Dan Hurley finally closed out the 2019 recruiting class when until-recently 2020 big man Richard Springs (#141 in 2020 by 247 Composite) told ESPN that he plans not only to attend UConn, but also to move up a year to join the team for the upcoming 2019-20 season.
MacDuffie School (MA) graduate & @PSACardinals forward Richard Springs has committed to UConn as a member of their 2019 class. pic.twitter.com/pcScmdMr0v
— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) August 6, 2019
Hurley offered Springs shortly after accepting the head coaching job at UConn, but it was assistant Kimani Young who started recruiting Springs back in 2017 when he was still at Minnesota, and who likely deserves the most credit for bringing Springs into the program.
“I was all set to do another year at Brewster, but after weighing my options, the relationship that I have developed with Coach Hurley and Coach Kimani and the chance to play at a storied program like UConn was too much to pass up. I am extremely excited to join the Husky family,” Springs told ESPN.
It’s no secret that the 2019-20 Huskies were in desperate need of another big man; Isaiah Whaley, who only played 83 minutes last year despite a thin frontcourt (Eric Cobb and Kassoum Yakwe combined for 635 mostly ineffective minutes), is currently penciled in as the backup center. That being said, it’s not terribly clear if Springs is the type of player who is going to solve that problem right away. For starters, he’s more of a face-up big than a traditional back-to-the-basket player, and moving up a class will prevent him from adding needed strength before college. But he has a nose for the ball as a rebounder and shows a knack for finishing inside, so it’s certainly possible that he could contribute this coming season.
In either case, it’s hard to argue the move, as Springs was already a 2020 target, and this gets him practicing and training with UConn a year early on a scholarship that appeared unlikely to be filled otherwise. Not to mention that, at the very least, it gives Hurley an extra 5 fouls up front if his current bigs struggle to stay on the court at times.
Additionally, this is another nice recruiting win for Hurley, as Springs, coming off an impressive showing in EYBL, was a coveted player for most of the schools in the northeast, garnering offers from 11 power conference programs. This continues a trend for Hurley’s staff, which has been focusing most of their recruiting efforts in New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Is Springs the missing piece for 2019-20? Probably not. But he will help, and he’s a talented player with a bright future.
