Preseason Mr. Basketball Candidate: Gabe Brown
Gabe Brown, of Belleville High School, will be a frontrunner to win Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award from the start. The Michigan State commit is a 4-Star, Top-100 player nationally. Here at PrepHoops, we have him ranked as a surefire Top-5 prospect in the loaded 2018 class. The top 7-8 players in that class are all arguably Top-100 players nationally in their own right – a testament to just how talented and how high Brown’s ceiling is. While he’s certainly received his fair share of accolades, I believe Brown has just begun to scratch the surface of his full potential. He may have the most pro potential out of anybody in the 2018 class, as he stands around 6’7″-6’8″ with long arms – certainly a pro body. While going pro is certainly not guaranteed and would be a remarkable feat, Brown does have the work ethic to make it happen. He’s a true gym rat – this is evident by how steadily and how fast he’s developing. He possesses a guard-like ability to handle the ball and is a high-level shooter from anywhere on the court – two skills that are a direct indication as to how much time a player spends in the gym. Outside of the handles and the shot (which he can hit both off the catch or off the dribble), Brown is an above-average rebounder and a quality defender.
Brown, who missed his final month of AAU season with a knee injury, announced recently that he was cleared for action. Before shutting it down from the summer, Brown was one of the hottest prospects in his class – he picked up 9 offers over the course of the spring, as well as garnering interest from other top-notch D1 schools such as Michigan and Kentucky. He averaged 9 points per game, 4 rebounds per game and 1 steal per game running with The Family. Despite seeming low, these numbers are solid given the fact that they come from the EYBL Circuit, widely considered the top youth basketball league in the country.
With all things being considered, I broke my prediction down into three main categories: individual production, team performance and competition. When taking a look at past Mr. Basketball competitions, these have been the three biggest factors the voting coaches have taken into consideration. So, without further ado:
Production
While Brown certainly had a productive year for Belleville last year, he will need to take it to the next level given his competition for the award this year. However, as I mentioned earlier, his game has developed leaps and bounds since last season, so it’s realistic to expect a step or two up this year. Since his competition for the award is so stiff this year, I believe Brown will have to do 1 of 2 things (or both) in order to separate himself from the rest: average north of 24-25 points per game, or average at least 10 rebounds per game to go along with a solid 20 points per game. If he can do either of these things, or both, he’ll have a strong case at winning Mr. Basketball. He certainly has the ability to do so, however, Belleville is loaded with talent and there’s only so much ball to go around.
Team Performance
Belleville is considered by many to be the second most talented team in the state behind Clarkston. Behind Gabe, there are 3-4 legitimate players who have the talent to be a top player at another school. While they certainly play a tougher schedule than other Mr. Basketball candidates’ teams, Belleville is far more talented than 90% of the teams they’ll play. It is not unreasonable to expect them to win between 17-19 games. To go undefeated would be an impressive feat, but it is not out of the question. Regardless, if Brown can lead Belleville to 18 or 19 wins, it will look very impressive given the level of competition they play. This, combined with stellar individual production, would give Brown a really good shot at winning Mr. Basketball.
Competition
As I’ve clearly harped on throughout this article, this year’s Mr. Basketball race will be uber-competitive. There are 8 high-major commits/recruits in the 2018 class alone – that’s not to mention the plethora of top notch mid-major talent the 2018 class boasts. Thomas Kithier’s transfer to Clarkston puts 3 of the 8 high-major players on the same team. With only so much ball to go around, that might help desaturate the field for Brown. That’s not a guarantee, however, and that doesn’t even take into account the other 4 high-major players. What Brown has going for him is this: he’s committed to Michigan State. Being committed to one of the two in-state high-major programs has proven to be a difference maker in the Mr. Basketball race in years past. However, 6 of the 8 high-major players in the race are also committed to Michigan or Michigan State, so that factor doesn’t play as much of a role as it usually would. It’s important to note that the race doesn’t only include high-major players; it’s possible a mid-major player explodes for a monster season and steals the award – there are multiple around the state that have the talent.
With all things being considered, Brown has an opportunity to prove just how good he is this season. Belleville is loaded and they play a tough schedule – two factors that could easily take Brown out of the running with just a few bad games. However, this can also benefit him; if Brown can prove that, despite the talent he’s playing with and against, he’s supremely dominant, he’ll have a better case than some of the other Mr. Basketball candidates. He certainly has a tougher path to Mr. Basketball than others. Nonetheless, he’s no stranger to hard work – that, coupled with his extraordinary talent, gives Brown everything he needs to control his own destiny when it comes to winning Mr. Basketball.