. I just needed to get use to how they played.

How do you balance school and sports at the same time? It must be tough.

BG: Well my dad and my mom both push me. My mom is a school teacher at the school (Mary Persons HS), and my dad is big on academics, he always is saying “school first, school first”, so I always do my school work first and then find a way to work out every day.

Where on the court do you like to get the ball most?

BG: I like getting the ball on the right wing. That’s where I feel most comfortable.

What’s your first thought when you get the ball there?

BG: First I will square up and see what I got, if the man’s back then I’ll shoot. If he’s not, I’ll probably use footwork like the jab step or something like that to find a way to get around him.

his is still a ways away but have you ever given any thought about a major in school? Or a favorite subject?

BG: Yea I really like journalism.

What are you looking to take away from a camp like this?

BG: Just whatever the camp instructors say, I mean they are obviously here for a reason and the people who are speaking have obviously accomplished something. I just want to make new relationships with players, get to meet them and get to know them. Just really enjoy the experience out in California. Enjoy the competition and just take what I can and learn and develop.

Is this your first trip out to California?

BG: Yea it is, I really like it a lot out here.

Do you have any routines that you like to do before games?

BG: Not really any routines. I like to take naps before games if I can. I’ll listen to some music.

Anyone specific in terms of music? Who’s on your iPod right now?

BG: If you took my iPod right now you’d probably find old school Tupac, Lil’ Wayne, Drake, and probably Big Shyne.

You talked about meeting new people at the camp. Who are you close with on the AAU circuit?

BG: I’d probably say Matt Jones from the Texas Titans, Archie Goodwin from the Arkansas Wings Elite, Isaiah Lewis who plays for the Albany City Rocks, and definitely Chris Walker, we use to play together, we are really cool. We talk all time.

Have you confirmed any upcoming visits yet?

BG: I’ll be visiting Duke from June 25th to probably the 29th. I have a visit with Alabama coming up soon too, Georgia Tech as well.

Greene setting a visit to Duke [/private]

BDN’s Pango’s Camp Recap – Shabazz Muhammad shines

LOS ANGELES - Just a week after the Nike EYBL, Los Angeles got another taste of some of the nation’s top high school basketball prospects during the Pango's All American Camp. In comparison to last weekend there wasn’t the same depth of Duke prospects, but this was still a field with a lot of talent that caught our eye. The destination this weekend for BDN Premium? Cal State Dominguez Hills located right on the border of Compton/Carson, CA.

The camp kicked off with former New Orleans Hornets assistant and current ESPN radio personality Dave Miller teaching the campers some defensive fundamentals. The best way to describe Dave is loud and in charge. The former NBA assistant used his great personality to get the attention of the campers and explain to them the real world of high school, college, and pro hoops.

Some of the big time names at the camp were: Isaiah Austin, Andre Drummond, Shabazz and Rasheed Muhammad, and Anthony Bennett.

The name who likely helped his stock the most this weekend was  2012 forward Anthony Bennett, a 6’7 230 lbs tank.  Bennett threw down countless thunderous dunks and ran the court extremely well. While speaking to him last weekend he mentioned the staff [private] at Findlay Prep was really working his outside game, and it is certainly paying off. The big man showed an impressive outside touch knocking down numerous three point shots keeping the defense very honest. Findlay coach Mike Peck was in attendance and was sure to be proud of Bennett.

This was my second chance seeing Isaiah Austin, the last time being at last year’s Pangos camp. Austin looks to have put on a bit of weight as his arms look thicker but still has a very wiry thin frame. The 7 footer got to match up with Andre Drummond in the very first game of the camp and was immediately put to the test. Drummond’s powerful frame proved to be too much for him in the end but Austin did disrupt Drummond with his length a little bit. At this point Isaiah still tries to bring the ball up the court like a guard. His thin frame doesn’t allow him to really bang down low like you would like most 7 footers to do. The potential is there with Isaiah but adding weight is an absolute must for the Baylor bound prospect.

Let’s move on to 2012 big man Andre Drummond. For a long time scouts have touted him as the next big thing. It seems this weekend he came out to back up their statements. Drummond looked extremely motivated this weekend hustling up and down the court and attempting to grab any and every loose ball within his area code. The Connecticut prospect abused the rim and wooed the crowd with countless spectacular dunks, often making them look effortless. Sporting a college ready frame at 6’9 250 lbs it’s plain to see why so many scouts ranked him so highly. At this point, the big man has minimal to not shooting touch, a skill he would be wise to eventually add. I do not mean adding a three point shot, but simply a 10-15 footer to add a new dimension to his game. His free throw shooting also leaves much to be desired as I could have counted the number of free throw makes on one hand, despite countless trips to the line. Still, it is very easy to see how talented and athletic Drummond is, and is sure to be a future pro, though I’m not doing much more than stating the obvious.

No single player plays with more consistent intensity than Shabazz Muhammad. The 6’5 Las Vegas lefty scored in every way imaginable this weekend while bringing in camp MVP. Given his constant effort it was a simple choice to give him the award. Shabazz flew around all over the court and attacked the rim like with a ferocity that makes you think, “what did that poor rim ever do to you?” While not an incredible outside shooter, Shabazz showed enough that you must at least respect it to a certain degree. Not to say he doesn’t defend, but if that intensity ever fully carries over to the defensive side, watch out.  There isn’t much more to say about Muhammad that hasn’t been said. He is easily in my opinion the best prospect in 2012.

Recently a name that has popped up on Duke’s radar has been Brannen Greene, a 6’6 shooter out of Forsyth, Georgia. This was my first chance seeing the forward and his performance unfortunately was disappointing to say the least. Often times when a shooters shot isn’t dropping you’d like to see him be productive in other ways. This wasn’t exactly the case with Brannen. There wasn’t always effort on both sides of the court and at times seemed a bit unenthusiastic. He doesn’t seem to be possess a high level of athleticism at this point and often got his shot blocked when he tried to put the ball on the floor. Hopefully for his sake this was simply a bad weekend and he can move on from it and get better.

I have to give credit to BDN Recruiting Analyst Andrew Slater for the next player, 2013 guard/forward Stephen Domingo out of San Francisco, CA. Before the camp started he had mentioned that Stephen should be a player of interest to watch and boy did he not disappoint. Currently sporting a very skinny frame the 6’6 (though I must say he is likely a bit shorter than this listing by an inch) prospect lit it up during the Top 25 game this weekend where he took home MVP of the match. Despite his slender body Stephen had no problem mixing it up a little bit. He’s not Shaquille O’Neal by any means, but it was a joy to watch him try to grab rebounds and block a few shots. One particular impressive play, Stephen grabbed a rebound, turned around, looked ahead, and fired off a pin point outlet pass leading to an easy bucket for his team; an impressive play for the young prospect. Domingo showed off a very solid three point shot as well as some mid range game, particularly using the pull up jumper. I think it’s safe to say that the scouts will be paying a lot more attention to the St. Ignatius product. [/private]

Brannen Greene is setting up a visit to Duke

Andrew Slater scores an in depth interview with a prospect on the Duke radar - BDN Photo AS

Brannen Greene is the epitome of a small town student-athlete. In Forsyth, Georgia, a town of less than four thousand and located about an hour south of Atlanta, the sophomore 6'6" wing led Mary Persons HS to its best season in history on the court, made All-State, and achieved a 4.0 grade point average off of it. On the AAU circuit, he plays for the Southern Kings and the 2013 recruit was recently elevated to the 17 and under team, where the competition is most fierce. Greene, who has started to build a reputation as a tall deep shooter, is planning on deciding on a college program in the next four months. Right now, he is making plans to visit prospective schools. After a controversial last second loss against Baltimore Elite at a recent tournament, Greene was gracious enough to speak with Blue Devil Nation about the latest in his recruitment, balancing academics with athletics, and Duke's recent interest in the confident sophomore.   Get to know Greene up close and personal with our latest premium offering and when you are finished, check out the latest on Alex Proythress.

How have you done so far this season?

 Let's start with the AAU. I've done fine here, but I started out in 16-and-under and I was like killing them there. Like, I was dropping players there. Some of the scouting services said that I should be playing up so I could have more competition and so I am.

How was your high school season?

It was the best season in our high school's history.

Congratulations

Thank you. We hosted our first round game, we won a regional championship, and I was named first-team all-state.

What are you hoping to  [private] accomplish, both in the AAU season and in your high school season?

Yeah, well, I'm looking to develop overall as a player. I'd like for us to make it to the state tournament game and in AAU, I'd like to be a leader on this team.

Is it difficult at your age to do that and, particularly, with you being a new guy on the team...or does it just come naturally?

I mean, I've always been the leader on the teams for, like, my whole life. Next year, I'm looking forward to doing that even more, though, because we'll have pretty good players and so I just play...

It must have been a little odd going from 16 to 17.

Yeah, I didn't know any of those guys. We had no chemistry at first when I started to join them and then I've played with them and we clicked.

In terms of recruiting, what schools are after you right now?

Alabama, Georgia Tech, Marquette, Duke, Georgetown, Florida State, Ohio State, Providence, and Stanford

Have you figured out a time line for when you'd like to decide by?

Me and my guys discussed it. Most likely, we'll decide at the end of the summer…at the end of July… in the live period. We're going to decide before this season.

Have you visited any schools so far?

 I visited Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Xavier.

Do you have any planned?

I've already visited Alabama, but, in about two weeks, I'm going to visit there again because they've been recruiting me so hard. Then, I'll go to Georgia Tech again and I'm also planning about visiting NC State.

Would you visit Duke when you're there, as well?

 Oh, yeah, we're actually working that out right now.

You must be a pretty good student though. Can you touch on that, as well?

Oh, yeah, I'm a 4.0 GPA, but there are always tournaments, dude. I got to get my studies up. I got to get my grades up.

How do you balance these basketball tournaments with your academics?

How do you manage? It is. Between working out and leaving, you know, missing Fridays of school and then having to make it up.

Do the teachers hassle you about the exams and the make-up tests?

Yeah, they get mad and stuff, but...I just go to them after school and get tutoring.

Can you talk about your strengths and weaknesses on the court?

My strengths are shooting...

Three-pointers, obviously.

Yeah, and my ball handling and just like overall IQ. My weaknesses are I don't know..my defensive intensity? I mean, I like defense, but sometimes I don't put my whole effort into it. I just want to keep getting to be an overall better player.

How do you feel about shooting off of a catch versus shooting off of the dribble? Which way do you feel more comfortable?

Pulling up is fine with me, but like I like doing step-backs.

Saw that in the game here.

. Shooting off the dribble is fine with me, but I guess I prefer shooting off of a catch.

Catch and shoot seems to be your bread and butter. How about taking the ball to the hoop- do you feel comfortable doing that?

Yeah, but there are some times when I settle too much for the jump-shot, but I'm still comfortable, though.

In terms of position, what do you view yourself as?

A 2/3 or a 3? A 2/3, but sometimes I even play point guard.

What's your current size and what are you projected to be?

 6'6", 190. They're projecting that I'll be no shorter than 6'9." They examined my growth plates and said that they are wide open.

Is there a player that you try to model your game after?

Yeah, I love Kevin Durant.

 The Georgia Stars coach was comparing you to Reggie Miller, when you're angry.

Yeah, yeah.

Who will you turn to for guidance whenever you do decide?

My father.

Is he here?

Yeah, he's here. He came over to the game and shook my hand..and he's now one of the assistant coaches here. Him and Coach Morris, that's about it. I try to keep my circle very tight.

That's probably a good thing. What would you like the audience to know about you off of the court?

 I don't do that partying or drinking thing. I've never done that. That's not my thing. That accounts for the 4.0. I just like hanging out. I'm not a real outsy person, but I am outgoing and I like to have fun.

In terms of your physique, what are you hoping to accomplish this summer? Are there any goals?

Definitely, I could get stronger, I wanna just work on my overall body, I need to get stronger. That's something that's going to be needed for college. It's very important to get my strength up in order to make an impact.

What are you looking for, ideally, in terms of a college program?

An institute that's really high on academics, one that wants to help me develop mentally and physically, and then distance..I want to be close to home, but like, if it's the right place and it's far away, I'll go. I mean, in terms of distance, I like to be close to my family.

I was curious about that. Can you touch on your defense, where you think it is and where you'd like it to be? We touched on that a little bit before.

I need to get more intense and focus on it more because that'll be what separates me from the other top players.

So, it's more of an effort issue for you than anything else?

Yeah.

Who's the most difficult player you've guarded so far?

Probably Ricardo Ledo.

Oh, yeah, Ricky Ledo?

Yeah, him, or Nerlens Noel.

He's a big-time player and a very tough player to guard. You can't stick him.

 Oh, yeah, I know both of those guys. I'm still in shock over how we lost that game.

Before, you mentioned Duke, what contact has been made between you and the coaches and what do you know about the school and the program?

My dad has been talking to Nate James. My AAU coaches have been talking to Duke. My other AAU coaches, my 16s, have also been talking to Duke. It's primarily been Nate James and, like I said, we've been talking about setting up a visit.

And what do you know about the University and the program?

Academically, they're a great school and obviously their basketball program is a great basketball program. I just like Coach K's style of play and you know with a lot of screens and stuff.

Have they talked about how you would fit in there and where they see you?

Actually, they probably have. They probably told my coaches, but I really haven't heard.

So I'm talking to the wrong guy here. (laughs)

 (laughs)

 By the way, what's your best subject?

Math. It just seems to come naturally to me.

Thanks a lot for your time.

Sure. [/private]