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Saluki men recruit Lowery's cousin, Kendal Brown, for 2009

By Todd Hefferman, The Southern

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 11:26 PM CDT

Before leading Southern Illinois University's men's basketball team to five NCAA tournaments as a coach, Chris Lowery starred for William Henry Harrison High School in Evansville, Ind.

If only Kendal Brown could do so well. Tuesday, the senior-to-be at Lowery's alma mater verbally committed to the Salukis. Brown, Lowery's cousin, averaged 15.4 points, 5.3 assists, 2.6 steals and more than three rebounds per game last season.

The 5-foot-10 point guard became SIU's first recruit for the class of 2009. The Salukis have at least two more scholarships left for that year.

"He's got speed that can't be taught," said Nathan Fleenor, an assistant boys basketball coach at Harrison. "He's very quick. Each year he's worked hard and improved his game at the high-school level. He could be a very good point guard."

A first team all-league pick in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference, Brown led the Warriors to a 13-9 mark in Indiana's largest class. He was named one of the top 100 underclassmen in 2007 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and one of the top 10 sophomores in the state the same year by Hoosier Hills Hoops.

Brown was unavailable for comment Tuesday night.

Bryan Speer, Harrison's head boys coach and a former teammate with Lowery, said SIU's new addition could bring a lot of tools to Carbondale.

"We were pretty satisfied with Chris being a Harrison alum and a teammate of mine," Speer said. "I've always been partial to the program, and this makes it a little nicer, but I think it's a good fit for everybody. He just displays a lot of athleticism. He has a good basketball IQ,, and we counted on him to do a lot of different things. And, most of the time, he did them."

SIU finished 18-15 last season and reached the second round of the NIT. The Salukis graduate three seniors this season, including point guard Bryan Mullins, guard Wesley Clemmons and forward Tony Boyle.

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 351-5087