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.

With so much depth and talent, UConn will have different players stepping up each night. Likewise, it's inevitable some good players will have stretches where they don't put up big numbers. Like Jalen Adams. Until Saturday.

Adams broke out with easily his best game as a collegian, with 14 points, six assists, two steals and just one turnover, in the Huskies' easy win over Furman. He wasn't the only star, but it was a good sign to see the freshman break out just as UConn embarks on its trip to the Bahamas.

Also, here's a little update on New Haven's Tremont Waters, who is courting suitors like Virginia, Stanford and Villanova while still being recruited by UConn, Providence, North Carolina and Duke.

And, finally ...

Hail Atlantis!!!

The 2015 National Prep Showcase will run Nov. 20-22 at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, and as always, a strong field full of top recruits will be on display.

UConn fans should take note of the following: Putnam Science Academy, with commit Mamadou Diarra and Husky Class of 2017 target Hamadou Diallo in tow, will play on Friday, Nov. 20, at 8:30 p.m. against Sunrise Christian Academy.

PSA will play again the following night, at 8 p.m., against Monteverde Academy.

Meanwhile, Cushing Academy, featuring prime Class of '17 UConn target Makai Ashton-Langford, will play on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 5 p.m.

Also worth noting: New Haven's own Tremont Waters, whom UConn has offered and is still recruiting, plays on Nov. 20 with South Kent Prep against Hargrave Military Academy, then again on Nov. 22 at 11:45 a.m. against Monteverde.

Friday, November 20th

10:30a.m. Notre Dame Prep (MA) vs. Fork Union Military Academy (VA)

12:00p.m. South Kent (CT) vs. Hargrave Military Academy (VA)

1:45p.m. St. Thomas More (CT) vs. IMG Academy (FL)

3:30p.m. Bridgton Academy (ME) vs. Canarias Basketball Academy (ESP)

5:15p.m. Vermont Academy (VT) vs. Spire Institute (OH)

7:00p.m. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) vs. Lee Academy (ME)

8:30p.m. Putnam Science Academy (CT) vs. Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)

Saturday, November 21st

9:30a.m. Fork Union Military Academy (VA) vs. St. Thomas More

11:15a.m. IMG Academy (FL) vs. Bridgton Academy (ME)

1:00p.m. Hargrave Military Academy (VA) vs. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA)

2:45p.m. Elev-8 Academy (FL) vs. Notre Dame Prep (MA)

4:30p.m. Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) vs. Brewster Academy (NH)

6:15p.m. DME Academy (FL) vs. New Hampton (NH)

8:00p.m. Montverde Academy (FL) vs. Putnam Science Academy (CT)

Sunday, November 22nd

10:00a.m. Brewster Academy (NH) vs. Spire Institute (OH)

11:45a.m. South Kent (CT) vs. Montverde Academy (FL)

1:30p.m. New Hampton (NH) vs. Elev-8 Academy (FL)

3:15p.m. Tilton (NH) vs. DME Academy (FL)

5:00p.m. Cushing Academy (MA) vs. Blair Academy (NJ)

6:30p.m. Wilbraham & Monson (MA) vs. Canarias Basketball Academy (ESP)

After a couple of years at Waterbury's Crosby High, the Greater Hartford Pro-Am officially returns to ... well ... Hartford on Wednesday night. Games will be played at the Sport & Medical Sciences Academy at 208 Huyshope Ave. in Hartford.

The GHPA's 2015 season kicks off at 6:30 p.m., with Attorney Deron Freeman (led by Tobin Carberry and a host of players from Central Connecticut) facing Pauly Chute Slamm (which will be led by a pair of terrific New Haven guards past and present -- Bobby Moore and Tremont Waters. Waters, a UConn target, won't be at Wednesday night's game. Stanley Robinson is also on the team).

At 8:15 p.m., New York's Hot 93.7 (last year's scoring champ Doug Herring, Anthony Cox) will face two-time defending champion BJM Law Firm (Ryan Gomes, Keith Cothran, Lamonte Ulmer, Kelvin Davis).

Other top players expected to compete in the 11-team league include Jerome Dyson, Doug Wiggins and A.J. Price. The league could get some special guest appearances: on Aug. 1-2, Nate Robinson is expected to play. Other possible players throughout the summer could include Andre Drummond, Rudy Gay, Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb and Wes Matthews.

And, as always, several current UConn players are expected to play throughout the summer.

Wife and kids are out of town, so I went up to watch New Haven's own Tremont Waters up at South Kent School on Saturday evening. Right now, there's no doubt he could help out UConn (which looks to get back on track on Sunday against Coppin State)  in at least one department: breaking fullcourt pressure. His ballhandling is that good.

"Teams are throwing two men at him, three men at him," said South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson, "and I've never been in a situation where I panic when he has the ball. Even if they have two or three guys on him, I let him go. Because I just believe no one can guard him. And he busts it, and we have advantages."

Waters is best-known as a shooter, and he's a terrific passer, too. Here's some (admittedly raw) video of Waters in action in Saturday's 92-85 win over Coastal Academy, during which he had 23 points and seven assists before fouling out (he's No. 4):



If there's one question about Waters right now, it would be his size (5-foot-9, 145 pounds). But he more than makes up for that with his quickness and ballhandling skills. And anyway, he's still just a sophomore, with plenty of time to grow.

"I think if a school doesn't recruit him based on his size, they're crazy," said Jefferson. "I think they're nuts. I think he's the best point guard in the country, in that class. I think he's an elite shooter, an elite passer and an elite ballhandler. And he has a good IQ. As a sophomore, does he always make the right decision? No. But by the time he's a freshman in college, I think he's going to be one of the best in the country."

Spoke with Waters a bit after the game, and while talking about how he likes to keep his teammates involved, it didn't take long for him to bring up the name: "Shabazz Napier."

Waters spoke with Napier briefly while on an unofficial visit to UConn last season.

"He just told me to stay focused, stay in the books. Without books, you can't really do anything else. So it was like, stay focused, stay humble."

UConn has already offered Waters, and is one of many schools heavily in on him, along with Duke, Louisville, Ohio State, Stanford and Clemson, to name just a few.

Asked if UConn was his "dream school," Waters paused for a moment and answered: "Well, it's my home state, so, I'd have to say 'Yeah.' Or Duke. Since I was little, I used to watch Duke all the time. They have a ton of point guards that they've produced. I just like the way they play."

(No, he won't be at the IZOD Center Thursday night for UConn-Duke. South Kent's playing up in Worcester that night).

Anyway, don't expect a decision any time soon from Waters. His parents want him to enjoy being a kid up at South Kent, away from a lot of the pressures of both the city and the recruiting world. And, of course, a lot depends on what other recruits are brought in -- and who's still coaching where -- once 2017 rolls around.

*** As reported by Adam Zagoria recently, UConn is trying to get back in the mix with Tyler Dorsey, who recently decommitted from Arizona.

Spoke with Dorsey by phone on Saturday night.

"Yes, I'm considering them right now," he said of the Huskies. "I don't really know what I'm doing with this college situation. I'm just watching games, still talking to coaches. I'm still considering them."

Dorsey added that he has "no leaders. Nobody has an edge right now."

Dorsey played with current UConn freshman Daniel Hamilton at St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, California (though he's playing at Maranatha High in Los Angeles this year as a senior).

Asked if playing alongside Hamilton would make UConn more intriguing, Dorsey said: "It does. That's my boy, Daniel. That is intriguing, when I look at UConn and that situation ... I talk to him. He's doing good, trying to make me lean towards coming over there with him."

But Dorsey doesn't know when he'll make his decision.

"I have no clue. It depends how I feel and whenever I feel the right school is for me, I'm going to just choose it. But there's no real set date.'

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).

UConn will hold its annual First Night festivities on Friday, as the 2014-15 season officially kicks off. Or unofficially ... the Huskies have, after all, been practicing since Oct. 4.

Anyway, should be a fun night at Gampel Pavilion. Just like last year, in lieu of a slam dunk competition there will be a co-ed scrimmage between Team Kevin and Team Geno, with each team featuring members of the men's and women's teams. Also, the national championship banners for both the men's and women's teams will be unveiled. Here's a schedule of the night's events:

3 p.m. - Fan Fest on Fairfield Way
5 p.m. - Doors Open
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 PM- Autograph Session
6 p.m. - Pre-event begins
7 p.m. - Showtime

Indeed, Friday is all about UConn's championship past intertwining with its promising future. After the Huskies unfurl their championship banners and put an official stamp on their 2013-14 season, it's all about the present -- and the future -- going forward. 

For one, UConn will hold a media tour of its new basketball practice facility on Friday at 2:15 p.m. Then, from 4-6 p.m., there will be an official dedication and a special naming announcement of the new facility. In other words, we get to see who the biggest donor towards the facility is. (Don't forget, Kevin Ollie donated $100,000 toward the facility two years ago).

Meanwhile, as always, UConn will have some special guests at the First Night festivities. Among them are expected to be recent commits Jalen Adams and Steve Enoch, along with New Haven's Tremont Waters, a Class of 2017 point guard up at South Kent School.

Kevin Ollie and Geno Auriemma entertained a crowd of about 450 at the Oakdale Theater on Tuesday night. (First time I've been to the Oakdale, by the way, though I hear the acoustics are good for concerts. May have to make a point of coming back).

Anyway, here's a little of what Ollie had to say:



“We’re gonna have good chemistry. That’s what we work on, first and foremost. Then, everything else follows after that. We’re just trying to build them up from the neck up, then we’ll worry about the neck down. It starts with mental toughness, because that’s what it takes to be a champion. We want to win a championship every day. If they can do that, ultimately we’ll be where we need to be at the end of the season.”

(comparing Ryan Boatright to his point guard predecessors)

“They’re loyal to the program: Kemba was loyal, Shabazz was loyal, and Ryan is real loyal to the program and wanting to see the program succeed. When you have that common thread between the three of them, they all want to see UConn be the best university it possibly can be.”

Ollie said that the team has mostly been practicing in its new facility, and had its first scrimmage on Saturday. He said the team is healthy and ready to go, though Ryan Boatright and Amida Brimah have each sat out a few practices with foot soreness lately. Not a big deal, it seems.

Speaking of the new facility, its official dedication ceremony will be held on Friday from 4-6 p.m., prior to First Night festivities. New Haven's own Tremont Waters, as well as UConn commits Steve Enoch, Jalen Adams are expected to be in attendance at First Night.

So on Friday, just before the Huskies put an official exclamation point on their incredible 2013-14 season with the unfurling of dual championship banners at First Night, the program will unveil the symbol of its positive future, as well.

Always good to give some positive press to a local kid -- and this one just happens to have an offer to play at UConn.

New Haven's Tremont Waters (on the far left of this photo) was one of five South Kent School students who earned high honors for the 2013-14 academic year. 

The five honorees earned framed certificates from Head of School Andrew Vadnais and associate Head of School Richard Chavka.

Waters, a sophomore, is also one of the top point guards in the Class of 2017 and earned an offer from the Huskies back in May.

Steve Enoch, Ray Smith and Tyus Battle were among a host of top-notch players at UConn on Thursday night, playing in an "open run" while Shabazz Napier was being drafted by the Miami Heat on the big screen TV in Gampel Pavilion.

"The visit was awesome," said Enoch's AAU coach, George Matthews. "He spent time with the coaches. Kevin's awesome, Coach Miller's awesome, and all the other coaches are awesome. Kevin Ollie sets the bar really high. Steve's gonna meet other coaches, and he's going to have to compare them to Kevin."

Enoch will make visits to URI, Providence and Boston College this weekend, then take a trip to Seton Hall on Monday. He's still very early in his recruiting process (he really only blew up on the scene a few weeks ago), so don't expect any collegiate decisions yet.

Matthews said Smith wowed some of the kids at Ollie's basketball camp with alley-oop dunks all over the place. Also in the house was New Haven's Tremont Waters, a Class of 2017 stud from South Kent Prep, as well as Torrington's Jordan Williams, the former Maryland standout. There were a bunch of talented juniors and seniors from Massachusetts and the local area, as well.

Waters was particularly impressive, according to those who were there, and he wound up picking up an offer from UConn. Don't be shocked if Waters makes a college decision soon to take the pressure off and allow him to enjoy his next three years of prep school.

It's obnoxiously early to start talking about Class of 2017 prospects. Sure, every now and then you get a kid who commits real early (ask Ryan Boatright how that worked out), but really, let's let the kids enjoy their high school years as much as possible and see how they develop over those years before we start labeling them top prospects and wondering where they'll take their talents.

All that said, New Haven's own Tremont Waters seems like a special one -- in a lot of ways. He's made high honors at South Kent Prep for the spring term. He's been voted as one of his class's leaders. He's already a mentor to some young kids in New Haven. Oh, and as a freshman, he made honorable mention all-New England Prep League after averaging 13 points and a team-high 2.2 steals per game.

There seems little doubt that Waters likes UConn. Likewise, UConn likes Waters. But then, so do Florida, Duke, Syracuse, Maryland, Oklahoma, St. John's, Villanova ... the list goes on and on.

UConn put in a somewhat light practice at Webster Bank Arena on Friday, after going hard on Thursday evening up at Gampel. The Huskies host Eastern Washington on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the WBA in Bridgeport.

Shabazz Napier sat out the latter part of practice, but expects to be full-go for Saturday. Here's what he had to say:



Said Kevin Ollie: “He’s alright. You know he’s a gamer, so he’ll be there.”

*** The Huskies seem to have tepid enthusiasm about playing a game in Bridgeport. But local fans see very enthusiastic: the game is a near-sellout, with only scattered single-seat tickets still available.

“It’s not home, but it’s not too far from home," said Ryan Boatright. "With us not having to be on a plane and being jet-lagged and stuff like that, I feel like that’s an advantage, always. Getting off the plane is always tough.”

Added Napier: “I don’t know why we came out here, but I guess we’re trying to get all of Connecticut with the UConn way. It’s good to play in front of different fans. They all love us. Sometimes they can’t get out to us, but we’re coming to them now so it’s much easier for them. It’s definitely good.”



*** Ollie's wife, Stephanie, hails from Bridgeport, so he knows the city well.

“All her Filipino side of her family is gonna be here, so it’s gonna be exciting. They don’t usually get a chance to come up to our games, so it’s gonna be exciting for her to come out and share a special time.”

Sadly, Ollie's father-in-law, who passed away a few months ago, will not be there.

“It’s an unfortunate time," Ollie noted. "My wife is hanging in there. It’s a tough time for here, especially with the holidays, this is the first time her father is not there, and the father-in-law that treated me like his own son, is not here. But she’s making it through, she’s my strength, and I know he’s gonna be upstairs watching down on us.”

*** Ollie was asked if he'd be tempted to stick with the starting lineup -- Napier, Boatright, DeAndre Daniels, Omar Calhoun and Amida Brimah -- that got him a road win in Seattle on Sunday.

“I might be tempted, but we’re just gonna keep playing basketball. I’ll sit with the coaches and evaluate practice, and we’ll come up with the starting lineup. But, at halftime, if I see someone not playing or doing different things we want to get done – and it’s not Omar, it’s not anybody – we’re just going to get the first five out there. Our motto is, be fair to everybody, and everybody will get the opportunity. The best five, I thought, after halftime was that group we had out there. Then Omar came in and was good in the second half. All our guys have to come in and be live and be ready to play.”

*** Ollie and Boatright celebrated birthdays on Friday -- Ollie turning 41, Boatright 21. Both got mugged by their teammates after practice, though the players went a little light on the coach.

“We got him a little bit," Boatright noted. "We tapped him. But, you hit him a little too hard, he might put you on the bench.”

Ollie said the only gift he wants from his players is "to get a win and keep getting better. That’ll be a good birthday gift for me.”

He was reminded that, a year earlier, Ollie was rewarded with a long-term contract extension on his 40th birthday.

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen anymore – or hopefully for a couple more years," he said with a smile.

*** Asked what he wants his team to keep getting better at, Ollie responded, "Everything ... Tiger Woods still has his swing coach.”

*** Eastern Washington has three Germans on its roster. One of them, 6-foot-10 junior Martin Seiferth, is friends with Niels Giffey.

"I've known him since I was 12," Giffey said. "He's the younger brother of one of my real good friends back home who plays for the national team, too. It’s gonna be fun to see him. What are the chances, really, to play against one of the guys from Germany who you actually know pretty well. I’m on the East Coast, he’s on the West Coast. When we saw the schedule at the beginning of the year, he called me and said, ‘We’re coming over to Bridgeport to beat you guys.’”

*** Class of 2015 guard Donovan Mitchell, who lives in Greenwich (plays at Brewster Academy), will be at Saturday's game. So might New Haven's own Tremont Waters, a Class of 2017 guard who plays at South Kent Prep.

Spent the morning at the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College. Many college assistant coaches were there, including UConn's Glen Miller and Ricky Moore, who were taking in the Brewster-South Kent game that featured 2015 Husky recruiting targets Donovan Mitchell and Jarred Reuter, both of Brewster, as well as a potential big star down the road: South Kent freshman Tremont Waters of New Haven.

Miller was there all day Saturday, watching kids like West Haven's Mustapha Heron, who poured in 35 points on 12-for-17 shooting in Wilbraham & Monson's 89-82 loss to Elev 8. Moore was slated to stay for most of the day Sunday, ostensibly to see Cushing's Jalen Adams play the tourney's final game at 6:30 p.m. And it appears Kevin Ollie showed up Sunday night, as well.

Here are some observations:

*** Waters, who's being touted as one of the top freshmen in the nation, seems worthy of that title. He popped off the bench about five minutes into the game and immediately knocked down a 3-pointer almost as soon as he touched the ball. Hit a few more treys as the game went on and finished with 17 points. On Friday evening, Waters, a 5-foot-10, 145-pound point guard, was 8-for-14 from the floor (including five 3-pointers) to score 26 points in a 94-91 win over Elev 8.



He's a quick, smart player with remarkable poise for a freshman. Perhaps just as important, his parents, Ed and Vanessa, are very protective and won't allow him to get swallowed up by all the hype. Waters is definitely one to keep an eye on for the future.

*** Perhaps the biggest revelation of the day was South Kent's Schadrac Casimir, a 5-foot-9 guard from Stamford. Casimir was lightning-quick and athletic and draining 3's all game, finishing with 36 points on 13-for-20 shooting (4-for-6 on 3's). He had 22 points on Friday in the win over Elev 8.

Casimir, a postgrad who starred at Trinity Catholic, hasn't been getting much recruiting attention. That could very well change after Sunday, with possibly even some high majors taking a greater interest.

"It's been really quiet," said South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson. "I think what a lot of people are concerned about is his size. He's small, he's always going to be small. I love him. I saw him in high school, he was one of the top scorers, if not the top scorer, in Connecticut. I've seen him play AAU, he led his team to numerous championship games. And, I've seen him play here, and I think he's one of the best guards around. Regardless of size, all the kid does is put the ball in the basket, whoever he's playing against. I'm hoping that college coaches see what I see -- that he's a great point guard, he can put the ball in the basket, and he's got a lot of heart."

Casimir has another good guy on his side: ex-UConn guard Craig Austrie. Austrie is living in Fairfield and runs the Craig Austrie Basketball IQ Skills Academy in Stamford. Casimir is one of his prized pupils, along with several other high school kids from around the area. Austrie, who was at Sunday's game, said he'd like to get into coaching some day.

*** There are some good bloodlines on the South Kent team: Jordan Strawberry is the son of Darryl, who was also at the game. Meanwhile, guard Kalvin Hobbs is the nephew of UConn assistant Karl Hobbs.

*** Brewster won the game, despite just seven points from Mitchell and 10 from Reuter. On Saturday, Mitchell had netted 17 in a win over Kiski School.

Here, Mitchell drives to the hoop and misses, but Reuter is there for the rebound putback and foul:

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.