Tremont Waters chose LSU over UConn, Georgetown.

With the (not unexpected) news that New Haven's own Tremont Waters is heading off to LSU, it would appear yet another indignity in UConn's recruiting season of discontent.

It started back in January, when Hamidou Diallo chose Kentucky over the Huskies. It continued on as one UConn target after another opted for different programs, most notably Sidney Wilson picking St. John's a couple of weeks ago.

Add it all to Makai Ashton-Langford backing out of his commitment, three players (Steve Enoch, Vance Jackson and Juwan Durham) bolting the program and ... well, the optics aren't good.

So I called around to some New England-based prep and AAU coaches to see what the perception of UConn is these days. Here's some of what they had to say.

JASON SMITH, Brewster Academy head coach:

"It's still definitely one of the premier programs in the country. Coach Ollie is tremendous, and I think they made a fantastic hire. Coach (Raphael) Chillious is one of my closest friends in the business, one of the coaches I communicate with most frequently."

"I know they've had some hiccups the last month or two, but that's part of how recruiting goes in cycles."

The 'Top Five' is now down to 'Top Three'

"They're gonna be more than fine. Coach Chillious, Dwayne Killings are two of the most respected assistant coaches in the business. Coach Ollie's proven to be a championship-caliber coach himself. I think UConn is one of the premier programs in the country. Everything goes in cycles. You'll see them bounce back, have a great year, then continue to recruit great guys."

JERE QUINN, St. Thomas More head coach:

"I think it's taken a hit. Unfortunately, the conference lacks the luster with a lot of these kids. They're in with the top players with every other major program. But the league doesn't bring a lot of national prominence. The rivalries are new; it's a new league trying to find itself. Connecticut is still going after the top-echelon kids in the U.S., and they've got some pretty good players, too."

"It's very difficult for those guys to compete against the Big 10, the Big East, the ACC. If you ask the same question to the people at East Carolina or Tulane - nothing against them, but they're not going after the same kids UConn is going after."

We'll have much more in Wednesday's Register, including Smith's views on why Ashton-Langford de-committed from UConn and went to Providence, and why Wilson picked St. John's. Smith coached both players at Brewster.

Also a bit more on Smith's relationship with Chillious, and Quinn's take on why Christian Vital elected to remain at UConn.

*** Meanwhile, UConn is still heavily interested in Class of 2018 point guard Luguentz Dort from Canada. Chillious saw him drop 36 points against 22 Feet Academy (S.C.) while still at Washington to see Mamadou Diarra (not the UConn kid, the kid that recently committed to Cincinnati). The Huskies are still inquiring about the score-first point guard, but Louisville likes him a lot, too, as does Florida and old friend Andre LaFleur at UNLV, among others.

*** And add this name to UConn's recruiting interests: Brycen Goodine, a 6-foot-4, Class of 2019 combo guard from New Bedford, Massachusetts. He preps at St. Andrew's, and comes from good stock: his mom played at Providence, and his dad, Jonathan DePina, was a guard at UMass.

DePina also was a mentor to a young kid from Roxbury by the name of Shabazz Napier.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the field of teams and game schedule for the 2017 Spalding Hoophall Classic, an annual basketball showcase now in its 16th year at Springfield College. Games will be played at Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College January 12-16, during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.

The nation’s premier basketball event will once again showcase the top high school basketball teams from across the country, and will feature numerous top UConn recruiting targets - as well as a few Husky commits.

Among the UConn targets will be Mohamed Bamba, the Class of 2017 big man who plays for Westtown School in Pennsylvania. He'll play on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m. against Arizona's Hillcrest Prep.

Earlier that day, fans can see UConn commit Josh Carlton play for DeMatha Catholic High at 4:30 p.m. against Bishop Gorman High.

UConn, of course, will be playing at Georgetown that day at a yet-to-be determined time. If it's early enough, perhaps the coaches can get back in time to see Bamba's night game. If not, you can bet they'll be there on Sunday morning.

UConn commit Makai Ashton-Langford will play on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 10:45 a.m., when his Brewster Academy takes on CBD Montverde Academy of Florida. Immediately afterwards, at 12:30 p.m., Putnam Science Academy - led by frequent UConn visitor Hamidou Diallo, who just cut his final list to six schools (including UConn) and 2018 target Eric Ayala - will face Vermont Academy.

Here's the full schedule:

The National Prep Showcase will once again be held at New Haven's Albertus Magnus College this year, and as always, many of the nation's top recruits (including several UConn targets) will be on-hand.

The Huskies' top target, Class of 2017 swingman Hamidou Diallo, will be playing on Friday, Nov. 18 at 8:30 p.m., when his Putnam Science Academy faces Sunrise Christian Academy from Kansas at 8:30 p.m. Also on the PSA team is Class of 2018 target Eric Ayala, a guard.

PSA will play again on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. against Massanutten Military Academy of Virginia.

UConn's coaching staff, of course, will be in Hawaii at the time, though it's certainly conceivable that one coach will make the red-eye back from UConn's Nov. 17 bout with Loyola Marymount out in Los Angeles to catch a few games, then head back out to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational that runs Nov. 21-23.

Here's the full slate:

Friday, November 18th

10:30a.m. Notre Dame Prep (MA) vs. Fork Union Military Academy (VA)
12:00p.m. Commonwealth Academy (MA) vs. Hargrave Military Academy (VA)
1:45p.m. St. Thomas More School (CT) vs. IMG Academy (FL)
3:30p.m. Bridgton Academy (ME) vs. Mount Zion Prep (MD)
5:15p.m. South Kent School (CT) vs. Vermont Academy (VT)
7:00p.m. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) vs. Lee Academy (ME)
8:30p.m. Putnam Science Academy (CT) vs. Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)

Saturday, November 19th

9:30a.m. Fork Union Military Academy (VA) vs. St. Thomas More School (CT)
11:15a.m. Hargrave Military Academy (VA) vs. South Kent School (CT)
1:00p.m. IMG Academy (FL) vs. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA)
2:45p.m. Notre Dame Prep (MA) vs. Bridgton Academy (ME)
4:30p.m. NTSI (PA) vs. Brewster Academy (NH)
6:15p.m. Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) vs. New Hampton School (NH)
8:00p.m. Massanutten Military Academy (VA) vs. Putnam Science Academy (CT)

Sunday, November 20th

10:00a.m. Brewster Academy (NH) vs. Mount Zion Prep (MD)
11:45a.m. New Hampton School (NH) vs. Spire Institute (OH)
1:30p.m. Tilton School (NH) vs. NTSI (PA)
3:15p.m. Commonwealth Academy (MA) vs. Massanutten Military Academy (VA)
5:00p.m. Vermont Academy (VT) vs. Blair Academy (NJ)

Some good video of Hamidou Diallo, who was at UConn's First Night festivities on Friday night. No sure thing he commits to the Huskies, but he sure is on campus a lot.

Two prime UConn targets, Hamidou Diallo ('17) and Eric Ayala ('18, for now) will be here, for any UConn fans who might be interested in taking this in. And without knowing the competition, I'd put money on Diallo winning the dunk contest.

Eric Ayala, a Class of 2018 guard who plays at Putnam Science Academy, was recently offered by UConn.

Ayala didn't put up great numbers last season at PSA (10 points, five boards, four assists per game). Of course, he had far more heralded teammates like UConn commit Mamadou Diarra and coveted Husky target Hamidou Diallo.

Ayala really blew up this summer, however, earning offers from schools like Maryland and, now, UConn. The Huskies watched the Delaware native pour in 30 points to lead WE R1 to victory over Paul Scruggs' (and Kris Wilkes') team in the Under Armour Association championship and realized he's a talented scorer who will be one of the top prospects in the nation if he remains in the Class of 2018.

Several of the top prep hoops prospects in the country will converge upon Albertus Magnus College in New Haven on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 8 and 9, for the National Prep Championships.

Of most interest to UConn fans is Putnam Science Academy, which faces DME Academy of Florida on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. PSA features UConn commit Mamadou Diarra, along with Husky targets Hamidou Diallo and Eric Ayala. Diallo, a Class of 2017 swingman, is one of the most coveted prep targets in the country.

DME is led by SMU commit Ted Kapita.

UConn will be on-hand for that game and is expected to check out Tuesday's 11:15 a.m. bout between Florida's IMG Academy and Brewster Academy. Brewster features Alpha Diallo, a 6-7 small forward who the Huskies are keeping their eyes on.

Here are some of the other top players who have already committed who'll be in the tournament:

Brewster Academy:
Deleon Brown- Colorado
CJ Keyser- Witchita St

South Kent School:

Mathew Moyer- Syracuse
Elijah Hughes- East Carolina
Myles Powell- Seton Hall

St Thomas More:

Omari Spellman- Villanova
Charles Brown- St Joseph's
Christian Vital- UNLV
EJ Crawford- Iona

Putnam Science Academy
Mamadou Diarra- UConn
Saul Phiri- Lasalle

Hargrave Miltary Academy
Deriante Jenkins- Virginia Commonwealth
Tim Cameron- UTEP
Derek Funderburk- Ohio State

Notre Dame Prep (MA)
Chris Baldwin- Umass
Peter Kiss- Quinnipiac
Travis Atson- Tulsa

Elev8 Sports Institute (FL)
Tyson Jolly- Cal

Went to check out Zach Brown in his debut with Putnam Science Academy. There's a lot to like here, but certainly room to improve, as well.



Brown didn't start (he did just enroll at the school less than two weeks ago) but came off the bench 4 minutes, 43 seconds into the game and made his presence felt. He wound up with 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting, with four rebounds and three blocks. He also had his shot blocked twice in a row by a smaller player early on, when some rust was evident.

There's no doubt, he's skilled -- more so than other recent UConn big men (Hasheem Thabeet, Amida Brimah, maybe Steve Enoch). He's a little ungainly, maybe needs to get a little stronger, but has some impressive low-post moves, keeps the ball high and has a nice lefty jump hook that's got to be hard to guard -- especially from a 7-footer.

Brown helped PSA crush a Lee Academy team that has some talent and size but is a middle-of-the-pack team in the league.

Meanwhile, Mamadou Diarra struggled a bit, with 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting from both the field and the foul line. He did hit a 3-pointer and grabbed 10 boards to go with four blocks, some of them rafter-shaking.

And Hamidou Diallo? Wow, he's special. Finished with 20 points, five boards and five assists, as well as an incredible dunk through the lane, in traffic. Incredible talent, though a bit yappy with the refs and the opposing team.

Unfortunately, I missed his dunk on video, but did get this stickback late in the game:



Former UConn player Boo Willingham, who was Brown's AAU coach and mentor down in Miami, was at the game (he still lives in Hartford) and had some nice things to say about the big man. We'll have that and more in a feature story on Monday.

For now, here's what Brown and Putnam coach Tom Espinosa had to say about his debut:

BROWN:

"I was nervous at first, but I got it together. An elite player should never be nervous to play any competition."

"It's a lot better. It's competitive. I can't just go out and get easy dunks, I have to work hard for it. Down in Miami, I'm not trying to talk bad, but it was a little easy. Up here, it's really competitive. I was really working and stepping my game up."

(on Putnam Science Academy)

"At first, I was like, 'Oh my God, why am I here? They sent me away just for this?' But now, I like it. My teammates love me, I love my teammates, I love my coach. I just love it here. It just feels right."

(on what parts of his game are his strengths, and what he needs to work on)

"Playing defense, blocking shots rebounding, my left-hand jump hook, layups. But I have to work on my right hand. I've been working on it a little bit so I can get that up-and-under ready."

"I wanted to get out of Miami, because I had a lot of distractions with suspensions and crazy stuff. Miami is like a party city, so I wasn't focused mentally, so I had to come up here if I wanted to be successful. So, that's what I did."

(on re-classifying)

"It depends on the schoolwork. If I can get it down pat and get these grades up, it'll happen. If not, I have to stay one more year. So, we'll have to see."

Would he prefer to move up to the Class of 2016?

"Yes."

PUTNAM COACH TOM ESPINOSA:

"We have a pretty good relationship with UConn, we have Mamadou here. The bottom line is, UConn's staff wanted to get Zach out of Miami and get him into a prep school. It wasn't just us, it was other prep schools. It just worked out with us."

"I think UConn's pretty happy he's here. We're 30 minutes away from UConn."

"He's extremely quick for a 7-footer. He moves extremely well. Defensively, he's got to work on. He closes, no space, and he fouls constantly. He blocked maybe one or two shots, but he's gotta be a better shot-blocker. Defensively, he's kind of way behind, I believe. But offensively, he's very quick, he keeps the ball high, he's got great up-and-under moves. The last two days of practice, he's dominated."

(could he be ready to play at UConn next season)

"This fall, at UConn? I think he could, but I think he would benefit a lot more coming back. He's got a lot of work to do. In Miami, he put up big numbers, but he wasn't playing against the highest competition that he's gonna play here, at a prep school in New England."

"He would love to go next year. He's a true junior, he's right on track. His plan is to maybe take some summer classes, graduate early and get to UConn in the fall. But, it's a very slim chance. I don't think it's gonna happen. I think he'll be back here next year."

Because Brown transferred to PSA past deadline, he won't be able to play in the national prep tournament.

Zach Brown is back in Connecticut.

The 7-foot Husky commit from Miami was scheduled to have landed at Bradley Airport on Tuesday night and begin his career at Putnam Science Academy the next morning -- as a student, anyway. PSA has a game on Wednesday, but Brown won't play in that one. He'll go through individual drills with the team on Wednesday, practice on Thursday and Friday and may play this weekend for Tom Espinosa's crew.

“His legal guardian and mentor has been trying to send him to a prep school in the past year or so," Espinosa said. "They’ve been trying to get Zach into a prep school. We have a relationship with UConn, and that’s kinda how it all started.”

Brown visited PSA on Monday, Jan. 18, in the midst of his visit to UConn, did interviews with the school's headmaster and guidance counselor and filled out the necessary paperwork to transfer to the school. After taking in UConn's win over Tulane on Jan. 19 and committing to the Huskies the following morning, Espinosa figured the big center would be transferring to PSA.

"UConn wanted him out of Miami and into more structured setting," Espinosa said. "I give the kid a lot of credit. He’s really mature. Bottom line is, at the end of the day, it’s his decision. It’s tough for the kid to say, 'I’m gonna pack up north and head to New England.' He was nervous, but he decided to do it. He’s determined, and bottom line is, it’s a good situation for him to get where he wants to go.”

Espinosa should have Brown as a player for 1 1/2 seasons. Brown wanted to try to graduate early and head to UConn in the fall of 2016, but that isn't feasible, and he'll stay Class of 2017.

He'll be the teammate of another Husky commit, power forward Mamadou Diarra, this season, as well as coveted UConn target Hamidou Diallo. Brown and Diallo should be teammates again next season, too, as Espinosa noted it's "99.9 percent" sure that Diallo won't reclassify to '16 and will remain a '17 grad.

Too many 3-pointers. An unimaginative offense. Continued poor play from Daniel Hamilton. The end of Rodney Purvis's double-figures streak. We could go on and on ...

Just a horrible loss for UConn on Thursday in Tulsa. Asked Kevin Ollie about the Huskies' over-reliance on 3-pointers (they took 29), and here was his response:



Ollie also called out Hamilton and Purvis -- as well as himself, to a degree.

All this on a night where recruiting target D.J. Harvey, who UConn had planned to go see on Monday at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, revealed a list of 15 schools that didn't include the Huskies.

Ouch.

UConn will be playing in Houston on Sunday when several targets are playing in Springfield, including Westown School's Mohamed Bamba, who plays Sunday at 4 p.m., as well as commit Mamadou Diarra and target Hamidou Diallo of Putnam Science Academy, which plays Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

Karl Hobbs did stay back to check out Diarra and Diallo on Wednesday night. Diallo had 14 points, three assists and three rebounds and Diarra added nine points and 10 boards to lead PSA to a 71-67 victory over Cushing Academy. Cushing is led by Makai Ashton-Langford, another prime UConn target. The Huskies are expected to watch a player on Friday in Houston, as well.

UConn continues to keep an eye on its other commits, as well, recently seeing Alterique Gilbert play in Georgia. The Huskies are encouraged with Juwan Durham's progress, as well, and feel he'll be ready to go by next November -- even if he has to start off slowly.

And it certainly appears Vance Jackson is excited about becoming a Husky this summer.

6 months till I be in Storrs✈️😝

— HeVantastic (@VanceJackson1) January 13, 2016

The 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic will be held at Springfield College's Blake Arena from Thursday-Monday, Jan. 14-18. Several UConn targets will be playing, as well as commit Mamdou Diarra, who leads Putnam Science Academy into action on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

UConn's coaching staff will be in Tulsa and Houston during the tournament, so the only day they'd be able to get to Springfield will be Monday. Diarra and his PSA teammates, Hamidou Diallo and Chuba Ohams, were at the Huskies' win over Memphis on Saturday night at Gampel.

Diarra noted that he feels he can step in next year and help UConn with rebounding and defense next season, and said he's been working on his defensive footwork, among other things, this season. He also said that being nominated as a McDonald's All-American was "an honor."

Here's a little of what Diallo and Ohams had to say:

DIALLO:

"Right now I'm just wide open, enjoying the process, seeing what schools I'm going to fit in with the best. Just enjoying the process as much as possible, knowing that I have to make a big decision coming up soon."

(on whether he'll re-classify from Class of 2017 to 2016)

"Right now, I'm not totally sure. I'm leaning toward 2017, but I'm just worried about finishing this year, academically, and having a great season. Then, I'll work on that stuff in the off-season."

He's being recruited by too many programs to count, but specifically mentioned Kentucky, Alabama, Maryland and Syracuse. As for UConn:

"It's a program I'm definitely interested in. I'm interested in a lot of programs recruiting me. They're just one of those that's on my list."

OHAMS:

The 6-foot-8, Class of 2016 small forward said he's still wide open in his recruiting process as well. He hopes to make some visits towards the end of the winter season.

"Right now, I'm not really letting the process overwhelm me."

Ohams mentioned Providence, DePaul, Rutgers and Boston College as prime suitors. As for UConn:

"UConn's a good school. It's really close to my school, so they come a lot to watch us. I love the style of play."

Ohams was born and raised in the Bronx and has known both Diallo and Diarra since they were young.

Here's the Hoophall schedule:

14-Jan	Thursday	Boys	4:00 PM	Pope Francis High School, MA	Sabis Charter School, MA
14-Jan	Thursday	Boys	5:30 PM	Longmeadow High School, MA	East Longmeadow High School, MA
14-Jan	Thursday	Boys	7:00 PM	Chicopee High School, MA	Amherst High School, MA
14-Jan	Thursday	Boys	8:30 PM	Putnam High School, MA	Springfield Central High School, MA

Date	Day	Gender	Time	Team 1	Team 2
16-Jan	Saturday	Boys	11:00 AM	Catholic Memorial High School, MA	St. Joseph High School, IL
16-Jan	Saturday	Boys	12:30 PM	St. Francis High School, GA	Lone Peak High School, UT
16-Jan	Saturday	Boys	2:00 PM	Roman Catholic High School, PA	Montverde Academy, FL
16-Jan	Saturday	Boys	4:00 PM	Paul VI High School, VA	St. Joseph High School, NJ
16-Jan	Saturday	Boys	6:00 PM	Athlete Institute, CAN	Findlay College Prep, NV
16-Jan	Saturday	Boys	7:45 PM	Sacred Heart High School, CT	Foothills Christian, CA
16-Jan	Saturday	Boys	9:30 PM	Weaver High School, CT	St. Raymond High School, NY

---

Date	Day	Gender	Time	Team 1	Team 2
17-Jan	Sunday	Boys	9:00 AM	Suffield Academy, CT	Williston - Northampton School, MA
17-Jan	Sunday	Boys	10:45 AM	MacDuffie School, MA	Wilbraham and Monson, MA
17-Jan	Sunday	Boys	12:30 PM	Vermont Academy, VT	Brewster Academy, NH
17-Jan	Sunday	Boys	2:15 PM	St. Benedict's Prep, NJ	Findlay College Prep, NV
17-Jan	Sunday	Boys	4:00 PM	Westtown School, PA	Potters House Christian, FL
17-Jan	Sunday	Boys	5:45 PM	The Patrick School, NJ	LaLumiere School, IN
17-Jan	Sunday	Boys	7:30 PM	Commonwealth Academy, MA	Putnam Science Academy, CT
17-Jan	Sunday	Boys	9:15 PM	Montverde Prep, FL	Orangeville Prep, CAN

---

Date	Day	Gender	Time	Team 1	Team 2
18-Jan	Monday	Boys	9:00 AM	St. Anthony High School, NJ	Bentonville High School, AR
18-Jan	Monday	Boys	11:00 AM	DeMatha Catholic High School, MD	Chaminade College Prep, MO
18-Jan	Monday	Boys	1:00 PM	Oak Hill Academy, VA	Mater Dei High School, CA
18-Jan	Monday	Boys	3:00 PM	Montverde Academy, FL	Sierra Canyon High School, CA
18-Jan	Monday	Boys	5:00 PM	High Point Christian, NC	Chino Hills High School, CA
18-Jan	Monday	Boys	7:00 PM	Putnam High School, MA	Abraham Lincoln High School, NY

Mamadou Diarra, UConn's first Class of 2016 commit, will be at Friday's First Night festivities -- and he'll bring some of his good friends along with him.

Diarra's entire Putnam Science Academy team will be there, and that includes Hamidou Diallo, the highly sought-after shooting guard who holds an offer from the Huskies. It also includes a pair of top-notch Class of 2018 talents: Eric Ayala, a 6-foot-4 point guard from Delaware who has been offered by St. John's, Penn State and South Carolina, among others, and 7-2 Nigerian center Manny Umoffia.

UConn has yet to offer either player but has shown interest in both.

Meanwhile, the "Team Kevin" and "Team Geno" rosters have been announced for Friday night's scrimmage. Here they are:

The fans have voted! The 2015 #UConnFirstNight teams that will square-off next Friday at Gampel are... pic.twitter.com/HGJdDDhhj9

— UConn Huskies (@UConnHuskies) October 8, 2015

A few tidbits from the Mary Kline Classic at West Orange (N.J.) High:

*** Jalen Adams did not attend. No real reason given, just a lack of communication with the event's organizers over the past couple of weeks.

*** Bruce Brown, the Class of 2016 guard out of Vermont Academy who is Adams's cousin, said that UConn is a bit off his radar right now.

"They're not really recruiting me as hard as everybody else is," said Brown, who said that Michigan and Arizona are among those school recruiting him the hardest.

*** Mamadou Diarra looked strong and athletic in the low post, with a few dunks -- including this one:



Diarra finished with 20 points, mostly on dunks. He's got good feet, and a good body. Seems fairly skilled.

*** Hamidou Diallo -- who last week said that if he was picking a school now, it would be UConn -- said that there is no timetable for his decision.

"When the time is right," he said. St. John's, Syracuse, Providence and Wake Forest are among his many other suitors.

When asked what he's looking for in a program, Diallo said: "A place that makes me feel like I'm at home. And a coach that doesn't lie to me."

Diallo said he is looking to improve his strength and ballhandling this summer.

I wanted to ask Diallo if he was any relation to Amadou Diallo, the native of Guinea who was shot and killed by four plain-clothed police officers on Feb. 4, 1999. The killing sparked a firestorm of controversy, as the officers fired 41 shots at Diallo -- 19 of which hit him -- even though he was unarmed.

Hamidou said that he is not related, but that his family knew Amadou Diallo's family back in Africa, though not when they both lived in New York City.

*** Steve Enoch said he'll be arriving at Storrs sometime in mid-June for summer courses. His goals on the basketball court this summer?

"Getting stronger, and improving my motor. I have a pretty decent motor, but there's always room for improvement."

Asked Enoch about UConn's three new transfer additions over the past month -- Shonn Miller and Sterling Gibbs, who'll both play this season, and Terry Larrier, who won't be eligible until the 2016-17 season -- Enoch said:

"It's real interesting. I'm waiting to see what we can work with this year."

Enoch is expecting to come in and help UConn right off the bat, at least off the boards this season. The addition of Miller, who led Cornell with 8.5 rebounds per game last season, should take some of the pressure off Enoch.

"Fifth-year seniors are always a good value to a team," the 6-foot-10 Enoch said.

*** I realize this is ancient history by now, but not sure if I had ever heard Prince Ali's reasoning for de-committing from UConn last year. So, asked him why.

"I committed a little early," he said. "I decided to open things up, I was having a good summer. It was nothing with the coaching staff, nothing going on. I just decided to open up, check out other schools. If I had waiting a little longer (to commit), I doubt it would have ever happened."

No hard feelings, he stressed.

"Kevin Ollie's a great guy, all the coaches are great people, I'm cool with their players. They're great people."

Ali will take his talents to UCLA instead.

To the surprise of no one, Mamadou Diarra chose UConn over VCU on Friday. We'll have a story here soon. Here's some video and pictures:

A couple of funny and interesting quotes and excerpts:

Woodstock coach Tom Espinosa:

“What’s important to me is that you become a Division 1 person. I can tell you this -- Mamadou is a Division 1 person.”

Diarra:

(on Kevin Ollie)

“I just feel like whatever he says, he means what he says. He believes in his players, and he’ll get the best out of me.”

(on how tough the decision was)

“It was tough, because it’s four years of my life. You see a lot of kids transferring out of school, you don’t want to be one of those kids. It’s a big decision.”

Diarra spoke with VCU coach Will Wade by phone before the presser, because he didn't want him to find out about his decision via social media.

Funny story Diarra told about playing with Amida Brimah during a recent visit to UConn:

“I was trying to figure out why Daniel Hamilton was leading the team in rebounding, and not Brimah. I was on (Brimah's) team, he blocked a shot, the ball was right next to him. He’s looking at me, waiting for me to get the ball, and I was like, ‘That’s your rebond, man.’”

“Deep down inside, I always really knew I wanted to go here. I wanted to make sure it was the right decision. I had a good relationship with (VCU’s) coach, too.”

(on whether Shaka Smart's departure to Texas affected his decision)

“That didn’t affect me at all, because I wasn’t getting recruited by Shaka. I was getting recruited by Coach Will Wade.”

*** Meanwhile, Diarra's Woodstock teammate, Class of 2017 combo guard (and UConn target) Hamidou Diallo had this to say about where UConn stands with him right now:

“Right now, I’d have to say, if I were to commit, I would be going to UConn. That’s the school that’s been showing me the most love, and I have the best relationship with the head coach. For right now, though.”

PC, Minnesota, USC, Iowa State and Wake Forest are among his other suitors.

Mamadou Diarra, a 6-foot-8, Class of 2016 power forward who'll play at Woodstock Academy this season, will officially announce where he plans to play college basketball at a press conference on Friday at 11:30 a.m.

Diarra will choose between UConn and Virginia Commonwealth, and the Huskies are deemed to be the favorite. Last month, Diarra's coach, Tom Espinosa, told the Register that "UConn has always been his dream school."

Diarra played for the Putnam Science Academy team last season, but the school is being shut down due to lack of funding. Woodstock has absorbed the PSA basketball team, which will play as a postgrad team, unaffiliated with Woodstock's existing varsity program.

Woodstock will also feature dynamic, 6-5 guard Hamidou Diallo, like Diarra a Queens, New York product who is also coveted by numerous top Division 1 programs, including UConn. Diallo is a Class of 2017 player.

Both Diarra and Diallo attended UConn's First Night festivities last fall.

Putnam Science Academy is a small, private school located in the northeast corner of Connecticut that is home to two highly-coveted prep basketball prospects -- Mamadou Diarra, a 6-foot-8 Class of 2016 power forward, and Hamidou Diallo, a 6-5, Class of '17 swingman.

Recently, it was announced that the school will be closed down next month for at least the next two years, due to a lack of funding. However, the basketball program will be absorbed by Woodstock Academy, a CIAC school located only about 10 minutes up the road.

The CIAC may not be overjoyed by the move -- it's monitoring the situation -- but there's little doubt that UConn is happy about the fact that two of its coveted recruits are remaining only about a half-hour away from Storrs.

UConn likes Diarra, and the feeling is mutual.

"I know Mamadou has said that UConn has always been his dream school," said Putnam coach Tom Espinosa.

Minnesota, VCU, Seton Hall, St. John's and Kansas State are among the schools that have offered Diarra. He'll start lining up his official visits for the fall pretty soon.

But UConn really likes Diallo. Of course, so do dozens of other programs, including Providence, Iowa State and Temple, among others. At the PSA gym on Wednesday night, UConn (Glen Miller), Providence (assistant Brian Blaney, George's son), Syracuse (assistant Gerry McNamara), Dayton (head coach Archie Miller) and VCU  (new head coach Will Wade) gathered to watch an open gym with Diallo and Diarra.

Diallo and Diarra both hail from Queens. Both attended UConn's First Night festivities last October.

"It's wide-open for both of them, to be honest," Espinosa said of the duo's recruitment. "They're both good kids. The best thing for both of them was getting out of the city."

Espinosa will take his three returning players -- Diallo, Diarra and Brandon Hurst, a Class of '17 guard from East Hartford who is more of a Division 2/3 prospect -- with him to Woodstock, where he was recently hired as assistant athletic director. He's in the process of recruiting numerous other players to fill out the team, which will be recognized as a postgrad team (none of the players on Woodstock's current roster will play for this team. Woodsock's main varsity team will remain in the CIAC). Any player recruited to play basketball for Espinosa's postgrad team at Woodstock can't play any other varsity sport, unless Woodstock decides to offer other postgrad sports. For example, Diallo, Diarra or Hurst can't play track or baseball, etc., at Woodstock, unless the school begins a new program similar to what it's doing with basketball.

Espinosa's team will remain an independent but play all of the NEPSAC teams next winter and have a chance to compete for the national prep championship.

Here's a list of some of the recruits expected at UConn's First Night festivities on Friday:

Jalen Adams: 2015 point guard out of Brewster Academy via Roxbury, Massachusetts. Committed to the Huskies in late June. Hard to think of a more perfect fit for the UConn program. 

Steve Enoch, 2015 power forward out of St. Thomas More, via Norwalk. Committed to UConn last month. An up-and-coming, 6-foot-9 talent who really blew up early in the summer on the AAU circuit.

V.J. King, a 6-7 2016 small forward out of Fairfax, Virginia, who is rated the No. 19 overall prospect in his class by rivals.com.

Mamadou Diarra, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound 2016 power forward out of Putnam Science Academy. Seems to have been attracting largely mid-major interest to this point.

Hamidou Diallo, Diarra's Putnam Science Academy teammate and a 6-foot-4, 2017 shooting guard.

Tremont Waters: 2017 point guard out of South Kent School. A New Haven native, not much more to say about him that hasn't already been said in this space.

Nate Pierre-Louis: Another 2017 point guard who hails from Jersey City, New Jersey and plays at St. Benedict's. 

Nazreon Reid, a 6-9, 2018 power forward out of New Jersey's Roselle Catholic -- same school attended by Isaiah Briscoe.