By all accounts, Dan Hurley has wasted no time getting his new program running on all cylinders. The players have (seemingly) bought in. His new strength coach is kicking asses. He’s earned endorsements from Jim Calhoun and famed alumni.
What Hurley hasn’t done, however, is land a single recruit in the 2019 class. With at least five scholarships open, and the new season rapidly approaching, the clock is ticking.
The lack of results isn’t due to a lack of effort. Hurley has brought in a coaching staff with great recruiting reputations who have traversed the country pitching UConn to all sorts of recruits, including Precious Achiuwa, a 6’9″ forward from the Bronx and a consensus top-10 recruit in the nation.
While landing any breathing basketball player for the 2019-20 season would be cool at this point, Achiuwa is the type of recruit that can change the entire trajectory of the program. Here’s why:
UConn Needs A Win
Kevin Ollie famously had great relationships with many high-caliber recruits. You remember Diamond Stone, Wenyen Gabriel, Hamidou Diallo and Cam Reddish, right? As each chose other sneaker companies schools over UConn, and the Huskies subsequently collapsed on the court, a narrative started building that Ollie wasn’t capable of getting the big fish into the boat.
That feeling has carried over into the Hurley era. One abbreviated offseason full of grad transfers and Brendan Adams hasn’t quite inspired the UConn natives. Reeling in Achiuwa would deliver the big recruiting win that Husky fans have been craving.
UConn Needs Wins
Also, uh, UConn needs to win basketball games. Not sure if you’ve noticed. Achiuwa would immediately fill the Huskies’ biggest need — a scoring replacement for Jalen Adams — and give Hurley the type of positional flexibility that is necessary with a roster full of questionable big men. Achiuwa has good size and a ton of athleticism. He’d be an immediate starter and a candidate for the best freshman in the conference (the conference is improving).
Recruiting Momentum
In addition to making UConn a better team with his presence, Achiuwa should clear the path for other top prospects to choose the Huskies. This summer, Hurley and his staff have been courting other big time recruits like big men Kofi Cockburn, Akok Akok and Tre Mitchell and guards Rocket Watts, James Bouknight and Isaiah Wong. Joining a UConn roster that already features Achiuwa should sweeten the deal for some of those other guys.
Star Power
Even if Achiuwa only stays on campus for one year, the intrigue that accompanies a top-10 recruit should be enough to help sell some tickets and a few (nameless) jerseys. Additionally, the Huskies haven’t had a first-round pick in the NBA draft since Shabazz Napier in 2014. Guys like Daniel Hamilton and Rodney Purvis have helped keep up some appearances for UConn but there is a tremendous benefit in having an alum starring in the league. Achiuwa might not end up being good enough to do that, but if he can be a lottery pick, that helps build a narrative that UConn can sell.
Build a Foundation
Historically, recruits as good as Achiuwa haven’t always worked out at UConn. The success of Jim Calhoun’s teams — and Ollie’s 2014 team — were predicated on strong rosters of role players and star upperclassmen. Since Calhoun took over in 1986, UConn has landed four top-10 recruits (Donyell Marshall, Charlie Villanueva, Rudy Gay and Andre Drummond). Only Villanueva won a ring, and he did so as a role player alongside two all-world juniors. Counting on freshmen to lead teams to championships hasn’t worked at UConn (and only occasionally at Kentucky and Duke).
But getting Achiuwa helps recreate the culture that allowed others to flourish in Storrs. His presence would open the door for the other types of players that UConn needs: the top-50 players who will stay in school for a few seasons and become stars, or become leaders, or become whatever else the team needs to be successful.
Achiuwa recently transferred away from Hurley’s former St. Benedict’s school in New Jersey for the powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida (though Montverde’s coach, Kevin Boyle, is a Jersey guy), complicating the relationship a bit. Of course Hurley can miss on Achiuwa and still pull in a successful recruiting class that reaches the same long-term goals we’ve outlined above. But landing Achiuwa gets him there faster, and we’d have a lot of fun along the way.
