Paschal Chukwu, the Class of 2014 7-footer out of Fairfield Prep, finished two points shy of a triple-double – eight points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks – in an SCC tournament semifinal win over Wilbur Cross Monday night. And that was done in about three quarters of action.

Chukwu sat out the game's first seven minutes – along with two other starters – but it wasn’t for disciplinary reasons. At least that’s what Prep coach Leo Redgate told the Register’s Joe Morelli afterward, saying he simply wanted to start his seniors in a meaningful game. Seems odd that he’d pick a conference tourney semifinal game to do so, but hey, what do I know?

Anyway, Chukwu would neither confirm nor deny the Scout.com report that said he’s been offered a scholarship by UConn, instead saying he’s just “focusing on his season,” according to Morelli.

Meanwhile, UConn commit Amida Brimah’s season came to a surprise ending in the state semifinals last Tuesday, when Archbishop Carroll was upset. Brimah, the 6-foot-11 center who committed to the Huskies on Jan. 14, picked up two fouls in the first 90 seconds, then picked up his third and fourth back-to-back early in the third quarter. He still finished with nine points, eight rebounds and seven blocks.

Brimah will play in a couple of all-star games on March 9 and 16 in Miami and West Palm Beach, respectively.

A little more on Amida Brimah, who is sitting behind UConn's bench tonight, along with his legal guardian, Nana Baafi, and Fairfield Prep 7-footer Paschal Chukwu:

According to Juan Hernandez, Brimah's high school coach at Archbishop Coleman Carroll in Miami, Brimah is a good student who scored about an 18 on his ACT. That score is good enough to qualify him for virtually any school, so he doesn't have to take the SAT, according to Hernandez.

“He’s just a great kid, an extremely hard worker," Hernandez said. "He’s very, very dedicated, he’s focused. I’m not surprised at all about the success he’s had … or is going to have in the future.”

Brimah's frontrunners were UConn, South Carolina, La Salle (the three schools he visited officially) and Florida International. Lately, Villanova and St. Louis had been calling frequently. Hernandez said he heard NC State was going to call, too, but never did.

So why did Brimah commit on Sunday night, so early in his official visit?

“He said he was very comfortable when he got there. He always got along very well with the coaches. They’ve got a good history with the big guys. His biggest thing is having the opportunity to play in the NBA at some point. One of the criteria was getting him prepared for that, from a playing standpoint and an exposure standpoint.”

“Two main things: having the opportunity to play right away – obviously nobody can guarantee playing time, but knowing there’s at least an opportunity. He didn’t want to be red-shirted, nor did his guardian. And, to be somewhere that prepares him to play in the NBA, hopefully. We all think he can get there.”


Glen Miller and Kevin Ollie had each been to see Brimah play once, but Karl Hobbs had been to numerous games and practices.

Brimah played AAU ball for Each 1 Teach 1, Amar'e Stoudamire's outfit.

*** It's silly to make too big a deal out of the fact that Louisville's scheduled flight to Hartford was cancelled Sunday night and the Cards didn't arrive in town until around 2 p.m. on Monday -- about seven hours before tip-off.

But it's not a stretch to say this could hurt Louisville. Teams get used to routines, and for college basketball teams, that routine includes getting into town the night before, having dinner, breaking down some film, then having a shootaround the next day.

Louisville wasn't able to do any of those things. Will it all have an affect on a bunch of elite, 19, 20-, 21-year-old athletes? Maybe not. But definitely maybe.

UConn is using this weeklong break from game action to hit the recruiting trail, and while the Huskies are scouting players of all classes, they are honing in on a big man and a guard from the Class of 2013.

Yes, the Huskies already have 6-9 shotblocker Kentan Facey in the fold. But the more the merrier.

One of their prime targets is Amida Brimah, a 6-foot-11 shot-blocker from Miami's Archbishop Coleman Carroll High. Karl Hobbs went to see Brimah play on Thursday, and Kevin Ollie attended a home game a few weeks ago.

Hobbs had to have liked what he saw Thursday, as Brimah posted his fourth triple-double of the season with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 13 blocks against Charlotte High. He's had four games of at least 10 blocks thus far.

"They definitely like him," Archbishop Carroll coach Juan Hernandez said of the Huskies. "UConn is definitely one of the schools he's seriously considering."

Meanwhile, Ollie was at Fairfield Prep's game Friday night, ostensibly to see Prep's 7-2, Class of 2014 center, Paschal Chukwu.

"For him to come down and watch me is an honor," said Chukwu, who had nine points, 11 rebounds and some foul trouble.

Brimah has made official visits to South Carolina and LaSalle, and has offers from those programs as well as Florida International. Recently, Hernandez has fielded calls from Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and St. Louis, and according to Brimah, Villanova is coming to see him play soon, as well.

Brimah, a native of Ghana who came to the States three years ago and boasts a 7-6 wingspan, has improved greatly over the past year, particularly over the past six months.

"He's got huge upside," said Hernandez. "Unlike some of the American kids who've been playing since they were little kids, he pretty much picked up the game 4-5 years ago. His ceiling is a lot higher than others. He's got a huge motor, he's an extremely enthusiastic kid. He works unbelievably hard."

Brimah could be a defensive force at the Division 1 level right now, according to those who've watched him. It's his offensive game -- particularly at the low post -- that needs seasoning.

"Offensively, he'd be a little bit limited early on," said Nick Ronda, the head coach at Miami Killilan High. "He can shoot free throws pretty well and he's got a nice mid-post, high-post shot. But his feet, he's got to keep working on."

But Hernandez noted that Brimah has already made great strides in his offensive game in recent months, and he could fit in well with UConn's offense.

"He's really good coming off ball screens," said Hernandez. "That's what Coach Hobbs mentioned early on. He said, '(Your team) runs a lot of ball screens, similar to what Coach Ollie does. He'd fit right into what we're running.'"

Brimah, who checks in at about 210-215 pounds, also needs to get stronger, "which he will do in college," Hernandez pointed out. "He's hitting the weights hard here, but he's not getting as good a nutritional program as he will in college. He'll gain 20-30 pounds once he gets to college."

And there's this: Brimah has a GPA of around 3.2-3.2, he's "very vocal, from a positive standpoint, within the team," according to Hernandez, and has no disciplinary issues off the court.

Brimah, whose parents still live in Ghana and lives with a legal guardian, is trying to schedule an official visit up to Storrs. The Huskies don't another weekend home game until the end of January, however, and it's been hard to line the Archbishop Carroll schedule up with UConn's. It might have to wait until after Carroll's season is over in late-February or early-March, but, according to Hernandez, Brimah will "definitely take a visit to UConn."

And, because people seem to like this kind of stuff, here's some video of Brimah in action. And here's some more: