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.'

If there were still any questions whether or not Daniel Hamilton was firmly committed to attending UConn next season, the 6-foot-8 shooting guard out of L.A.'s St. John Bosco High put them to rest on Saturday morning. Watch and listen:



Hamilton signed a financial aid agreement to attend UConn back in November but didn't sign a national letter-of-intent. The reason basically was because of the experience his older brother, Isaac, went through.

Daniel didn't want to be bound to a school like Isaac was, so he only signed the financial-aid forms.

"No schools are calling me, trying to recruit him," said Bosco coach Derrick Taylor. "He’s not looking at anyone else, so that’s all because of his brother ... It was such a bad experience with his brother, and that’s all that it was. But he’s loyal to UConn. I mean, he wears UConn garb everywhere he goes. And his parents wear UConn garb everywhere they go.”

When Isaac transferred to UCLA in September, some speculated that Daniel would soon follow.

“People just want to stir up some stuff, something they can talk about," Daniel said. "But, no, there were no facts about that.”

Hamilton said of UConn: “I’m real excited to come in and play for Coach Ollie, who’s a great dude. He went to Crenshaw High School, I went there my freshman year. There’s just a connection and a bond there, somebody I can trust, and somebody who can really help me better my game.”

“Coach Ollie’s a real good dude, just a solid dude. That’s when he first started recruiting me, at Crenshaw. He came out to a couple of pick-ups and a couple of games. Even when Isaac went to UTEP, Coach Ollie never stopped, when a lot of coaches and teams stopped recruiting me because they thought they didn’t have a (chance). But Coach Ollie never stopped recruiting me.”

Bosco plays in the Hoop Hall Classic tonight at 6 p.m. against St. Frances Academy (Md.) at Springfield College's Blake Arena. The team opened its practice to reporters this morning.

Hamilton and teammate Vance Jackson, 6-8, a Class of 2016 forward, will be at UConn's game against Louisville tonight.

Taylor, who also coached DeAndre Daniels at L.A.'s Taft High, said Hamilton is having a fine senior season.

“Daniel’s doing what we expect him to do. He’s having a really good year, leading us in scoring, rebounding and assists. And, he draws the toughest man every night.”

Taylor said Hamilton's greatest strength is his "versatility." In fact, Hamilton will play some point guard tonight, since Tyler Dorsey (an Arizona commit) didn't make the trip with the team.

What does Hamilton need to work on?

“Being patient, offensively. Sometimes he tries to force his offense, because he believes he can do so many things. At times, he takes more risks than he should.”

But, Taylor added, “He has a will to win like no other. As coach, it’s easier to turn a guy down than try to dial a guy up. You don’t ever have to turn him up. That guy is ready to play from Day One. He’s very quiet, his demeanor is low-key, but on the court he’s like a mad man.”

“(UConn is) going to give him the opportunity, that’s all he asks for. Daniel’s going to make his way. You’ll find out, he’s one of the most competitive individuals. And he thinks he’s better than everyone, so he’s going to try, try, try. I think you guys will love him. He’ll play so hard, and he’ll play the game correctly.”

Added Hamilton: “I think I’ve been playing alright, (but) I think I can play better. Just more of a leadership, being a ‘C,’ I think I can lead my team better. It’s something I’m trying to work on right now, maturity.”

As for next season at UConn, “It’s a matter of earning a spot. Nothing’s going to be given to me at all, so I just think I can come in and play if I work hard. That’s the main thing. And what I really want to do is just win.”

The southern Californian doesn't even mind the snowy weather he's encountering in New England this weekend.

“I like the cold weather," Hamilton said. "Matter of fact, I can’t even sleep unless the room is cold. That’s something people don’t know about me. I like it real cold. In the hotel room, I put it on as cold as it can be.”

*** Bosco principal Casey Yeazel also had good things to say about Hamilton.

“He’s a good young man. Given his talent and his ability, you would never know how many accolades he’s gotten, basketball-wise, because of the way he carries himself on campus. He’s very humble, never gets into trouble, takes care of everything we ask for academically. UConn’s getting a good, good young man. He comes from a good family, good parents. We’re really pleased to have him, a great piece to this whole program.”

*** Jackson is also being recruited by UConn, along with Arizona, UCLA, Arizona State, Washington, USC and Georgetown.

“He can shoot a basketball like you cannot believe," Taylor said. He added that the only weakness of Jackson's game is that he's not overly athletic.

"He's skilled, he's smart," the coach said, "and he can shoot it."

Said Jackson of UConn: “I just like the tradition they have, I like coach Kevin Ollie, and I like how they play. It seems like I can fit in there, too. I like their system.”

He did note that he needs to get "more physical ... more rebounds."

Daniel Hamilton will be playing about an hour away from UConn on Saturday evening. But it will be tough for Husky diehards who want to watch the much-ballyhooed UConn commit play in person and get to UConn's 9 p.m. bout with Louisville to do both.

Hamilton's St. John Bosco High from California will face Maryland's St. Frances Academy (led by UNLV-bound Dwayne Morgan) on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Springfield College's Blake Arena. The game will be broadcast on The Basketball Channel.

Obviously, fans could get to the game, then make the drive to Storrs and get to Gampel by tip-off for Louisville. UConn's coaching staff, which has continued to recruit Hamilton as if he hadn't committed to the school, won't be able to do the same. But UConn will make sure to get to one of Hamilton's practices this weekend.

Hamilton, of course, hasn't signed a national letter-of-intent to attend UConn but has signed a financial-aid agreement form, which doesn't bind him to the university.

Hamilton's teammate, point guard Tyler Dorsey, committed to Arizona a few days ago.

*** Nice column today by the ProJo's Bill Reynolds on Dee Rowe, who coached Reynolds at Worcester Academy back in 1963-64. Couple of interesting anecdotes on Rowe in this one.

*** Also, here's a piece from today's Memphis Commercial-Appeal on Shabazz Napier. Nothing really new here, but at least the local paper acknowledges that there is a game tonight, which is more than can be said for the Houston Chronicle a couple of weeks ago.

*** A little disappointed in Beale Street. While there appears to be plenty of lively bars, restaurants and blues clubs, it only appears to occupy about a block or two. Then, you're right back in a rather dreary, lifeless downtown Memphis.

Of course, it was about 35 degrees last night, so that probably accounts for the lack of vitality in the city. I've got to believe it's a lot more fun in the summertime around here -- or, for that matter, in March, when the American Athletic Conference championship tournament will be held.

Daniel Hamilton talks about his game-winning shot this weekend, and UConn. He says he's "signed" with the Huskies, though apparently he must be referring to a financial aid agreement, as opposed to a national letter of intent. Also professes his love for Kevin Ollie (who attended Hamilton's first high school, Crenshaw High), and says he's trying to recruit teammate Tyler Dorsey to UConn, as well.