Lamb Lies Down in Storrs

Jeremy Lamb, the 6-foot-4 combo guard out of Norcross, Ga., got to make his commitment to UConn face-to-face with Jim Calhoun late this morning.

Calhoun and UConn assistant Patrick Sellers were at Norcross High to watch Lamb work out, and apparently Lamb figured that while they’re here, he might as well commit to the Huskies’ program. He's UConn's first Class of 2010 commitment.

“UConn made Jeremy a top priority,” said Rolando Lamb, Jeremy’s father. “They consistently went after him, showed him a plan on how he could make a contribution immediately at UConn.”

Lamb is most suited as a shooting guard, but he can play the point guard and (with a 6-11 wingspan) the small forward positions, as well.

“I think the thing that’s made Jeremy very unique and attractive to colleges is the facts that he can play multiple positions,” said Norcross High coach Jesse McMillan. “He jumps well, moves well and is able to create with the ball.”

Lamb checks in at just 160 pounds, so there no doubt he needs to get stronger. But McMillan isn’t worried about that. In fact, Lamb was taking part in a weight-lifting class for basketball players and other Norcross athletes this morning when Calhoun and Sellers came to see him.

“He’s still growing,” said McMillan. “We’ve charted him, and he’s grown about two inches since the beginning of last year. He’s going to put those pounds of muscle on, especially once he gets into a college weight-training program.”

Lamb is a bit of a late-bloomer who really blew up on the summer circuit. He was a sixth man at Norcross last year, playing behind his brother, Zach, as well as Taariq Muhammed and Denzel Jones. Zach Lamb and Muhammed are now at Miami-Dade C.C., while Jones is at Division II Clark-Atlanta.

Jeremy averaged under 14 minutes per game last year, but still scored at a 12.5-ppg clip.

“He scored the ball at a very high rate in limited minutes,” said McMillan. “That was his job, to put the ball in the hole.”

Indeed, Lamb figures to be the type of long-range shooter the Huskies have lacked in recent years.

"Probably one of the better parts of his game is his ability to shoot the mid-range jumper," McMillan added. "He's got an exceptional shooting touch, and he's able to step back and hit the 3-pointer, too."

At a team camp in June, McMillan could tell right away that Lamb was primed for a big run through the summer. Sure enough, he opened a lot of eyes at the Peach Jam Festival in Augusta, Ga. in early July, then again in Orlando in late July.

Lamb made official visits to UConn and Texas, as well as unofficials to Marquette, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama and Auburn. His final three, according to his dad, were UConn, Texas and Georgia.

Though Jeremy was born in Richmond, Va., and has lived in Georgia since he was about four, his dad doesn’t think there will be any culture shock up in the cold Northeast.

“He feels good about it,” said Rolando (himself a very interesting guy). “He loves the coaching staff, they made him feel like family. Jeremy’s a pretty perceptive kid. Being around quality people, that was the most important thing to him.”

McMillan said that Lamb’s academics are in order.

***Who sang "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"? And who was that band's lead singer. (Too easy?)