Four-star center Zach Brown has called off his commitment to UConn, via a report from Scout.com. According to statements from both Brown and the university, the decision was mutual. Brown had been UConn’s only commit in the 2017 class.
Since choosing UConn in January, Brown moved to Connecticut to play at Putnam Science Academy, had an incident, left school and moved back to his hometown of Miami. Rumors abound that Brown clashed with PSA teammates Mamadou Diarra (a UConn commit) and Hamidou Diallo (UConn’s favorite target of the 2017 class).
Brown was also rumored to be aiming at a reclassification into the 2016 class, a prospect that went out the window once he withdrew from PSA.
It doesn’t appear that this came as a surprise to Ollie, as UConn had continued to be linked with other center prospects since Brown’s commitment.
For the relationship between Brown and UConn to collapse so quickly, there is likely more at play behind the scenes. Brown is a phenomenal recruit, and is close with former UConn player Boo Willingham, who happens to be one of Kevin Ollie’s closest friends. Brown’s personal story is one of heartache and redemption. It’s tempting to view these moves through a prism shone exclusively on how UConn will be affected, but it’s important to remember that Brown is just a kid. Hopefully this decision works out for all involved.
