Recruit Chaundee Brown cuts Maryland from list, leaving KU, Wake Forest and Florida as contenders

Chaundee Brown, a 6-foot-5 senior shooting guard from First Academy in Orlando, Fla., who made an official basketball recruiting visit to Kansas over Labor Day weekend, has cut Maryland from his list of schools thus narrowed his final list to three: KU, Wake Forest and Florida.

Brown, the No. 39 ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2017 according to Rivals.com, told The Star on Sunday in a text message he’s moved the date of his trip to Wake Forest from Oct. 14-16 to Oct. 1-2. His final visit will be to Florida on Oct. 7-9.

As a junior, Brown attended KU’s Late Night in the Phog as part of an unofficial visit.

Duval chooses IMG Academy

Trevon Duval, a 6-2 point guard who recently announced a list of nine schools including KU, has decided to play his senior year of high school at IMG Academy in Brandenton, Fla., his dad announced Sunday on Facebook.

Duval played last season at Advanced Prep in Dallas. Former Arizona commit Terrance Ferguson reportedly failed to qualify for a college scholarship after attending Advanced Prep and now is playing overseas.

Duval, who is ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2017 according to Rivals.com, has also attended St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J., during his high school career.

“I think people understand why I left that situation,” Duval told Zagsblog.com, referring to Advanced Prep. “Because the academics and everything wasn’t really totally stable there. I’m trying to go somewhere and have a stable education. I’m not worried about it affecting my eligibility and all that. I’m fine with that.”

Duval has a list of KU, Maryland, Villanova, USC, Cal-Berkeley, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Arizona and Oregon.

Weatherspoon picks Mississippi State

Nick Weatherspoon, a 6-1 senior shooting guard from Velma Jackson High in Camden, Miss., who had set up an in-home visit with KU coaches for this Friday, on Sunday committed to Mississippi State.

Rivals.com’s No. 28-rated player chose MSU over KU, Ohio State, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Louisville, Georgetown and others. Nick’s brother, Quinndary, averaged 12.0 ppg at Mississippi State last season as a freshman.

“He will be a next-level point guard who can score and distribute,” Velma Jackson coach Anthony Carlyle told Zagsblog.com. “The level of toughness he brings is similar to (Russell) Westbrook.”

Knox meets with Kentucky coach

Kevin Knox, a 6-8 senior small forward from Tampa (Fla.) Catholic, who has a list of KU, Duke, North Carolina, Florida State and Kentucky, met with Wildcats coach John Calipari on Friday.

“Basically (Calipari was) saying I’m a priority and I could thrive in his system,” Knox told Zagsblog.com. Knox is rated No. 9 nationally by Rivals.com.

Self to visit Washington

KU coach Bill Self on Monday is slated to have an in-home visit with P.J.Washington, a 6-7 senior forward from Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, who is ranked No. 17 nationally. UK coach Calipari met with Washington on Sunday. He’s also considering Arizona, North Carolina, N.C. State and others.

Sims picks Texas

Jericho Sims, a 6-8 senior forward from Cristo Rey Jesuit in Minneapolis, Minn., committed to Texas last week. Sims, who is ranked No. 54 by Rivals.com, also had heard from KU, Minnesota and Ohio State. According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Sims’ father, Charles, played basketball for Minnesota in the 1970s with Flip Saunders and Mychal Thompson. His brother, Dominique, played football at Minnesota.

Aldrich gives away backpacks

Former KU forward Cole Aldrich is already becoming a favorite of Minnesota Timberwolves fans. Aldrich and his wife, Brittany, recently joined forces with the Kids in Need Foundation to give away 300 backpacks with school supplies to students at Stonebridge Community School in Minneapolis.

According to NBA.com’s Kyle Ratke, “Aldrich engaged with the students while passing out backpacks, asking them if they were excited for school and gave each student a high five.”

“Today wraps up a great day and as we see the kids leaving the gym, faces full of energy, ready to tackle the new school year, what an awesome afternoon,” Timberwolves community relations manager Mathew Makovec told NBA.com. “And it wouldn’t be possible without our partners as well as Cole and Brittany Aldrich taking time out of their day to make this possible for all the kids in the community.”

Aldrich, a native of Burnsville, Minn., signed with the Wolves this offseason. He’s played for the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by New Orleans before his rights were traded to OKC.

This story was originally published September 11, 2016 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Recruit Chaundee Brown cuts Maryland from list, leaving KU, Wake Forest and Florida as contenders."