Hoover coach Scott Ware calls star forward DeWayne Brown a “Tennessee kind of player.”

The 6-foot-9 senior helped power the Bucs to their third straight Class 7A state title Saturday night at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena.

The Vols’ signee had a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds to go along with 5 blocked shots in Hoover’s 66-56 victory over Florence. He was named the tournament MVP.

Brown is scheduled to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game next week at South Alabama before turning his attention to his future college home.

“He’s going to be really good because his basketball IQ is off the charts,” Ware said of Brown’s college potential. “He’s got an old-school game. He’s not a high-flyer. He’s really worked on his shots, so he can extend out on the floor. He’s a Tennessee kind of a player. He fits in well with what they try to do. I expect big things out of DeWayne. His body is going to keep getting better and better.”

In two games in Birmingham this week, Brown had 41 points, 31 rebounds and 9 blocked shots as Hoover became the only Class 7A team to finish unbeaten at 35-0.

Brown committed to Tennessee last April and signed with the Vols in November. He’s the No. 1-ranked senior in Alabama, according to 247 Sports. Ware said he had more than 50 offers but, in the end, it came down to two schools – and neither were in-state.

“Auburn and Alabama were both in early and then they kind of moved on and maybe found something a little different they were looking for,” Ware said. “But there was definitely a lot of interest there. DeWayne took visits to both places, but it kind of came down to Tennessee and Mississippi State. Mississippi State did a really good job, and Tennessee did an excellent job recruiting him. Both of those schools play through the big, which is obviously good for him.”

Brown said Tennessee just felt like home.

“When I went on my recruiting visit, I got that Hoover vibe,” he said. “Everyone is a family there. Everyone wants to see each other and be around each other. It’s an everything school like Hoover. I know I’m going to go there and work to get better, just like I did here.”

Brown said he was able to catch Tennessee’s last-second win over Alabama on Saturday before the Bucs took the court for their game.

“Buzzer beater. That was nice,” he said. “Glad we won. I saw they won so we just had to come out and do the same thing.”