UConn missed out on another high profile recruit on Friday evening when star center Diamond Stone (#6, Rivals) announced his commitment to play for Maryland.
Kevin Ollie and his staff have been linked to Stone for months, culminating with Stone listing UConn as one of his final four choices this past November. However, as the 2014-2015 season wore on, interest seemed to fade.
Recruiting insiders, who once favored UConn as a destination for Stone, began to backtrack. 247’s crystal ball flipped from UConn to Wisconsin in the winter. By Friday night, UConn was rumored to be running in third place.
Stone’s decision to attend Maryland instead of hometown Wisconsin is sure to raise eyebrows. Stone’s AAU team, Milwaukee’s Young Legends (how presumptuous) is a member of the Under Armour Association — sponsored by the sneaker and apparel company. Maryland is also sponsored by Under Armour, who has scored a major marketing win with Stone’s commitment.
The unofficial pipeline between sponsored AAU teams and college programs is nothing new, and hardly surprising, but by choosing Maryland over Wisconsin (Adidas) and UConn (Nike), Stone becomes the most prominent example, and possibly sets a precedent going forward.
For UConn, losing out on Stone represents another in a series of high-profile recruiting losses this season. Despite having Jalen Adams (#26) and Steve Enoch (#61) on board, Ollie still has two scholarships to fill. UConn has been tied to many elite high-schoolers – ending up on many lists of final candidates – and has come up short on most. The list includes Isaiah Briscoe, Chance Comanche, Tyler Dorsey, Malik Beasley, Chris Clarke, Derrick Jones, Traci Carter, Tevin Mack, Jessie Govan, Djery Baptiste, Jean Christ Koumadje and the de-commitments of Turtle Jackson and Prince Ali.
On one hand, it’s flattering to Ollie and his staff that so many top recruits have seriously considered moving to Storrs, but the inability to close has left next year’s roster with obvious holes with time running out to fill them. After entering this past season with two unfilled scholarships, which were eventually handed out to walk-ons Pat Lenehan and Nnamdi Amilo, the Huskies are in an eerily similar position today.
The Huskies are due for some introspection of their recruiting strategy and their personnel. The high level of interest in the program suggests that UConn remains a top tier destination in the mind of the nation’s best young players, it also suggests that Ollie has earned their admiration. But recruiting is a business – insert John Calipari joke here – and respect and admiration are not the only currency.
After so many close misses, it is fair to question the strategy of Ollie and his staff. Have they neglected solid recruits to chase stars like Diamond Stone? Do they have a salesman on staff that can pitch UConn’s Nike ties and their immaculate facilities, setting Ollie up to close the deal?
These questions will need to be answered – and quickly – if the Huskies are going to field their best possible team next season.
This one hurts. All the other PG, SG, and Swing Men prospects we lost hurt, but we already had good talent at those spots. Missing out on Stone- a legit 5, hurts because we have no one there. Yeah, Brimah can dominate the likes of D2 teams on the cupcake portion of our schedule, but I don’t trust the guy to make a consistent impact in games that matter, and to stay on the floor without foul trouble.
Put it this way…
WITH Stone- legit Great 8/Final 4 team next year.
WITHOUT Stone- get into tourney and bounced out during first weekend…