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.

Been a while since I've blogged, so here's a mega-post off today's "Meet the Freshmen" at the Werth Center. This group of frosh is calling themselves "The Top Five," and they certainly could be one of the program's better classes when it's all said and done.

'The Top Five' (l. to r.), Vance Jackson, Juwan Durham, Christian Vital, Mamadou Diarra, Alterique Gilbert.

Here's some sights and sounds from this afternoon:

JUWAN DURHAM:

(on how good this freshman class can be)

“I believe that it’s the best in the country right now. We have guys that can do everything. We have scorers, decent defensive players, we have vocal leaders in Alterique and Christian, a shooter like Vance, a nice big like Mamadou, and versatility in myself, I believe. Coach K.O. told us that we have a chance to start. You know he doesn’t keep the same starting lineup, so whoever’s out there working the hardest and doing the best that they can do, they’ll be able to start.”

(on getting adjusted to life on UConn's campus)

“I like the area, because there’s not much in Storrs to do, other than play basketball and go to class. That’s what I really liked about it. I liked the campus, I liked the coaching staff and I liked the team. I knew the incoming freshmen class that we already have, with Mamadou and Alterique, I knew I’d be in good hands with those guys. We have good leaders in Kentan Facey and Jalen Adams and Rodney Purvis and Amida (Brimah).”

“I grew up in the city. Tampa, Florida … is really a fast-paced city, a lot of big buildings and stuff like that, interstates. Out here, there’s nothing but giant bugs. I saw an ant probably the size of my big toe. It’s crazy stuff that I’ve never seen before. It’s something new. I can go back and tell my family back at home. I took a video of a bee, I think it was. It was like that big (stretches fingers out). I was really confused about that.”

VANCE JACKSON:

ALTERIQUE GILBERT:

CHRISTIAN VITAL:

“You see Vance, he’s a 6-8 shooter, scorer, versatile. Alterique and I have no problem playing together – obviously he’s not playing yet, his shoulder’s still recovering, but we talk about (things like) I don’t mind if he brings up the ball, I don’t need to bring up the ball every time, he doesn’t need to bring the ball up all the time, he’s a selfless person – you see Mamadou, he’s a beast on the boards and starting to work on his mid-range shot, and Juwan, he’s still recovering, but he’s 6-11 and we were shooting around and he made, like, 10 3’s in a row. So, this class is really, really talented and versatile. I believe we’re one of the best recruiting classes in 2016. We need to prove it during the season.”

“Obviously, we want to win a national championship. That’s what everyone wants to do. We just talk about getting better as a group, pushing each other, making sure that no one person is slacking. Because if one person is slacking out of the five of us, we’re all slacking. We’re a team, we’re close with our other teammates, as well, but there’s something about that freshman group. Your class you come in with, you’re just a little bit tighter with, because you’re experiencing something new at the same time. We just talk about sticking together and keep getting each other better.”

(on whether he's a 'Kevin Ollie-type player,' as his prep coach called him)

“I think that’s one of the pictures coach K.O. was telling me when he was recruiting me, that you’re extremely hard-working. He spent 13 years in the NBA and he was never the best player on his team, he never averaged multiple points a game, he was just a hard-worker. He says I can shoot better than him, but those intangibles of working hard and wanting it more than other people, that I can achieve my dreams, too. And he can help me to that. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to play for Coach K.O.”

(on how his best friend, Steve Enoch, helped persuade him to come to UConn)

“I kind of spoke to him before it went public and told him what my five were gonna be. From then, he was texting me, ‘Listen, bro, what are you doing? Just commit now. Just commit now.’ So he definitely had an impact on me coming here.”

(on his friendship with Enoch)

“We just became such close friends (at St. Thomas More). We have the same interests off the court. We like to work out. We go to the gym at 6:30 a.m., preseason and during the season. We’d hang out in each other’s rooms, play video games when there was nothing much else to do on a prep school campus. It’s not like we could leave, so we just really bonded together. That’s my best friend.”

(on Enoch playing for Team Armenia this summer)

“I spoke to him yesterday. I was like, ‘Good luck out there, do your thing.’ I spoke to him the other night to work hard out there. You’re not there for no reason. He’s new to basketball. He wasn’t really on varsity from his freshman year like a lot of other players. So I told him, you’re out there for a reason, work hard, do your thing, and enjoy your experience out there.”

MAMADOU DIARRA:

“I think this group is gonna be really special. We’re already half the team this year, so we’re gonna all play major roles with the team. We’re with each other all day, so we’re jelling, and that’s gonna help us out a lot. Everybody brings their own uniqueness.”

(defense and rebounding)

“That’s gonna be my niche to get on the floor. And I know I’ve got to develop offensively. But I figure once I get in the gym all the time and put in that work, that’s gonna come eventually. But I’m gonna deal with my strengths at first, and then grow from there.”

Interesting stuff from the Jordan Brand Classic regional game today. Here's what Mamadou Diarra, Taurean Thompson and Christian Vital had to day:

THOMPSON (who is taking an official to UConn on Monday, his third official):

“I don’t know a lot about UConn. I know (Daniel) Hamilton just left. I talked to the assistant coaches briefly, I haven’t really talked to (Kevin) Ollie yet. He’s been busy. But when I get there, they’ll let me know what’s going on.”

“After UConn, if it doesn’t feel right, I’m gonna keep brainstorming and use my last two officials.”

Thompson was named Team New York's MVP on Friday after shooting 13-for-15 from the floor for 27 points and 13 boards.

DIARRA:

(on persuading Thompson to come to UConn)

“I was just talking to him in the locker room about it, ‘you’ve got to come to UConn. He’s taking his visit Monday, so hopefully he likes it.”

Diarra, who scored 19 points in Team New York's 148-128 victory on Friday, said he'll likely arrive on UConn's campus around May 31. He's been working on getting stronger and "stepping out a little bit, making jump shots, stretching my game out a little."

But he knows his bread-and-butter will be rebounding and shot-blocking.

“That’s my niche, that’s what I’m gonna need to do to get on the floor. That’s what I’ll keep on doing. Our leading rebounder last year was Daniel Hamilton, and he’s out, too. So that’s a big role that’s missing. They’re gonna need that.”

(on Hamilton's departure to the NBA)

“I’m a little surprised ... He’s good, but players come and players go. That’s just a part of the game. There’s a lot of other guys on the team that can step up and play, like Terry Larrier, Vance Jackson.”

VITAL:

The Queens Village, New York product, played AAU ball with Larrier, knows Jalen Adams from playing prep ball in New England and said Steve Enoch is “my beat friend.”

“I just spoke to him the other day, he told me to get ready for my visit,” Vital reported. “And Coach Ollie is a really great guy, too. You can see how genuine he is about his players. That’s why he shows so much emotion when coaching on the sidelines. And being in Connecticut, UConn is on a lot. When I’m scrolling through the channels, I’m able to watch them play.”

Vital said it's down to UConn, Louisville and Iowa - though it appears UConn and Louisville are the leaders. He'll visit both soon (UConn early next week).Vital spoke glowingly of Louisville.

“You grow up watching Coach Pitino, he’s a great coach,” Vital said. “I can tell he has a lot of great character. A lot of things, as we know, happened down at Louisville, and I am aware of that and I’m thinking about that in my decision. But I don’t feel like you should ever judge someone just because they sin differently than you. Whatever did happen over there, no one’s perfect. They definitely took the steps to get ahead of their sanctions by saying ‘no postseason’ last year and getting rid of scholarships. Coach Pitino can’t come down and see me, that’s part of it ... And also national championships ... I want to compete for a national championship.”

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.

A few quick notes from after UConn's practice today at Gampel (which was attended by Mamadou Diarra), in advance of Sunday's exhibition opener vs. Tampa:

KEVIN OLLIE:



“We’ll experiment. It doesn’t count, but it does count, you know? We’ll experiment with some different lineups. Hopefully, I’ll have the opportunity to play everybody. That’s the beautiful thing about a close scrimmage, that’s one of the things I want, because you can really experiment -- go zone, play a lot of people a lot more minutes.”

“Steve Enoch is real talented. He’s got poise beyond his years, just like Jalen (Adams). He’s a real good basketball player, he’s a sponge, he wants to get better. And he’s huge. He’s more athletic than I thought. I didn’t know he was that special an athlete. He gets up and down and really goes after the ball. He wants to get better, and he’s got skills beyond his years. He’s gonna be a really good player for us.”

“I’ve been an admirer of (Tampa coach Richard Schmidt) for a long time, he’s been there for 33 years. He’s just a great coach. They allowed us to come down to their practice facility, so we’ve got a nice little relationship. They better not come in here with any of those junk zones or any of that stuff. But coach is real good friends of ours, and Coach (Justin) Pecka (a South Windsor native) has been a real good friend of the program.”

RODNEY PURVIS:

“I’m definitely one of the leaders, one of the older guys on the team. The guys feed off my energy. Coach is looking for me to be a leader. I’m taking that role. It’s pretty hard sometimes -- the ups and downs and learning curve of preseason. But it’s all worth it.”

(on UConn's overall depth)

“It’s definitely gonna make our team better. Everyone’s coming in focused. There’s a guy on the bench that plays the same position, so you’ve got to bring it each and every night if you want to be on the court.”

(on Steve Enoch)



(his teammates' reaction to Enoch dunking on Brimah?)

“Everybody’s, ‘Whoa!’, because we’re never used to really seeing it. We’re used to going to get the ball out of the stands anytime somebody tries to dunk on Amida, so it’s a little different when Steve caught him a couple of times.”

JALEN ADAMS:

Here's my story off First Night, mostly centering on Vance Jackson's commitment that same night. And here's a follow-up story from the following day, with quotes from Jackson.

And here's some video from Friday's festivities:

The UConn band glows in the dark:



Terry Larrier throws down a dunk:



Steve Enoch throws down a dunk:



Kevin Ollie speaks:

It's that time of year, folks. UConn officially kicked off practice on Saturday with a four-hour grind that started at 10 a.m. in Guyer Gym and ended around 2 p.m. inside the Werth Family Champions Center.




Here's some of what was said, along with some video:

KEVIN OLLIE:



(on the newcomers)

“They did an amazingly good job. Sterling did a great job, Shonn was fantastic, and Enoch and Jalen did a great job. Terry played well, too. I was like, ‘Man, I wish I could have him, too.’ Just being greedy, I guess.”

“We lost a lot of games in the last few minutes, last possession, that we’d like to clean up. That’s why the execution part is so crucial going into the season.”

“Oh, we’re gonna run. Definitely gonna run. I was very disappointed in our tempo (last year). We’ve got to run, push the pace. I’ve got a lot of options. I can go big, I can go small. That’s what I like. We’ll just see how we can manipulate the defense, and see who’s not gonna give in, retreat or surrender. That’s what I kept telling the guys: it’s the UConn covenant.”

(on Jalen Adams)

“He’s gonna be a fantastic player. The one thing that he’s gotta get better at is conditioning -- which wasn’t bad, but playing at this level, you’re gonna be playing a top-notch point guard. You’re gonna be playing probably their best player on the court. So you’ve got to be able to guard defensively, then come down and have the composure to run the offense.”

“We’ve had a lot of great point guards. If he wants to be in that line of guys, he’s gonna have to do the extra stuff. It can’t just be the two hours of practice. It’s got to be the extra stuff to make him an extraordinary person to put on that jersey.”

(on how hard it is to monitor an entire program as a head coach)

“You have to have discipline. I’m not saying those other teams didn’t have it, I’m just speaking for myself. You have to have accountability, and that starts with the coach. It is what it is. We can put our arms up and say it’s not our job to do it, but that’s what we have to do. That falls on us. We have to understand that it comes with the job, with being a head coach. You’ve got to have great people around you.”

“It’s up to them to take ownership and do the right things. I think all our guys want to play. They have pride in their jersey and their university. Hopefully, our guys do the right thing. But they’re 17, 18-year-olds, they make mistakes like we all make mistakes. We’ve just got to be careful with what we’re doing. It starts with me. I can’t run away from that. We’ve got to step up. It’s like a great quarterback -- you can’t run away from pressure, because most pressure comes from outside. You’ve got to step up in the pocket. That’s what we’ve got to do -- step up in the pocket, on the court and off the court. That’s why we challenge so much. If you see your brother doing something wrong, you challenge him to be better, because he’s just gonna bring us all down. We do a lot of things off the court to try to manage them when they get in those situations, so they think about doing the right things, not the wrong things.”

STERLING GIBBS:



“That plays a big part in being good. You have to hold everyone accountable. As a brotherhood, you can’t be scared to tell your brother that he’s doing something wrong.”

(on Adams)

“Jalen’s talented. He’s really skilled. He’s gifted, he’s tall, he’s athletic. He has all the abilities to be a star. This year, I’m just gonna try to give him some knowledge, teach him a couple of things that I’ve learned over the course of the year. And I’ll probably be able to learn a couple of things from him, as well.”

(on running)

“That’s a guard’s dream, to be able to have the freedom to get out and run, and to use the pick and roll. Just to have the freedom overall, I think that’s one of the things that he’s really stressing. He doesn’t want to come down and call a play each time down.”

DANIEL HAMILTON:

“They handled it pretty well. The fifth-year (guys), and a couple of the freshmen, they played real well. I didn’t expect them to be that good. They handled it real well.”

(on Adams)

“He’s more mature than a freshman. He doesn’t play like a freshman, he plays like it’s his second or third year. That’s gonna help us huge, because he comes in and has a clue on what’s going on. He’ll come in and play right away.”

(on team's versatility)

“Last year it was kind of like, ‘Watch him do that, watch him do this.’ It’s more of a team this year. Everybody can do different stuff. People aren’t just one-dimensional.”

“It’s kind of like having toys. He can throw whatever toy or whatever car he wants to have.”


ADAMS:

“It was tiring, but I think I did pretty well ... The whole week leading up to this, everybody’s like, ‘First practice, K.O. is cool, but when you get on the court, he’s in a different mindset.’ So, I was kind of expecting it. And I like to run.”

“We have five guys who can score the ball, four who can score off the perimeter. Everybody’s a key asset, so you have to pay attention to everybody.”

(on running)

“I love that a lot. That’s one of the main reasons I came here, just watching them play. They’re always uptempo offense. I like to get out, fast-break dunks, alley-oops. I like to have fun when I’m playing.”

“Everybody can play basketball at this level. People who are willing to put in extra time, pay attention to detail, do the little stuff.”

“Each of those three guards, I want to take stuff from. Kemba, I want to take his aggressivness and creativity. Shabazz, his pull-up jump shot and how he’s the leader. And Boatright, how he’s also a great leader and he just gets everybody involved. I like that a lot from all those guys.”

(can he lead as a frosh?)

“Definitely. I think leading is natural. In those type of situations, growing up -- even off the court with my friends, I was always, like, the head honcho. Leading is natural. If you’ve been through it, it carries on to the court.”

Your Husky Run times:

1. (overall) Jon Gill, Walllingford, 17:45

(UConn)

1. Daniel Hamilton, 20:31
2. Kentan Facey, 21:41
3. Omar Calhoun, 22:43
4. Steve Enoch, 23:24
5. Christian Foxen, 23:48
6. Jalen Adams, 24:59
7. Sterling Gibbs, 25:12
8. Rodney Purvis, 25:34
9. Terry Larrier, 26:15
10. Shonn Miller, 26:15
11. Phillip Nolan, 26:30
12. Nnamdi Amilo, 29:44


Daniel Hamilton addresses the crowd prior to the run:



Kevin Ollie speaks with the media:



Daniel Hamilton crosses the finish line first among his UConn teammates -- backwards -- with a time of 20:31.




Some notes 'n quotes off the run:

KEVIN OLLIE

(on the Husky Run)

“It’s important -- spending time with the fans, seeing them run, seeing us run. It’s about starting something and finishing something. That’s kind of our motto: whatever we start, we want to finish. That hill on the back side always gets you. But you’ve got to persevere. Just like the season, there’s gonna be some ups and downs, but you’ve got to get to the finish line. It’s really not a race to win, it’s a race against yourself. You want to finish.”

(on the team's newcomers)

“They’re fitting in great. That’s one thing I really want to see early -- team chemistry. They’re doing a wonderful job coming in and bringing leadership. They’re not scared to challenge people. We don’t want them to come in and take a back seat, because they’re gonna play a pivotal role in our success.”

(on Daniel Hamilton)

“I think he always had confidence in how good he could be. It’s just putting the work in, seeing the results. I think he saw some great results last year, but he definitely wants to improve on shooting percentage, being a better decision-maker, taking better shots. But he did some wonderful things last year. Now, you’ve just got to take what you do well now and do it even better. I’ve been seeing some remarkable growth throughout this preseason.”

“He’s gonna be on everybody’s list to stop. We had Ryan Boatright, I bet you he had the big star on his name. Now, Daniel’s gonna have that star on his name. The good thing is we have a lot of players that are gonna have that star on their names. It’s not gonna just be one guy. That’s a good thing for a coach to have options, and to have a team that’s deep.”

(on SMU)

“We hate for that to happen to SMU ... I just hate for it to happen to a very dear friend of mine. I know they’re gonna get better from the situation and hopefully go forward. We’ve got to go forward as a university, as a conference. We still have some great teams that are gonna have the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament.”

“I can’t tell you that, you’re gonna have to call Larry about that. But, knowing him, he’s been down a lot of times in his life. The good thing about being down, a week later, he’s back up and at it again. I don’t think that’s gonna change now. I think he’s gonna look at it as a learning circumstance, and I think he’ll get better. But he’s a great man, he’s been very influential in my life. I just wish him the best going forward.”

*** Amida Brimah sat out the run. He rolled his ankle in his final GHPA game in August, but should be fine for Saturday's first practice.

Sam Cassell, Jr. also sat out the Husky run. Trainer James Doran didn't want him pounding his stress fracture for 3.1 miles on blacktop. He's good to go Saturday, too.

HAMILTON
“I said I was gonna win it a couple of weeks ago, so I had to make sure I lived up to that.”

“Definitely a different attitude. I want to win, like UConn does. I just want to come in, win and make a huge impact.”

“I’m in the best shape of my life.”

“I’m ready to come in and lead and just win, that’s the main thing. We win, everybody’s having fun and everybody looks good.”

“We’re more together. We all come to the gym at the same time, nobody’s separate from each other. We’ve got the team mindset. The new guys are fitting in real well, putting in their work at nighttime. They’re dragging me to come in the gym. That’s always a good sign.”

“I had way too many turnovers -- two turnovers a game, that’s a lot a game, and I’m not even a point guard. I’ve got to defnitely cut down on that.”

(on speculation he'll go pro after this year)

“That’s a distraction outside the locker room. I don’t want to make a distraction outside the locker room, because that could affect the way we play. I just want to come in and play our game, play the way UConn wants to play. That’s getting wins.”

OMAR CALHOUN:

“I’m feeling real good, better than I felt last year coming in. I did a lot of rehab over the summer, so I’m feeling 100-percent right now. Hopefully I can stay this way and just continue to improve.”

a lot of track work, working on mobility, flexibility, lot of strengthening core, when I was in boot, strengthen everything else

“I want to show everyone the kind of player I really am. I’ve been dealing with injuries basically every year, besides my freshman year. Hopefully, I can get the year I want my senior year. Make a big run in the tournament, that’s the plan.”

“I’ve always been a competitive person. It should be fun. Whoever’s the best is gonna be on the court at the end of the day.”

PURVIS:

“Everything with me is off the flow of the game. I’m pretty fast, so I’ll let my speed get me out in transition to get me going. It’s a great thing to have a lot of weapons, but just because you have a lot of weapons doesn’t mean you have to take your foot off the gas. The more scoring, the more points, the more wins we’ll get.”

“He’s even surprised me how much more he’s opened up. Last year he was a freshman. When you’re a freshman, you’re kind of figuring yourself out. You’re coming to a locker room with a lot of older guys. With his summer and with that year, he’s really opened up a whole lot. He’s kind of like a differnet person. Last year, he was the quietest in the locker room. Now, he’s one of the loudest. That’s always a positive.”

“I dedicated my whole summer pushing myself and preparing myself for this moment. It’s not really good to say, but I really do feel like this is my team. I’ve got to step up and be that guy and be that coach on the floor. It’s a huge role, a huge task, but I’ve got to give my credit to Coach Ollie. He’s really working with me each and every day. I really credit him.”

UConn was slated to make a home visit to highly-skilled big man Da'Ron Davis out in Colorado last week. But just before that was going to happen, the staff was essentially told not to bother making the long trip. It doesn't appear Davis intends to be a Husky.

With Mamadou Diarra already in the fold, Juwan Durham recently committed, Steve Enoch already enrolled and the possibility of Amida Brimah coming back for his senior season, there doesn't appear to be much room for Davis in Storrs.

According to a source close to Davis, he has pretty much narrowed his choices down to three schools: Indiana, Arizona and Mississippi State. He visited Indiana this past weekend, will visit Ben Howland at MSU in mid-October, then head to Arizona near the end of October.

Met up with Phil Nolan today for an interview for a story that will run in a few days.

It may be easy to overlook Nolan this season, what with so many good, new players coming in (not to mention some talented returnees, as well). But he's a senior now. He's got a national championship ring. And though he's coming off a disappointing junior season, Nolan looks fit and sounds ready to make amends.

Here's a few things he had to say today:

"I gained a lot of weight last year. It wasn’t all good weight. I lost a lot of weight, but then I started gaining it back and made sure it was good weight this time.

“It makes it tougher to move around, move your feet, not as explosive. When I went back home to Milwaukee, working with my trainer, it was a lot of agility stuff on the court and working on my explosiveness.”

(what he worked on this summer and needs to do better this season)

 “I know I’m way better at finishing around the basket. I want to improve on that, just make sure I’m in the best shape possible so I’m able to run the floor and be explosive, rebound ... just all the little things that will help the team out.”

(on how he feels about newcomers like Shonn Miller and Steve Enoch, both of whom could cut into his playing time)

“Anybody that knows me -- I’m not saying that I don’t want to play -- but anybody that knows me knows that I’m all for the team. What’s best for the team. Bringing in guys like that, it’s just Coach Ollie telling us to step up our game. We’ve got to get in the gym more, work out more. At the end of the day, it’s only gonna benefit us.”

(on taking charges)

“I had no clue that I was good at it. One day, Coach Ollie was yelling at us, ‘Nobody’s taking charges!’ He was really talking to the guards, I think. I was just like, 'I’m gonna go out and try it.' I think the first game I tried it, I got, like, three. So I’m like, ‘Man, I might as well keep doing it.’ Back then, I was getting in foul trouble a lot, too. Instead of jumping and getting a foul, I might as well let someone run into me and the referee call it a charge.”

“It hurts. I wouldn’t say it’s tough, but you’ve got to be dedicated. You’ve got to be predetermined and know what you’re gonna do. As soon as you see someone coming full-speed, just stand there and let them knock you over.”

(on the NCAA's decision to extend the arc underneath the basket by a foot, from three feet to four feet, to help reduce the number of collisions)

“I don’t think that’s gonna hold me back. They’re gonna have to put the arc out pretty far to stop me from taking charges.”

Check back in a few days for a feature story, which looks at Nolan's interesting home life back in Milwaukee ... and just why he was at the NBA draft this past June.

UConn's five newcomers -- freshmen Jalen Adams and Steve Enoch, and transfers Sterling Gibbs, Shonn Miller and Terry Larrier -- met with the media on Tuesday at the Huskies' practice facility.

Here's some of what they had to say:

TERRY LARRIER:

(on how things have gone in his first few weeks on campus, and why he chose UConn the second time around):



(Larrier said that Shaka Smart tried to get him to come with him from VCU to Texas)

“Shaka definitely did reach out, try to get me on a visit. But I already kind of had my mind made up with the schools I wanted. No knock to Shaka, he’s still a great coach. I’m thankful for all that he’s taught me. I wish him and Texas the best of luck. But I’m just glad to be a Husky.”

JALEN ADAMS:

(on heading to the adidas Nations camp next month as a counselor)

“I’m looking forward to it. I went there as a camper, so it’s always nice to go back at the next level.”

(on how he felt when he heard fellow point guard Sterling Gibbs was transferring to UConn):



"When I found out he was coming in here, that’s why I was excited rather than stressing about it, because I know Kemba and Shabazz Napier played together. Shabazz Napier and (Ryan) Boatright played together. You can play with two guards, it doesn’t matter. Coach Ollie, when I committed here, he told me that UConn was positionless. You don’t have an assigned position, you just go out and play hard.”

STERLING GIBBS:

(on what he hopes to gain from his one season at UConn):

“As much as possible. As much knowledge, as much wins, brotherhood. I think we have enough talent to do some big things. We’ve just got to put it all together and all buy into the system.”

(on being a possible mentor to Jalen Adams):



“When I first got to Texas, we were just learning on the fly, we didn’t really have a big brother figure to look to on the court. But I really want to just pass all that knowledge to him and have him be the best player possible.”

SHONN MILLER:



(on whether rebounding, defense will be his main roles with UConn):

“That’s obviously one of my strong points. But I feel like I can do a multitude of other things, whether it’s scoring, passing, shooting.”

(on how good UConn can be this season)

“I don’t really know how to say it. We can just be really good. I think we have all the tools at each position to be a very good team.”

STEVE ENOCH:

“I know we have a boatload of talent. I’m just excited and interested to see what it could become ... It seems like we could be a really, really good team.”

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.

Hit the Barclays Center Friday night for the Jordan Brand Classic regional all-star game, in which Jalen Adams and Steve Enoch participated. It's hard to gauge a whole lot from these defense-optional games (final score, Adams' Black Team 125, Enoch's White Team 112), but let's just say both incoming UConn recruits were quite impressive.

Adams poured in a team-high 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting, grabbed four rebounds, doled out five assists against three turnovers and had a pair of steals and even a block. He was named his team's MVP.

Enoch, meanwhile, looked skilled, athletic and active, finishing with 15 points, nine boards and a block in 28 minutes.

Here's a feature we wrote on Enoch that details his rapid rise over the past two years, from an "awkward" JV player to a 6-10 man-child heading to UConn next season. Here's what each had to say afterwards:

ENOCH:



(on friendship with Andre Drummond)

“I see him when I see him. I know he has a whole season, he’s always busy and stuff like that. I always thank him for whatever he gives me.”

“Great influence, I look up to him. He motivates me, because a lot of people didn’t believe in him. To see him work hard now, be the beast he is right now, that’s motivation for me.”

(on going to UConn, which he'll do in June)

“I can’t wait to get up there and face the new challenges. You face new challenges in life all the time. I just can’t wait to see what’s in store for me.”

(advice he's received from Kevin Ollie)

“He said, just keep working hard. Coach Ollie said every time he sees me, I’ve improved in some area -- working hard-wise, he sees improvement every time he sees me.”

(on Jalen Adams)

“I think he’ll have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders coming in. But, at the same time, he has a lot of help because he has a lot of good, hard-working guards that know how to handle the ball. They’re experienced at the college level, so he’ll have a lot of help. But I think he’ll do just fine.”

“I didn’t really watch college ball or look into it too much. I just knew I wanted to go (to UConn).”

ADAMS



“Coach (Jason) Smith and Coach Lee, they got me in the weight room, eating healthy, just working out. Working out up at Brewster, I feel is a lot different than a lot of other high schools. We have seven high-major kids who are going to Top 25 schools, and the kids who aren’t committed, they’re still really good. Just competing with those kids every day, it gets you ready.”

(on being Enoch's teammate after playing against him three times this past winter in prep, and again on Friday night)

“I can’t wait. I think Steve’s really good. He protects the rim, and he’s getting a little back to the basket (game), and he can step out and shoot the 3’s. I think he’s really good. I like him a lot.”

(Adams has beaten Enoch all four times. Does he remind him of that?)

“Of course. We text a lot.”

(on what he expects from himself next season at UConn)

“Hopefully becoming a vocal leader on the court and off the court.”

“He thinks I’ll fit in pretty well. But he just wants me to come in and learn and get better and be a leader.”

“Just seeing how Shabazz is from my neighborhood, seeing what he did, now he’s on the Miami Heat. That just makes the dream more real.”

It was Husky Day at the State Capitol today. Most of the members of the UConn men's and women's basketball teams were there -- no Ryan Boatright, but just about everyone else there, including coaches Kevin Ollie and Geno Auriemma.

One reporter's daughter even got a whole bunch of autographs, including Geno's.

(Oh, and if you're in the Southington area tonight around 6:30, stop by the Southington Public Library, where I'll be doing a book signing and discussion of Rebound!).

Anyway, here's some of what Daniel Hamilton and Ollie had to say:

HAMILTON:

(on rumors he might be leaving the program)

“I never had any thoughts. I had a sitdown with Coach Ollie, and we talked about the season during the exit meeting. Everything was good. I’m excited to be coming back.”

“He said I’ve got to shoot the ball better, and just getting to where I wanted to go, not forcing shots, not taking ill-advised shots.”

“It never crossed my mind. I know there were some rumors out there saying I might leave, but there was no thought of me going. Especially after the year that we had, I want to come back and do even better things next year. I wasn’t satisfied with the year we had as a team. Next year, I want to come back and be better than we were this year.”

“I knew my grandma’s been sick the last couple of years. I was always talking to her, she was always watching my games. She was just proud of me throughout the whole year.”

(on watching his brother, Isaac, help UCLA make a run to the Sweet Sixteen)

“Them making the Sweet 16, it was definitely fun. I was supporting them the whole way.”

“Not jealous, I was happy for him. I was excited for him.”

OLLIE:

(on Duke winning the title)

“They definitely deserved it. Coach K is a wonderful coach.”

(on recruiting focuses)

“We’ve got a couple of players that we’re looking (at). We’re just trying to add some spots. My job is to evaluate the program ... We have a couple that’s right on the brink, and hopefully we’ll get some good news here soon.”

(on any possible transfers)

“No one came in my office yet. It’s always an open door. I’m not telling them to come in the office. If they decide to come in and decide to go somewhere else, I can’t hold them back, I can just give my opinion on going forward. Hopefully, everybody stays and we can add on some compliments to these guys we’ve got now.”

“We just had our regular exit meetings. I gave them my expectations of them. went over the stats with them, just the standards that we uphold here at UConn. It was a character-building season for us, for me as a coach. We’ve got to get better. I think everybody has that desire, to get better.”

(on how Ollie can get better as a coach)

“Everything -- management of the team, getting them in better positions. I can always improve on everything. It’s not just one thing. I’ve got to get these guys better. We all fell short. We’re all UConn, and we’d like to get to the tournament. It’s a fine line between good and bad. We lost a lot of close games. You look back at those situations, I could have done things better, players could have made shots. We’re all in this together. It’s not one thing.”

(on recent college coaching changes)

“I was happy for Dave (Leitao), and to see Shaka (Smart) move to Texas. Some great acquisitions there, but also some great coaches that got their walking papers, which is unfortunate, too.”

(on Steve Enoch)

Every time I see Steve, he’s getting bigger, he’s getting better, he’s performing very well, he’s rebounding the ball. He’s got a chip on his shoulder every time I see him. I think he’s gonna be a phenomonal basketball player for us. He’s gonna be a serviceable big man coming in his freshman year, getting to lear from Amida, Kentan and Phil on how to conduct yourself as a UConn basketball player. I see a lot of potential in him. Now, that potential’s got to turn into skill. And that just depends on how hard he’s gonna work. What I see from him, I don’t see where that pattern’s gonna stop. Every time I see him, he’s adding something to his offensive repertoire, defensive rebounding -- doing things we lacked a little bit last year.”

(on Jalen Adams)

“Jalen Adams is gonna be an instant player for us that’s gonna really impact the game instantly. He can do so much stuff off the bounce, he’s very athletic. A lot of people don’t know how good a passer he is. I’m just gonna weigh on him to come in and do the different things we know he can do. But, athletically, ball-handling, pushing the ball -- those are his strengths. I’m gonna try to display that every single day, give him a platform where he can go out there and show his God-given talents. And God has given him a lot.”

Apparently, Adams may not play in Friday's Jordan Brand Classic regional game at Barclays Center. Nothing's official as of now, however. Doesn't sound like an injury or anything, just a possible conflict of some sort.

A couple of things today:

*** UConn commit Steve Enoch was named the 2014-15 Gatorade Connecticut Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Enoch, from Norwalk, played this past season at St. Thomas More School.

The 6-foot-10, 235-pound senior forward averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds per game this past season, leading the Chancellors (29-9) to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class AAA semifinals. The state’s No.1 recruit in the Class of 2015 as rated by the New England Recruiting Report, Enoch scored 18 points with seven rebounds in an 83-76, come-from-behind victory over Vermont Academy at the Spaulding Hoophall Classic in January.

Enoch has maintained a 3.27 GPA in the classroom. He has donated his time delivering meals and clothing to families in need and has volunteered as a tour guide for prospective students at his school.

“Steven Enoch possesses tremendous integrity and initiative,” said St. Thomas More head coach Jere Quinn. “He has had a wonderful season while playing in the strongest conference in the country. He will have a very successful career at UConn as a student and as an athlete.”

*** There apparently has been some scuttlebutt about potential UConn transfers, seemingly based on Kevin Ollie's postgame quotes on Wednesday night. While the quotes did raise a few eyebrows, especially since they started off unsolicited, I don't think there's a whole lot to them. For the most part, the "exit interviews" next week are standard operating procedure.

I spoke with Amida Brimah's legal guardian, Nana Baafi, on Friday, and he scoffed at the idea that Brimah might want to transfer.

"Nobody’s thought about anything like that at all. That stuff is not … I don’t know how that stuff got out there," he said.

What about the NBA? A veteran Eastern Conference scout told me the other day that both Brimah and Daniel Hamilton would "both, for sure, be drafted -- maybe high second-round picks. To say they're first-round guys? I wouldn't say that right now."

But Baafi doesn't think that will happen, either.

"Shoot, honestly I don’t know. I don’t think so. He just took a couple of days off, we haven't had that discussion at all. It's not on our minds. We're not even close to that at all."

Then, asked about this past season, Baafi said: "Next year will be better, I know that much for sure."

*** Had a chance to chat with Richard Hamilton on Friday. He's currently promoting the new Gillette clear gel product called Undefeated, which promises wetness protection and no odor for up to 48 hours.

"From a guy's perspective, as a dad and an athlete, you need something that's gonna last you 1-2 days," he said. "Especially out in the sun."

Here's  the story I wrote for the Register, in which he talks retirement, his greatest memory as a player, and why UConn is the "best campus in the world," and here are a few leftover quotes:

(on who he likes in the NCAA tournament)

"I think Wisconsin. The only reason why I say that, you have to be lucky to win. You have to have a great team, but also be lucky. (Kentucky is) young. They don’t have guys on the team that have been in college four years, so when there's adversity, how do you handle when stuff ain’t going right for you? Are you gonna go out on your own, or stay in team concept? But also, they've got a great coach in Coach Cal, so ..."

(would he ever get into coaching?)

"You never know. One thing I love is being an analyst, doing work with NBATV, ESPN. I'm excited about doing that.

UConn has bagged a few big-time recruits since Kevin Ollie took over the head coaching reins.

Daniel Hamilton was a national Top 25 recruit, as is Jalen Adams. Amida Brimah has proven to be a bit of a diamond-in-the-rough (his late-season play notwithstanding), and Steve Enoch appears to be better than some originally thought.

Still, the Huskies haven't exactly burned up the recruiting trails since their national title. They've lost out on numerous recruits, and while they're in on many of them and obviously can't get them all, it's a bit surprising that they haven't landed more.

It appears one of UConn's new recruiting pastures sits up in southern Vermont. Three of the Huskies' top targets play for Alex Popp up at Vermont Academy: Bruce Brown, a Class of 2016 (for now) combo guard; Tyrique Jones, a Class of 2016 power forward who hails from Bloomfield; and Samuel Mathias, 6-11 1/2 center from the Class of 2017.

UConn has offered all three players -- two of them (Jones and Mathias) in the same day. In fact, Kevin Ollie extended his offer to Mathias on the same day that Mathias went up against Enoch and St. Thomas More back in January.

It'll be interesting to see if UConn and Vermont Academy can establish a recruiting relationship. Popp was recruited as a player by Glen Miller when Miller coached at Brown, and he has known Miller and Karl Hobbs for several years and got to know Ollie out on the recruiting trails while he was an assistant at Holy Cross and thinks "very highly" of the Huskies' head coach.

"The opportunity to cultivate a great relationship with Vermont Academy makes a lot of sense," Popp said of UConn. "Say they miss on two of these three, or even three of three. We're gonna have a lot of great players coming forward. You're gonna go out and get other guys that can play at that level. Both parties are hoping the relationship can grow."

Here's a look at the three current VA players that UConn is recruiting:

BRUCE BROWN

"He's a leader, a guy who doesn't take days off," Popp said. "That translates to basketball."

Popp added that Brown, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard, is a multi-dimensional talent.



"We try to emphasize versatility in our program. We put him on the ball, off the ball. Defensively, ini a league where every team has rosters full of Division 1 players, he would guard four different positions in the span of a game. If LeBron James doesn't have a position, why do our guys have a position. He's somebody who really thrives at that."

Popp noted that Brown is very athletic, as well.

"He's explosive, both laterally and vertically," the coach said. "Combine that with his strength. He's a football player, with a football players' mentality. A lot of people compare him to Russell Westbrook. He just kind of overpowers the opposition."

Unprompted, Popp said that Brown would make a great backcourt mate with Jalen Adams.

"He's a power guard, he really is," the coach continued. "Looking at Jalen Adams, it's hard to ignore that. Put the two of them in the same backcourt, it would be special."

Popp said that Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Arizona State, UMass, VCU and UConn are working the hardest on him right now. IU's Tom Crean has been the most present of all the coaches. 

Brown hails from Boston, though his mom recently moved to Georgia. There has been lots of talk that Brown will re-classify to the Class of 2015, but Popp had no comment on that and, as of now, Brown is still '16.

"The best way I could describe Bruce Brown is he's a winner," Popp summed up. "If you're a college basketball coach, that's what puts food on your table. He's a winner. He's constant with it. It's not, 'I'm gonna mail it in today, coach, because we don't play in four days.' It doesn't matter if it's a simple drill, he wants to win every single drill in practice. It's remarkable how contagious that is when you have a guy who's as talented as Bruce Brown, because everyone in your program falls in line."

TYRIQUE JONES:

Jones is a 6-8, 240-pound jumping jack from Bloomfield.

"He grew up a big-time UConn fan," said Popp, "so they have that going for them, no doubt about it. That was his squad growing up."

Popp added that noted recruiting analyst Adam Finklestein recently named Jones the best rebounder of the Class of 2016.

"I spent time as a D-1 coach," Popp said. "For me, if you're not emphasizing rebounding in your recruiting, you're doing it wrong. Rebounding not only wins games, it wins championships at this level. He's very much a target."

Popp added that Jones has a "nose for the ball. He does a great job of winning all those 50-50's. He rebounds out of his area, above the rim. He's an underrated passer."

SAMUEL JAPHET-MATHIAS

At 6-11 1/2, 290 pounds, Mathias is a raw 16-year-old who has excellent hands and feet.

"He's a little bit of a dying breed," said Popp. "You don't have a lot of those positional, back-to-the-basket guys anymore. He knows what to do with it when the ball gets on the block."

Mathias was born in Nigeria and grew up in London. Ollie and Hobbs saw him play in some preseason open gyms and offered a scholarship after he went for 16 points and nine rebounds against St. Thomas More.

"In that game, he showed off an array of skills," said Popp. "He scored the ball on the block, pick and popped, scored with both hands, got a tip dunk. It was pretty obvious he could help UConn right away."

Of course, the Huskies would have to wait a couple of years, as the big kid is Class of 2017.

Whether UConn winds up with any of these players remains to be seen. But Popp is confident that any team that could get all three would be in very good shape.'

"You get those three guys," the coach said, "you're gonna win some national championships."

UConn fans will have a chance to see Husky commits Jalen Adams and Steve Enoch at the 2015 Spalding Hoophall Classic on Sunday at Springfield College.

Adams, a Class of 2015 guard, will lead a powerful Brewster Academy into action at 11 a.m. against Montverde Academy Prep from Florida. Later in the day, Enoch, a Class of 2015 power forward, and his St. Thomas More School team will face Vermont Academy (which boasts a couple of UConn targets in '16 forward Tyrique Jones and '16 guard Bruce Brown) at 6:30 p.m.

After that game, Husky target Omari Spellman, a 6-foot-8, 270-pound Class of 2016 power forward, will play for MacDuffie School against Commonwealth Academy at 8 p.m.

Date	Day	Gender	Time	Team 1	Team 2
18-Jan	Sunday	Boys	9:00 AM	Wilbraham and Monson Academy, MA	Suffield Academy, CT
18-Jan	Sunday	Boys	11:00 AM	Brewster Academy, NH	Montverde Academy Prep, FL
18-Jan	Sunday	Boys	12:30 PM	Life Center Academy, NJ	Orangeville Prep, Ontario
18-Jan	Sunday	Boys	2:00 PM	Our Savior New American, NY	Huntington Prep, WV
18-Jan	Sunday	Boys	3:30 PM	St. Andrew's School, RI	New Hampton School, NH
18-Jan	Sunday	Boys	5:00 PM	Nortfhfield Mount Hermon School, MA	Tilton School, NH
18-Jan	Sunday	Boys	6:30 PM	St. Thomas More School, CT	Vermont Academy, VT
18-Jan	Sunday	Boys	8:00 PM	Commonwealth Academy, MA	MacDuffie School, MA

On Monday, UConn Class of 2016 target V.J. King will lead Paul VI High School of Virginia into action against Chaminade College Prep of Missouri. That game (along with three others preceding it) will be televised on ESPNU.

---

Date	Day	Gender	Time	Team 1	Team 2
19-Jan	Monday	Boys	9:00 AM	St. Anthony High School, NJ	Constitution High School, PA
19-Jan	Monday	Boys	11:00 AM	Wheeler High School, GA	Bishop O'Dowd High School, CA
19-Jan	Monday	Boys	1:00 PM	Oak Hill Academy, VA	Villa Angela St. Joseph, OH
19-Jan	Monday	Boys	3:00 PM	Montverde Academy, FL	Bishop Gorman High School, NV
19-Jan	Monday	Boys	5:00 PM	Paul VI High School, VA	Chaminade College Prep, MO

Spalding Hoophall Classic Programming Schedule
(All Games on ESPNU)

Date	Time	Matchup
Monday, Jan. 19	11 a.m.	No. 25 Bishop O’Dowd, Calif. vs. No. 3 Wheeler, Ga.
	1 p.m.	No. 6 Oak Hill, Va. vs. No. 11 Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Ohio
	3 p.m.	Bishop Gorman, Nev. vs. No. 4 Montverde, Fla.
	5 p.m.	Chaminade, Mo. vs. Paul VI, Va.

Steve Enoch was named a McDonald's All-America nominee on Wednesday. Enoch is listed as playing at Norwalk High, though he is attending St. Thomas More Prep this season.

Here's the full list of McDonald's AA nominees, which includes a few UConn targets. No Jalen Adams, you ask? That's because he's a postgrad student up at Brewster Academy.

Incidentally, Kevin Ollie will be doing some recruiting out on the West Coast prior to the Huskies' bout with Stanford on Saturday.

Thursday is a big day for UConn on the recruiting front. Isaiah Briscoe, Derrick Jones and Tevin Mack, all coveted Husky targets, will be announcing their respective collegiate decisions.

Ultimately, it could be a day of disappointment for UConn. All signs point to Briscoe signing with either Kentucky or hometown St. John's. Jones seems to be leaning towards UNLV, though UConn and Auburn are very much in the mix, while Mack is down to VCU and UConn.

But even if the Huskies lose out on all three recruits -- and it's no sure thing that they will -- it doesn't necessarily mean all doom and gloom in Storrs. Diamond Stone, one of the top-rated big men in the Class of 2015, is expected to make his commitment next week, right after the early signing period expires on Nov. 19. Stone, a Milwaukee native, is down to UConn and hometown Wisconsin. From everyone I've talked to, it's really 50-50, but it appears Stone might be UConn's best shot of the above-mentioned recruits.

And if Stone commits to UConn, that could re-open the path to Malik Newman heading to the Huskies, as well. Newman, the No. 3-rated player in his class, per rivals.com, stated last spring that he and Stone would be a package deal. Since then, both players have wavered off the package deal talk. But if, say, Briscoe goes to Kentucky, and Antonio Blakeny does, as well, there might not be room for Newman at UK. Could that open the door for Newman to reconsider that "package deal" and join Stone, if Stone chooses UConn?

A lot will be decided Thursday evening.

*** As for Class of 2015 players who we already know WILL be heading to UConn next season, local fans can see two of them in action at the 2014 National Prep Showcase Nov. 21-23 at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven.

The team to see at this event will be Brewster Academy, which features a backcourt of UConn-bound Jalen Adams, Donovan Mitchell (Louisville), Justin Simon (Arizona) and David Crisp (Washington).

"That's probably the best backcourt in high school basketball," said ESPN recruiting analyst Adam Finkelstein. "I think that's fair to say."

Add to that a front line of Marcus Derrickson (Georgetown), Alex Illikainen (Minnesota) and Jarred Reuter (Virginia), and Brewster is must-see entertainment.

Brewster begins play on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m. against St. John's NW Military Academy (Wisc.). Brewster's second game is on Sunday, Nov. 23, against New Jersey's Coastal Academy at 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, fellow UConn pledge Steve Enoch will lead St. Thomas More into action. St. Thomas More will face Elev8 Academy (Fla.) on Friday, Nov. 21, at 3:30 p.m., and Fork Union Military Academy (Va.) on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 9:30 a.m.

There will be some other players with offers from UConn, including New Haven's own Tremont Waters, a Class of 2017 guard who plays at South Kent Prep, and Omari Spellman, a 6-foot-9, 270-pound  Class of 2016 power forward out of MacDuffie School near Springfield, Mass.

South Kent plays Fishburne Military Academy on Friday at noon, then Vermont Academy on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. MacDuffie's lone game is on Friday at 1:45 p.m. against Hargrave Military Acadmy.

Other top-rated prospects in the event will be New Hampton School's Tyler Lydon (Syracuse); Our Savior New American big man Cheick Diallo; Vermont Academy's Tyrique Jones of Bloomfield and Bruce Brown; Elev8 Academy's Travon Reed; IMG Academy's JaQuan Lyle; and Hargreaves' Daniel Purefoy, KeJuan Johnson and Justin Goode.

For those not heading to Puerto Rico to watch UConn play, here's the schedule, with games featuring Adams, Enoch, Waters and Spellman in bold:

Friday, November 21st

10:30a.m. Fork Union Military Academy (VA) vs. Notre Dame Prep (MA)
12:00p.m. Fishburne Military Academy (VA) vs. South Kent (CT)
1:45p.m. Hargrave Military Academy (VA) vs. MacDuffie (MA)
3:30p.m. ELEV-8 Academy (FL) vs. St. Thomas More (CT)
5:15p.m. Lee Academy (ME) vs. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA)
7:00p.m. IMG Academy (FL) vs. Putnam Science Academy (CT)
8:30p.m. Our Savior New American (NY) vs. Cushing Academy (MA)

Saturday, November 22nd

9:30a.m. St. Thomas More (CT) vs. Fork Union Military Academy (VA)
11:15a.m. Notre Dame Prep (MA) vs. Fishburne Military Academy (VA)
1:00p.m. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) vs. Hargrave Military Academy (VA)
2:45p.m. vs. New Hampton School (NH) vs. ELEV-8 Academy (FL)
4:30p.m. Brewster Academy (NH) vs. St. John’s NW Military Academy (WI)
6:15p.m. Bridgton Academy (ME) vs. West Oaks Academy (FL)
8:00p.m. Lee Academy (ME) vs. IMG Academy (FL)

Sunday, November 23rd

10:00a.m. Coastal Academy (NJ) vs. Brewster Academy (NH)
11:45a.m. West Oaks Academy (FL) vs. New Hampton School (NH)
1:30p.m. St. John’s NW Military Academy (WI) vs. Bridgton Academy (ME)
3:15p.m. Vermont Academy (VT) vs. South Kent (CT)
5:00p.m. Blair Academy (NJ) vs. Tilton School (NH)
6:30p.m. Mt. Zion (MD) vs. Wilbraham & Monson (MA)

I'd love to be there myself, but I'll be with the Huskies in Puerto Rico.

*** On a final note, Craig Austrie will be inducted into the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame's UConn wing on Thursday night:

The Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame has announced its next class of honorees to be recognized in the Hall of Fame’s University of Connecticut wing, which pays tribute to athletes from the county that went on to stellar careers at the state university. The UConn wing is housed at the UConn Stamford Campus.

Three natives of Stamford will be recognized November 13 at 6 p.m. at the Stamford campus: Craig Austrie (men's basketball), Bruno Giordano, (cross country and indoor/outdoor track) and Rick Robustelli (football). With the induction of its three newest members, the UConn Wing now has 27 athletes enshrined.

Austrie played four seasons for the men's basketball team (2005-09). He played a key role in leading the Huskies to a spot in the Final Four his senior year. He was the starting point guard for the first 24 games of his freshman season, after a standout scholastic career at Trinity Catholic, where he was the state Gatorade Player of the Year in 2005.

Giordano, the former mayor and parks and recreation superintendent of Stamford, was an All-American cross country runner and a star on the indoor and outdoor track teams as a one and two mile distance standout . He attended UConn from 1947-51 and was the captain of the cross country squad his junior and senior years. He finished sixth at the national collegiate meet in 1951 to earn his All-American status.

Robustelli was a quarterback for the UConn football team from 1968-70 and is still in the top ten in school history in completions, yards passing and touchdowns (31). He was named to the All-Yankee Conference team in 1970. As a high school senior he earned All-State and All-American honors in leading Stamford Catholic to an undefeated season in 1966 as the Crusaders won the FCIAC and state championships.

The UConn wing of the Hall of Fame was started in 2007. Here is the list of the previous inductees: 2007 -- Moira & Tara Buckley (Trumbull, women’s soccer), Chris Smith (Bridgeport, men’s basketball), Brian Usher (Stamford, football); 2008 – Nick Giaquinto (Stratford, football), Paul & Tim Hunter (Westport, men’s soccer); 2009 – Rashamel Jones (Stamford, men’s basketball), Joe Markus (Trumbull, football), Tom Penders (Stratford, baseball and men’s basketball), Rita Williams (Norwalk, women’s basketball); 2010 – Mary Schmidt (Stamford, women’s swimming), Bob Staak (Darien, men’s basketball); 2011 – Donna Fagan (Norwalk, softball), Gregg Hutchings (Ridgefield, men’s ice hockey), Sean Mulcahy (Westport, football), Ken Murphy (Westport, men’s soccer); 2012 - Ryan Equale (Wilton, men's ice hockey), Rocco Murano (Greenwich, football), Robert Ross (Norwalk, men's soccer), Christine Vorvis (Fairfield, women's tennis); 2013 - Alison Hirsch (Stamford, softball), Mike McKay (Bridgeport, men's basketball), Jim Penders (Stratford, baseball).