posted by " Friend of the Huskies" Jeff Goodman
Heading into the all-important July recruiting period, we take a look at recruiting needs and game plans for the top 25 programs in college basketball. First up, the UConn Huskies.
Where they are: UConn lost a bunch from last year’s team: Daniel Hamilton left early for the NBA while Kevin Ollie also lost fifth-year senior starters Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller. Reserves Omar Calhoun (senior) and Sam Cassell Jr. (transfer) are also gone. However, the Huskies will bring in five freshmen -- including four who were ranked in the ESPN 100: Point guard Alterique Gilbert (No. 30) is the prize of the group, but Ollie & Co. also added three frontcourt guys with Juwan Durham (No. 52), Vance Jackson (No. 78) and Mamadou Diarra (No. 93). They also brought in wing and former UNLV commit Christian Vital late in the spring. VCU transfer Terry Larrier sat out last season and should step into Hamilton’s spot.
Where they’re going: The Huskies have two open scholarships and will lose a trio of seniors (Amida Brimah, Rodney Purvis and Kentan Facey) after this season. Wings will be extremely important for UConn in this class, as Ollie will likely focus on landing multiple players at this spot – including one who is capable of scoring at a high level. Don’t be shocked if the Huskies -- who brought in three big men in the Class of 2016 -- add another frontcourt body and maybe even another point guard in case they lose either Jalen Adams or Gilbert early. They had a commitment from 2017 7-footer Zach Brown, but the two sides parted ways in early May.
Top targets: There isn't a shortage of targets on the Huskies’ radar -- but the biggest one right now is five-star wing Hamidou Diallo (No. 14). Diallo has solidified himself as one of the elite scorers in the 2017 class and is a key target for Connecticut, Kentucky, Duke, Maryland and plenty of others. There has constantly been talk that he could reclassify late into the 2016 class and enroll at a school this fall, but there’s been no advancement toward that recently. Diallo attends Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, the same school that produced 2016 signee Mamadou Diarra. Another New England wing on UConn’s target list is ESPN 60 small forward Jermaine Samuels (No. 55), although the Huskies will have to fight off Villanova, Xavier and several others for him. Jordan Tucker (No. 30) and D.J. Harvey Jr. (No. 17) also hold UConn offers.
Although Adams and Gilbert can both play the point guard position, Ollie likes playing with multiple ball handlers on the court -- and as a result, UConn isn’t totally forgetting about a 2017 point guard. There are two high-level floor generals from the New England region in this class: Makai Ashton-Langford (No. 32) and Tremont Waters (No. 33). Ashton-Langford has been one of the best players on the Adidas circuit this spring, while Waters continued to boost his stock to the point where Duke and Kentucky both jumped in with an offer.
Up front, look for five-star center Nick Richards (No. 12) to be among the main targets. Kentucky and Syracuse are also heavily involved for Richards, but he plays for Expressions Elite, a New England-based AAU program and the Huskies are in the mix. UConn also went to see ESPN 60 forward Chuma Okeke (No. 48) in April, and Mohamed Bamba (No. 4).
Nothing new I guess.....posted by " Friend of the Huskies" Jeff Goodman
Heading into the all-important July recruiting period, we take a look at recruiting needs and game plans for the top 25 programs in college basketball. First up, the UConn Huskies.
Where they are: UConn lost a bunch from last year’s team: Daniel Hamilton left early for the NBA while Kevin Ollie also lost fifth-year senior starters Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller. Reserves Omar Calhoun (senior) and Sam Cassell Jr. (transfer) are also gone. However, the Huskies will bring in five freshmen -- including four who were ranked in the ESPN 100: Point guard Alterique Gilbert (No. 30) is the prize of the group, but Ollie & Co. also added three frontcourt guys with Juwan Durham (No. 52), Vance Jackson (No. 78) and Mamadou Diarra (No. 93). They also brought in wing and former UNLV commit Christian Vital late in the spring. VCU transfer Terry Larrier sat out last season and should step into Hamilton’s spot.
Where they’re going: The Huskies have two open scholarships and will lose a trio of seniors (Amida Brimah, Rodney Purvis and Kentan Facey) after this season. Wings will be extremely important for UConn in this class, as Ollie will likely focus on landing multiple players at this spot – including one who is capable of scoring at a high level. Don’t be shocked if the Huskies -- who brought in three big men in the Class of 2016 -- add another frontcourt body and maybe even another point guard in case they lose either Jalen Adams or Gilbert early. They had a commitment from 2017 7-footer Zach Brown, but the two sides parted ways in early May.
Top targets: There isn't a shortage of targets on the Huskies’ radar -- but the biggest one right now is five-star wing Hamidou Diallo (No. 14). Diallo has solidified himself as one of the elite scorers in the 2017 class and is a key target for Connecticut, Kentucky, Duke, Maryland and plenty of others. There has constantly been talk that he could reclassify late into the 2016 class and enroll at a school this fall, but there’s been no advancement toward that recently. Diallo attends Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, the same school that produced 2016 signee Mamadou Diarra. Another New England wing on UConn’s target list is ESPN 60 small forward Jermaine Samuels (No. 55), although the Huskies will have to fight off Villanova, Xavier and several others for him. Jordan Tucker (No. 30) and D.J. Harvey Jr. (No. 17) also hold UConn offers.
Although Adams and Gilbert can both play the point guard position, Ollie likes playing with multiple ball handlers on the court -- and as a result, UConn isn’t totally forgetting about a 2017 point guard. There are two high-level floor generals from the New England region in this class: Makai Ashton-Langford (No. 32) and Tremont Waters (No. 33). Ashton-Langford has been one of the best players on the Adidas circuit this spring, while Waters continued to boost his stock to the point where Duke and Kentucky both jumped in with an offer.
Up front, look for five-star center Nick Richards (No. 12) to be among the main targets. Kentucky and Syracuse are also heavily involved for Richards, but he plays for Expressions Elite, a New England-based AAU program and the Huskies are in the mix. UConn also went to see ESPN 60 forward Chuma Okeke (No. 48) in April, and Mohamed Bamba (No. 4).
LOL so did I .I thought at first it was going to be a discussion on the team menu. Great read.
Left out Phil Nolan!
I noticed they left out Phil as well. Who is going to take charges and draw offensive fouls now?!
Or photobomb?
