Sam Cassell, Jr.: "(UConn) Felt Like the Place for Me"

Spoke briefly with Sam Cassell, Jr., who committed to UConn today, while he was in between classes down at Chipola College. He said his visit to UConn the weekend of Sept. 21 (attending the Michigan game, etc.) was what made him want to be a Husky.

“When I went on my visit, I just felt at home," he said. "It felt like the place for me.”

Seeing so many ex-players return that weekend for Jim Calhoun's tribute dinner (Rudy Gay, Ray Allen, Kemba Walker, etc.) opened his eyes, too.

“That was great, to see a lot of players come back.”

UConn sees Cassell, Jr. as a point guard, but he's an excellent scorer off the ball, as well.

"I think I can fit in great," he said. "I know if I want to make money playing basketball, I've got to be a point guard. Coach Ollie said I'll be in a lot of point guard situations, but whatever guard gets (the ball), go. Up-and-down, fast-paced."

 

Cassell, Jr.'s dad, of course, made a lot of money playing basketball, spending 16 seasons in the NBA and winning three titles (two with Houston and one, in 2008, with the Celtics in his final year).

Cassell was a teammate of Ollie's for a year-and-a-half with Milwaukee, and dad had good words for his son regarding the UConn coach.

"He definitely spoke highly of him," Cassell, Jr. noted. "They played together, so he knows him. Me having a good relationship with my dad, Coach Ollie having a good relationship with my dad, that's big."

Cassell, Jr. said that "everything is good" with his academics down at Chipola. In fact, the reason he didn't play basketball last season at the junior college was to concentrate on his grades.