Chicago's Future: Kezo Brown and Chase Adams

The city of Chicago just witnessed a once in a lifetime event with two of the top high school big men in the country playing just miles apart from each other. 6’10” Jahlil Okafor and 6’8” man child Cliff Alexander captivated the Windy City throughout their high school tenures and the talented big men are now set to dominate the college ranks before hearing their name called in next June’s NBA Draft.

It might be awhile before any city sees two top five talents playing in public schools just miles apart, but who’s got next in Chicago? Say hello to two freshmen point guards from the class of 2018 in 6’0” Marquis (Kezo) Brown and 5’3” Chase Adams. Neither player has actually played a high school game but the city is already buzzing about their arrival. 

Adams and Brown after their 1st USA experience

The two Chicago youngsters were previously invited to the prestigious USA Developmental Camp that took place the first weekend in October. There were 37 players in total from the classes of 2017 and 2018 invited to Colorado Springs and both Brown and Adams caught the attention of spectators in attendance.

Kezo Brown drew rave reviews at the Developmental camp and continued his strong play throughout the month at the Pangos Midwest camp in Illinois and the NY2LA Future’s camp in Wisconsin. Brown is set to play varsity for public school powerhouse Simeon that won four straight state championships during the recent Jabari Parker era and is one of the clear cut favorites to cut down the nets in 2015. USA Today has Simeon at No. 12 in their pre-season top 25 and Brown will get to play with a trio of talented seniors in DJ Williams, Ed Morrow, and Isaiah Moss that have already committed to Illinois, Nebraska, and Iowa, respectively.

“We got DJ Williams, Ben Coupet, Isaiah Moss, Zachary Bell and we are ready this year,” said Brown. “I’ve been wanting to go to Simeon since I was five years old. Basically, I was going there right then and there. I was looking at other schools, but not really paying attention. I was going to Simeon.”

The lefty point guard already plays well beyond his years and didn’t back down from anyone at the USA Camp taking it to players such as Jalen Brunson (2014) and Matt Coleman (2016). Brown’s game is smooth and under control, but his best attribute right now comes from his quick feet. Whether it was keeping one of the top guards in the country out of the lane on defense or penetrating into the pain on offense, Brown’s feet were a blur. After beating his man off the dribble, Brown usually dished off a good looking pass to an open teammate or showcased his solid mid-range jump shot.

Brown didn’t rest after his USA performance. Two weeks later he put his talents on display against some of the top freshmen and sophomores in the Midwest at the Pangos All-Midwest camp. Respected west coast scout Frank Burlison noted:

“It’s way too early to proclaim a definitive “No. 1 point guard prospect in the national Class of 2018”. But the left-handed Brown belongs in any serious discussion about candidates for that proclamation. He did pretty much anything he so desired while the ball was in his hands Saturday.”

College coaches have taken notice as well. In early October Brown noted that he had strong interest from a few local schools in DePaul and UIC not to mention Illinois and Kansas. Recently, Tim Miles offered Brown a Nebraska scholarship. The word is out on Brown and the lightning quick freshman will get to make his debut on December 6 in the Chicago Elite Classic.

While Brown made headlines for his play, Chase Adams has gained notoriety from his middle school YouTube clips and slight stature. He initially looked out of place at the USA Camp standing next to a plethora of giants, but the 5’3”, 111 pound Adams is ready to emulate his friend and recent McDonald’s All-American selection Tyler Ulis.

The 5’9” Ulis just finished breaking all types of school records at Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights, IL and now his 5’3” protégé looks to do the same.

“I’m real close to Tyler,” said Adams. “He came into Marian and broke all of Cedrick Middleton’s records, now he wants me to come in and break his records.”

While Kezo Brown laces up his sneakers for one of the top teams in the country, Chase Adams will look to make his mark on a young and inexperienced Marian Catholic team. While Marian Catholic lost one of the top players in the country, they also lost the majority of their starting line-up to graduation.

“We are going to be a real young and inexperienced team, but it will be a fun challenge,” said Adams. “We haven’t really been having open gyms and we won’t be in the Chicago Elite Classic, but we will surprise some people.”

Unfortunately for Adams, he did not get a chance to surprise people in Colorado Springs as he was reduced to a spectator role on the first day of camp. He suffered a slight hamstring pull in the days leading up to the event but managed to participate in drills on the second day.

Even with the limited viewing it was easy to see why Adams received an invitation to the camp. His ball-handling skills were superb as he excelled with either hand and Adams also connected on the majority of his mid-range jump shots and floaters during the drills. He even started shooting with his left hand half-way through without a noticeable difference. Obviously, Adams will need to continue to grow for his development to continue but college coaches have already made contact with the diminutive guard. Bradley was the first to offer a scholarship and at the USA Camp Adams noted interest from Detroit, UIC, Illinois, and a letter from Arizona.

It’s certainly rare for a city to have two talents like Okafor and Alexander, but the future is bright in the Windy City. Kezo Brown and Chase Adams give up a combined 28 inches and 250 pounds to the departed duo but their names and games are already well known. 2014 was the year for big men in Chicago; it looks like 2018 is the year for point guards.