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.

Jalen Adams was impressive at the Hoophall Classic at Springfield College on Sunday morning. He scored 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting (2-for-5 on 3-pointers) and was a bundle of energy all over the court in Brewster Academy's 100-69 win over Montverde Academy Prep (note: this was Montverde's postgrad team, not its more talented varsity team, which plays Monday and features the top-rated big man in the country, Ben Simmons).

Got a little frustrated at times when he was open and didn't get a return pass from a teammate, but overall he's a good kid, effervescent personality who can do a little of everything on the floor -- run the point, score, 'D' it up. He'll help UConn immediately next season -- and would be a help right now if he could.

Kevin Ollie and assistant coach Karl Hobbs, fresh off Saturday night's loss out in Stanford, California, were at the game to see their prized commit.

"He texted me, told me he was gonna take a red-eye, come see me play," Adams said of Ollie. "That's what I love about him, coming to support me ... I just like that about him. He's a real loyal guy."

Adams said he didn't see the Huskies' loss to Stanford.

"I couldn't watch it. I tried to get some rest."

Here's a quick snippet of Adams in action:



And here's what Adams and Brewster coach Jason Smith said afterward:

SMITH:

(on whether Adams can step right in and help next season as a freshman)



(on how Adams has progressed so far this season)

"I think that Jalen has definitely shown people that he's not just a scorer, he's able to run offense and facilitate and make great decisions to become more of a point guard. I think that's ultimately what he's gonna have to do for Coach Ollie at UConn. And he's been phenomenal doing that for us."

"I think that the fact that he knows, some games he can go off and score 25 or 30, but he's taken the mindset of, 'I have to make sure that I get others involved. I have a lot of these other pieces around me that I have to distribute the ball (to).' We're routinely six, seven guys in double figures. Very balanced."

ADAMS:



"Playing against the top talent every day is helping us a lot. Even the guys who aren't committed. The un-committed guys, they're tough, too. Every day, you're playing against tough competition, and that prepares you for the next level."

(on what Kevin Ollie has said to him lately)

"He says that at UConn, they don't have any positions. The guards all move around and shift. But I'm definitely gonna have to be a vocal leader and put guys in the right position."

(does being a vocal leader come naturally to him?)

"No, because I played on the wing growing up, so it's been tough. But last year, playing with Kaleb Joseph, he taught me a lot. And Coach Smith, he's a great coach. He's made that a big thing this year, so it's become a lot better."

(on comparisons to Shabazz Napier)

"I saw him play a couple of times at Charlestown, because that's where my father went to school. We went to a lot of games. He was unreal, shooting from halfcourt, practically. But I've never really idolized him that much or tried to compare my game to him. But, it's amazing how he went to UConn, did big things, and now he's in the NBA. And now, I have the chance to do the same thing."

DONOVAN MITCHELL, a Louisville commit and Adams' backcourt mate at Brewster:

"(Adams) might be the funniest dude I've ever met in my life. He's always making jokes, whether it's in practice ... he made Coach Smith even laugh, which last year I thought was the hardest thing possible. He manages to do it a lot."

UConn and Boston College resume their rivalry on the court tonight at Madison Square Garden. They could even play again next year in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tourney.

But one area where their rivalry has never ceased is on the recruiting trail. UConn won the battle for Shabazz Napier four years ago (though BC didn’t put up much of a fight for the Roxbury kid).

Currently, there are quite a few recruits both schools are in on – and some of those kids will be in New Haven this weekend, at the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College.

Here’s a look at some of the players UConn is recruiting who’ll be playing in the tournament:

Jalen Adams, 6-2 G, Class of 2105, Cushing Academy: A Boston kid who was at the Huskies’ First Night festivities last month. UConn has offered Adams.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t know the staff there that well now, but they’re telling me and his AAU coach that he’s a priority for them,” said Cushing coach Barry Connors. “They’ve probably been up on campus multiple times this fall. They’re definitely pursuing him pretty good.”

Connors added that Adams is a combo guard, an undersized scoring guard, who’s playing off the ball more this year because Syracuse-bound Kaleb Joseph is manning the point.

“I think he kidn of is a UConn guard,” said Connors. “He’s good with the ball in his hands, being given free rein to make plays with the ball. He can definitely score it. He reminds me a lot of guys that they’ve had: Kemba, Shabazz is more a true point guard.”

When asked who else is recruiting Adams, Connors quickly responds: “Providence.” But the Friars aren’t the only ones: Kansas State, Minnesota, Creighton and VCU are all in on him, as well.

“Jalen’s a funny duck, he doesn’t talk much about (his recruitment),” Connors said. “I don’t know if he’s intimidated by the process or uninterested in the process, or he’s just not far enough along that he hasn’t given it a huge priority. It’s best to say that he is definitely wide-open.”

Kimani Lawrence, 6-6 G/F, Class of 2017, Cushing Academy: A Providence native who hasn’t been offered by UConn yet, though they’re believed to have interest. The two Rhode Island schools – PC and URI – have already offered Lawrence.

Donovan Mitchell, 6-3 G, Class of 2015, Brewster Academy: Mitchell, who recently moved to Greenwich with his mom, was slated to be at UConn’s First Night but wasn’t able to get there. Don’t put too much stock in that, however.

“I think he had the crazy notion that Midnight Madness would actually start at midnight,” Brewster coach Jason Smith joked. “I think that he’s just taking his time, going through the process, developing relationships with people.”

PC, BC and UConn have been recruiting Mitchell the longest, Smith noted, while St. John’s, Iowa, Maryland, Kansas, Florida and Syracuse have also jumped aboard recently.

Mitchell is more of a combo guard, according to Smith.

“As a kid, he’s tremendous, off-the-charts, extremely high-character,” the coach said, “somebody any community would love to have. From a basketball perspective,  he’s a tremendous athlete, very explosive. He shoots the ball very well.”

Jarred Reuter, 6-8 C/F, Class of 2015, Brewster Academy: It’s appeared that UConn has cooled off on Reuter’s recruitment recently, though that may not necessarily been the case. Again, it’s been PC, BC and UConn who’ve been in on him the longest. Northwestern, Iowa, Virginia and Nebraska have also joined the fray.

Smith said Reuter has lost about 35 pounds since last June and now tips the scales at about 230.

“When people see him this weekend, they’ll see a noticeable difference in how athletic he is, how well he moves,” the coach noted.

Devonte Graham, 6-1 PG, Class of 2014, Brewster Academy: Now that UConn has received a commitment from Sam Cassell, Jr., it no longer appears to be in on Graham, who still hasn’t been released from his letter-of-intent from Appalachian State. He’s currently in the process of his final appeal.

Terance Mann, 6-4 G/F, Class of 2015, Tilton School: It seems BC, Georgetown, George Washington, Florida, Iowa State and VCU are most interested in Mann, though UConn has shown interest, as well.

“We’ve heard from them about Terance,” said Tilton coach Marcus O’Neil. “It’s still just the start of his junior year, I don’t think he’s come out and said his final list. We have tremendous respect for UConn. We’ve had a couple guys go there, win a national championship with Calhoun. Kevin Ollie’s done a tremendous job, he’s a world-class guy. Anybody they recruit out of here is gonna give it serious consideration.”

Indeed, just because the UConn careers of Tilton grads Alex Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel didn’t end well, doesn’t mean there’s any negative feelings about UConn up at the New Hampshire school.

“I don’t, personally or professionally,” O’Neil said. “Alex went a long way towards graduating (at UConn), he built a lot of important friendships he maintains with players, coaches that were there. It’s a high-pressure situation. It would have been nice for them to cross the finish line, but we had two guys go there and win a national championship.”

Mustapha Heron, 6-4 G/F, Class of 2016, Wilbraham & Monson: A Meriden native who now lives in West Haven, he’s getting serious looks from major programs all over the country. More on him this weekend.

Tremont Waters, 5-10 G, Class of 2017, South Kent School: It’s never too early to start inquiring about a New Haven kid who is projected to be one of the top freshmen in the nation this season. And UConn has inquired, according to South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson.

“He does a lot of things well,” said the coach. “He’s got a really high IQ, he understands the game. He’s one of those guys that makes it look easy. Not too many guys who can do that, but he can make shots, really pass ball, sees a couple plays ahead, and he really, really handles ball. He’s a talented kid.”

More on him this weekend, as well.

UConn is looking at another point guard who would, ostensibly, join the team for 2014-15.

Devonte' Graham, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Raleigh, N.C. is currently at Brewster Academy. He signed with Appalachian State last fall, but in February requested a release from his national letter-of-intent. That was denied, as was his appeal, so he opted to do a postgraduate year at Brewster.

(Photo by Greg Mintel, Raleigh News-Observer)

"He could have done the easy thing, what kids have done for a long time, and withdrawn from class (at Raleigh's Broughton High), which would make him a non-qualifier and a fifth-year senior at Brewster, and his letter-of-intent would have been voided," Brewster coach Jason Smith said.

Instead, Graham graduated from Broughton and is taking a full load of courses at Brewster with hopes that he's released from his LOI at some point by Appalachian State. He has one more appeal, but if it is rejected again by the school, Graham would have to sit out next year at whatever school he ends up going to.

Smith doesn't know for sure why Appalachian State is preventing his release, though he believes the school feels Graham had been tampered with following his commitment last September.

UConn, Providence, Pittsburgh and URI are the schools that have expressed interest in him, but none can talk to Graham directly yet because he hasn't been released from his LOI. UConn has been up to Brewster to see him once, and has been checking in with Smith periodically to see what Graham's situation is.

"He's very athletic, explosive," Smith said. "He shot the ball extremely well yesterday and the day before. He had a great summer, as well. He played in the North Carolina pro-am and was named player of the year for high school/prep kids."

Which leads to the question: no disrespect to Appalachian State, but, well ... why did he wind up committing to Appalachian State?

"He wasn't really sure how the recruiting process worked," Smith explained. "His only visit to App. State was early in September, and the coaches did their best job to get the player to commit, put a little pressure on him."

Graham committed on his visit and never visited anywhere else. He had been slated to visit URI last fall.

As for where Graham may have interest in going, Smith isn't sure right now.

"He's just a little bit stressed out about the whole App. State situation," the coach said. "He's uneasy not knowing how his future's going to lie."

*** Graham isn't the only Brewster Academy player that UConn has interest in. The Huskies have offered 2015 guard Donovan Mitchell, who recently transferred from the Canterbury School in Connecticut and whose mother recently moved to Connecticut. UConn is one of the first schools to offer Mitchell; BC, PC, St. John's are others, and Maryland is coming to see him today.

Mitchell, a 6-3 guard who hails from Elmhurst, N.Y., has been compared favorably to Ben Gordon by a few coaches who've seen him, Smith said.

The Huskies are also interested 6-8 2015 forward Jared Reuter.

UConn associate head coach Glen Miller was up at Brewster Academy to watch Class of 2013 guard Ron Patterson in a workout on Wednesday. The Huskies' interest right now is "very preliminary, at this point," according to Brewster head coach Jason Smith. But there's a lot to like about Patterson.

"He’s an extremely versatile player," Smith said. "He's 6-foot-2 but he's got over a 6-11 wingspan. Most people when first see him ... Coach Miller said, 'What is he, about 6-4?' He's got a college-ready frame, tremendous length, and he's shooting extremely well in open-gym workouts. And he's got the potential to be an elite, college-level defender."

Patterson, an Indiana native, had signed with the Hoosiers as a full NCAA qualifier and attended summer school there this past summer. According to Smith, Patterson got a C and a C-minus in a couple of courses, and Indiana denied his admission. In reality, the Hoosiers had oversigned by two for this year's class, meaning two players had to be let go.

UConn and Syracuse have jumped on the Patterson bandwagon recently. He has already visited Xavier and cancelled an SMU visit for this weekend because his parents weren't able to attend. Marquette and Florida State have offered, but Smith said Patterson isn't interested in those schools because of the other players they have on their roster at his position. Villanova is in the process of setting up a visit.

There doesn't appear to be a visit set up with UConn yet, but Smith is sure the Huskies will be back up to see him again.

"I think that Ron is being very deliberate," Smith said. "I think UConn is very interested in him, and he looks forward to knowing a little more about them."

There are three other reasons Miller (who was the only college coach at Brewster on Wednesday) made the trip: Class of 2014 point guard Kevin Zabo, guard Jered Terrell and 6-9 forward Chris McCullough. The Huskies are in on all three players.

*** Elsewhere: UConn has made Noah Vonleh's final six schools. They list is: Indiana, Syracuse, Georgetown, Ohio State, UConn and North Carolina.

Vonleh hails from Haverhill, MA, so the fact that UConn is the only New England-based school has to be considered a big plus if the big fella wants to stay near home.

UConn is expressing interest in Ron Patterson, a highly-touted, Class of 2013 shooting guard from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.

Patters, 6-foot-3, was an Indiana signee who tried to enroll there for the fall semester. He learned in mid-August that wasn't going to happen, however, and reclassified to the Class of 2013.

According to a tweet by Brewster coach Jason Smith on Wednesday morning, UConn and Syracuse are the latest schools to express interest in Patterson. Smith said that UConn will visit Patterson today.