Story: Consensus 5-star forward Kendall Brown commits to Baylor

Just months after doing it on the court, the Baylor basketball team is now making history off of it.

The Bears on Monday received an oral commitment from Kendall Brown‍, a 6-foot-8 small forward who is ranked No. 12 on Rivals.com’s national Top 100 list.

A Minnesota native who plays for Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Brown picked Baylor over Kansas, Ohio State, Marquette, Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota and a long list of others.

“I have a great relationship with Coach (Scott) Drew and the coaching staff,” Brown said. “He does a really great job with his wings, players like Taurean Prince and Royce O’Neale. He gives them the freedom to show their athletic ability and what they can do on the court.”

Brown is now the third national top-50 player to pledge to the Bears in the past week. Langston Love, ranked No. 22 by ESPN, committed on Wednesday while Jeremy Sochan (No. 47 by 247sports) announced his decision Thursday.

Baylor’s 2021 class is ranked the No. 1 class in the country by Rivals and 247Sports.

“The three of us are going to make an impact right away,” Brown said.

There is no question, though, that Brown is the gem of the class.

The 205-pound Brown – who revealed his decision on an Instagram Live video with ESPN’s Paul Biancardi – has a style similar to former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen. His size and length enables him to guard all five positions, and his ability to handle the ball like a point guard and soft shooting touch makes him a threat to score from anywhere.

Brown said his fondness for Drew was another big reason he chose Baylor.

“He’s a great person,” Brown said of Drew. “He reminds me a lot of my coach at Sunrise Christian, coach Luke (Barnwell). He’s got a lot of energy and he’s a big Christian guy, and that’s big for me.”

Brown played for East Ridge High School in Woodbury, Minnesota before transferring to Sunrise – the alma mater of Buddy Hield – last July. He is close with Love, his future Baylor teammate, as the two have competed together for USA Basketball.

“We had a really strong relationship ever since the first couple of Team USA camps we went to,” Brown told Biancardi. “We’ve kept in touch ever since. I really wanted to play with him. When it committed I felt like it was go-time for me.”

Brown is ranked No. 14 by 247sports and No. 16 by ESPN.com. Asked by Biancardi to describe his game, Brown said: “A really athletic wing that can really get to the basket; a really high IQ who can get players open and pass the ball really well.”

Corey Evans, a national recruiting expert at Rivals.com, ranked Brown higher than any other analyst at No. 12.

“He is a do-it-all wing forward that can play arguably four positions on the floor at both ends,” Rivals.com Corey Evans said. “He can defend, rebound. He can create for others and he can create for himself. His shot has improved, so there are really no deficiencies in his game.”

Baylor’s banner week in recruiting comes on the heels of a 26-4 season that saw the Bears win a school-record 23 straight games while being ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for five straight weeks.

With three top-50 commitments, Baylor is likely to have its highest-ranked class in school history. The Bears’ 2012 haul featuring Isaiah Austin, Rico Gathers, LJ Rose, Chad Rykhoek and Taurean Prince was ranked No. 10 by ESPN.com.