UConn recruiting targets shine on summer circuit

As hard as it may be to believe, us fine folks at A Dime Back actually have real-person jobs. Lucky for you, mine gave me the opportunity to see a bunch of UConn targets this summer. I watched a ton of basketball and met a ton of people. Does that make me qualified to judge talent? Of course not. But I’ll do it anyway:

Alterique Gilbert, 2016, 5’11, PG, Miller Grove/Team CP3

If you’re not jumping for joy and giggling like a schoolgirl because Gilbert is headed to Storrs, you should be. I’ll admit I wasn’t sold on him at first — the first couple times I saw him, he didn’t play particularly well and his decision making was questionable at best — but from early Peach Jam forward, I was blown away. He’s already drawn comparisons to Kemba Walker and it’s easy to see why. Gilbert probably has the best handle of anyone in the 2016 class and routinely made defenders look foolish. He could get to the basket as well as anyone and is a master at getting to the line if he runs into trouble. But like early-UConn Kemba, Gilbert does tend to press a little too much if his team runs into trouble. He knows exactly how good he is, but can sometimes move a little too quickly for his mind to keep up. Not that I care. Give him another year in high school and some time in Storrs and he has the makings of another elite point guard. Playing for Chris Paul’s travel program and learning from him can’t hurt, either. 

Schnider Herard, 2016, 6’10, C, Prestonwood Christian/Pro Skills

My first impression upon seeing Herard: Gimme gimme gimme. He’s only been playing basketball for a couple years, but I would have never guessed it. He has the size of a center, though he could put on a few more pounds, and already plays his position well. Herard can rebound and finish, and even showed off some post moves later on in the summer. Just about everyone at this level could use some time in the weight room, but Herard can certainly hold his own inside. I can’t imagine how much better his game will be a year from now after playing another season at powerhouse Prestonwood Christian. 

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Zach Brown, 2017, 7’1, C, Miami Beach Senior/South Beach All-Stars

Brown was probably the most frustrating UConn target that I watched this summer, yet there were times where he appeared to be the best big man on the circuit. The other times, he was easily rattled and taken out of his game. In April, I watched him play three games in Hampton. In the first two, he got in foul trouble early and never really got involved. His frustration was visible. But in that third game, and periodically throughout the summer, he was dominant. He runs the floor better than he gets credit for and knows how to block shots without fouling. Brown can use some work offensively and should be a better rebounder given his size, but for now is a defensive machine who can use his size to score on the other end.

P.J. Washington, 2017, 6’8, PF, Findlay Prep/Team Penny 

I’ll admit I didn’t jump on the P.J. Washington bandwagon until later in the summer, but that’s only because I hadn’t seen him play much. That changed at Peach Jam when I watched the big man show off an impressive mid-range game and some refined moves inside. He definitely needs to bulk up and will surely do so in the next couple years. For now, I can’t wait to see him on the circuit next summer.

Davion Mitchell, 2017, 6’0, PG, Liberty County/Georgia Stars

I reported during Peach Jam that UConn had offered Mitchell and the next day it became clear why. This was the first time I had watched a 16U team this summer and the point guard stood out as he led his team to the championship in North Augusta. He seemed to me like Gilbert, but a year behind, which he literally is. Mitchell has an unbelievable handle and from what I saw has a solid jump shot (though scouts say he can improve in that area). Coming into the summer he wasn’t thought of as an elite prospect, but that has changed. In his final three games at Peach Jam, he averaged 15 points and totaled 19 assists while turning it over just twice. You’ll hear his name a lot over the next 365 days. 

Notes:

• UConn is still keeping tabs on Bruce Brown, so don’t be surprised if the Huskies stay in the conversation for him. For now however, he doesn’t appear high on the priority list.
• Ollie had all three of his assistants on the recruiting trail, with Ricky Moore and Karl Hobbs often present when Ollie couldn’t be. It’s good to see the trust that he has in his staff.
• It was interesting to see how different schools attacked the evaluation periods. Credit guys like Greg McDermott, John Calipari and Jamie Dixon for showing up everywhere I turned. Duke also had quite a presence, with Mike Krzyzewski often bringing both Jon Scheyer and Jeff Capel with him.