Joe Jackson of Memphis has been named the 2013 Conference-USA Player of the Year.

Jackson was joined on the C-USA All-Conference First Team by Dwayne Davis of Southern Miss, Tulane's Josh Davis, East Carolina's Maurice Kemp, UCF's Isaiah Sykes and Houston's TaShawn Thomas.

D.J. Stephens of Memphis was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Danuel House of Houston won Freshman of the Year.

Southern Methodist University is showcasing Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown in an effort to break out of relative obscurity.

"We're using it every way from fund raising, to creating exclusive or intimate interactions with Larry and our staff, to developing excitement on campus, getting him in front of fraternities, sororities, campus organizations," says Rick Hart, SMU's athletic director. "We're trying to showcase coach Brown and utilize not just his talents and abilities, but his reputation and accomplishments to create for our program."

All of the off-court attention has startled Brown.

"I'm like a trophy here now at SMU," Brown says. "I'm doing a lot of things outside of basketball, but in the NBA, it's all basketball."

Brown, 72, will continue making public appearances, even though he doesn't particularly enjoy talking about himself.

"I realized I don't like being the face of the program,” Brown says. “That's the thing that makes me uncomfortable. I want SMU basketball to be relevant, not me being head coach."

Yanick Moreira, a 6-foot-10 center who plays at South Plains Community College in Texas, has given an oral commitment to Southern Methodist University.

Moreira, who chose the Mustangs over Baylor, is considered one of the nation’s top JUCO prospects.

Southern Methodist University offered a scholarship to Ja'Quan Newton, a 6-foot-3 guard who plays at Neumann-Goretti (PA) High School.

Larry Brown visited Newton on Monday.

"He just told me how he really is," Newton said. "He didn't lie to me or sugarcoat anything."

Newton has drawn interest from Arizona, Georgetown, Temple, Villanova, Wake Forest, Miami, Syracuse and Seton Hall.

Sterling Brown has verbally committed to play for SMU for the 2013-14 season.

“This was just the best fit for him,” says Sterling Brown’s father, Chris Brown. “He feels he can learn, grow and develop as a player under Larry Brown. He’s comfortable there. It’s a great atmosphere there and a great opportunity for him.”

Sterling is the younger brother of Phoenix Suns guard Shannon Brown.

Larry Brown is the only coach to have won an NBA title and an NCAA title.

“Every kid you recruit all think they’re going to the NBA after one year,” the SMU coach said Tuesday at Conference USA media day. “From that standpoint, I’m relevant. A lot of them have to Google me up, though.”

Brown said it’s important to be realistic with incoming players about their NBA chances.

“Our job is to make sure they have some alternatives,” he said. “So many kids think they’re a failure when they don’t get drafted after their first year, but they’re not. There are some special stories of kids who have been successful in college and gone on to be successful in the pros.”

Andrew and Aaron Harrison have committed to Kentucky for the 13-14 season.

The twins out of Travis High in Texas picked Kentucky over Maryland and SMU.

"We liked coach (John) Calipari's fire to win and we want to win a national championship," Andrew said.

Added Aaron: "Also, Coach Calipari did not guarantee anything and we liked that."

Andrew is the top-rated point guard in the class, while Aaron is rated as the top shooting guard. Both players are consensus top-five prospects.

"I am very happy that Andrew and Aaron made their own decision," said their father, Aaron Harrison Sr. "They weighed all the facts and made their decision and it never changed."

Southern Methodist coach Larry Brown made a personal visit and offered a scholarship to Sterling Brown, the younger player of NBA player Shannon Brown.

Brown has offers from Illinois, DePaul, Northwestern, Minnesota, Nebraska, USC, Providence, Oregon State and Colorado.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo visited Brown last Tuesday.

"I still anticipate an offer down the line. So does Sterling," Sterling's high school coach Donnie Boyce said. "They want to see him play more and be more aggressive. I think Sterling is disappointed that it is taking Michigan State so long to make up their mind and make an offer. But I don't think it bothers him. He is appreciative that they are still considering him this late in the recruiting
process."

Andrew and Aaron Harrison have narrowed their focus to Kentucky and Maryland, while SMU is in a distant third.

The Harrisons have eliminated Baylor and Villanova from consideration and plan to make a decision in late October.

Southern Methodist University will hold walk-on tryouts for students, head coach Larry Brown announced.

“Walk-ons are an important part of the team,” said Brown. “They have a special place in every good college basketball program. We hope to find one or two students that can help our team.”

Prospective players must meet all the NCAA eligibility requirements and be enrolled full-time (12-plus hours) to be eligible.