Texas Basketball: Greg Brown cracks top 20 of ESPN newcomer ratings

Incoming freshman Texas basketball former five-star recruit and power forward Greg Brown could make a huge immediate impact for Shaka Smart.

ESPN recently released their “Newcomer Impact Rankings” ahead of the start of the 2020-21 college basketball regular season. And at least amid the top 20 on the list, there was one member out of the Texas basketball program. That one Texas player that made the list was the elite former five-star Vandegrift power forward recruit Greg Brown.

In this piece from ESPN, the top incoming freshmen, JUCO transfers, and commits out of the NCAA Transfer Portal were ranked at their new programs by the estimated impact for the looming college hoops season. The complete list ranked out the top 100 by the top impacts in the entire country.

Brown was the lone Longhorn on the list, since he’s really the only newcomer on the roster for this season. The 2020 Texas hoops recruiting class only had one signee in it, which was Brown.

Brown got the 17th spot on the list, which was also one of the highest among any Big 12 newcomer. The top ranked newcomer both out of the Big 12, and on the list in general, is the nation’s top ranked 2020 high school prospect and the generational talent at point guard for the Oklahoma State Cowboys Cade Cunningham.

Here’s more on what this piece from ESPN had to say about the placement of Brown on the list.

"Brown is an elite athlete who will excel in the open court for the Longhorns. Shaka Smart’s team was inconsistent last season, but Brown is the type of X factor who can take them to the next level."

This uber-talented 6-foot-9 and 195 pound big man product hailing out of Austin, TX, ranked as the nation’s No. 9 2020 high school prospect, No. 2 power forward, and top overall prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranked him as the nation’s No. 11 high school prospect, No. 2 power forward, and top overall prospect out of Texas.

Brown will be helping a Longhorns roster loaded with talent and experience this coming season. This could be a really special year under the direction of head coach Shaka Smart, but he needs to capitalize on what’s at hand this year.

Texas is scheduled to open up the 2020-21 season in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic on Nov. 25 against UTRGV at home at the Frank Erwin Center. They finished up the 2019-20 season with a record of 19-12 (9-9 Big 12).