UW Men's Basketball
Sources: Brockman likely to pick UW

By Greg Bishop
Seattle Times staff reporter

ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Snohomish's Jon Brockman is one of the nation's top prospects.

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With apologies to the Cameron Crazies, it looks like coveted Snohomish forward Jon Brockman won't be playing for Duke starting in the fall of 2005.

In fact, all signs point toward him committing to Washington, possibly as early as today. Brockman would instantly become one of the most high-profile recruits in UW history and the biggest coup of coach Lorenzo Romar's tenure.

"I can tell you this," one source said, "he has not made a decision. But he's close. He's still planning on taking his visit to Washington. Understandably, the decision is a tough one."

Sources close to Brockman have indicated that he will stay at home.

They point to Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski flying here on Sept. 9 and Brockman's visit to the Duke campus about two weeks ago. That Brockman hasn't made a decision or been instantly swayed by Duke's tradition, sources said, works in the Huskies' favor.

Then there are the Seattle connections. His sister, Kirsten, played at Washington until she retired last season due to injuries. His brother, Paul, will play for Seattle Pacific this season. And there's the proximity to the family home.

Brockman recently narrowed his choices to Duke and UW. He cut UCLA from his list after visiting there this summer. Yesterday, a Duke sports Web site, dbbasketball.com, reported that Brockman had committed to the Huskies. That raised the level of concern in Durham, N.C., as both Krzyzewski and assistant Steve Wojciechowski called people close to Brockman to see if the report was true.

	JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES A strong summer playing with the Friends of Hoop AAU team greatly increased Jon Brockman's recruiting stock.

They told them it wasn't true. At least not yet.

Brockman will make a decision soon. But he has not indicated exactly when he will announce it. Sources said Brockman could decide before he takes his visit to Washington, which is scheduled for Oct. 8. They also said the Huskies are the front-runners.

Recruiting experts place the 6-foot-7, 230-pound senior forward among the top 30 players in the country. His stock rose higher during a string of strong performances at summer tournaments with the Friends of Hoop AAU team, of which four players from the 2005 class will likely land major college scholarships.

Among that group is Martell Webster, who, like Brockman, has yet to announce his college decision. With Arizona out of his picture now, Webster could end up at Washington. He also could jump directly to the NBA or start over with the recruiting process, removing himself from the early-signing fray.

Wherever Brockman ends up, his AAU teammates have no doubt about his impact.

"He plays with such intensity and passion," said teammate Mitch Johnson, who recently committed to Stanford. "Sometimes, I try to draw the line diving for a loose ball or going for a rebound because I have to stay healthy. He doesn't have a line. He's just an animal with a motor like I've never seen."

Greg Bishop: 206-464-3191 or gbishop@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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