Dan Hurley has had an eventful early tenure at UConn — first losing the entire three-man 2018 recruiting class soon after his hiring, and then replacing them with Rhode Island de-commit Brendan Adams and Duquesne grad transfer Tarin Smith over the course of a single Sunday afternoon.
The arrival of the new guards solves (seemingly, at least) the major problem of backcourt depth. Assuming Jalen Adams returns for his senior year, Hurley now has an array of skills spread across five guards. He has a star (J. Adams), a team leader (Christian Vital) and a lottery ticket (Alterique Gilbert) to go along with two role players in the new guys.
But he also has a frontcourt full of question marks, room for a stretch forward and a lack of three-point shooting. Fortunately, he also has one more scholarship to work with.
The addition of Adams and Smith likely closes the door on the other guards that UConn had shown interest in, but we’ve included them anyway because who the hell knows anymore. Let’s explore some options…
Trey Porter, Old Dominion
At 6’10”, Porter would be the tallest player on UConn’s roster, though he’s listed at a rail-thin 200 pounds. At Old Dominion, Porter averaged over 13 points and six rebounds. He also blocked 1.3 shots per game, a skill that was missing from the Huskies’ roster last year. Porter is from Virginia and is immediately eligible.
DeSean Murray, Auburn
Murray is immediately eligible as a grad transfer. After transferring from Presbyterian, he scored in double-figures for Auburn last year while averaging almost seven rebounds per game. Murray hasn’t been linked to UConn (yet?) but would seemingly fill a need as a veteran companion on the wing for Sid Wilson. Murray is originally from North Carolina and Hurley’s staff seems fairly committed to relentlessly mining their recruiting territory of New York and the DMV.
Ryan Luther, Pitt
After suffering through a career at Pitt, Luther is off to greener pastures as a grad transfer. He played only ten games this season because of a foot injury, but showed a lot of promise during his time on the court, scoring in double-figures eight times. A 6’9″ forward, Luther has some of the inside-out game missing from UConn’s frontcourt. He was 12-31 (38.7%) from three-point range this year. He averaged 12.7 points and 10.1 rebounds. UConn has not been linked to Luther at all. He was on a visit to Arizona this past weekend.
Femi Olujobi, North Carolina A&T
Olujobi is a bit of a mystery. He was pretty terrible in two seasons at Oakland before transferring to North Carolina A&T and becoming an imposing two-way player in the MEAC, briefly leading the nation in scoring. This season, Olujobi averaged 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor. The Long Island native is listed at 6’8″ and 237 pounds. “Being home isn’t a factor, but don’t get me wrong, it would be a plus to go back and play in front of my family or somewhere close,” he said recently. St. John’s is involved in his recruitment but UConn has not been linked in reports. He’s eligible immediately.
Bryce Golden, St. James School
Golden is one of the few uncommitted members of the 2018 recruiting class. A 6’9″ forward from Maryland, Golden de-committed from Pitt this spring and recently listed UConn in his top six. He’s a three-star recruit but not without promise. Golden has a good build, strong rebounding instincts and a decent jumper. [Update Apr. 16: UConn is out of the running via Corey Evans]
Kassoum Yakwe, St. John’s
Yakwe visited campus this weekend with Brendan Adams and Smith but was the lone member of the trio to head home without committing to UConn. Looking at the numbers, Yakwe seems like a player in decline. Many of his meaningful stats have decreased over his three seasons at St. John’s, including his signature skill: shot-blocking. After leading the Big East as a freshman with 2.4 blocks per game, last season he averaged only 0.8, a decrease that accompanies a sharp drop in playing time. The interest from Hurley and UConn shows that Yakwe might need a change of scenery to regain some of his potential. He was a four-star recruit with a host of high-major offers (including UConn) coming out of high school in New York.
Novak Topalovic, Idaho St.
Topalovic is a giant human. He’s listed at 7’0″ and 230 pounds. He’s averaged double-figure scoring in each of his last two seasons at Idaho State chipping in some blocks as well. He’s a grad transfer, so adding Topalovic to the roster would be nothing more than an effort to temporarily infuse some size into UConn’s frontcourt that is athletic, but not necessarily big.
Marcus Carr, Pitt
Carr is also fleeing the carr wreck (get it?) at Pitt. He averaged ten points and four assists per game as a freshman this year as the Panthers’ starting point guard. He will have to sit out the upcoming season but did receive some early interest from the Huskies.
Majur Majak, The Patrick School
Majak is a 7-foot tall high schooler in New Jersey. That alone should be enough to connect him to UConn, right? Majak picked up an offer from the Ollie administration back in June but his recruitment has been uncommonly quiet. He is a Sudanese native who is relatively new to the sport but is reported to have rapidly improved with more experience in America. His high school coach said of Majak “He blocks everything.” Cool.
James Scott, Kennesaw St.
Scott recently listed UConn in his top six. He’s a Jersey kid, who went to St. Benedict’s, and is transferring after two seasons at Kennesaw State. At 6’5″, Scott can score the ball (17.3 points per game this year), but isn’t particularly efficient at it, shooting 41.6 percent from the floor on a wild 15.6 shot attempts. He’s not immediately eligible and would need to sit out a year.
Xavier Johnson, Bishop O’Connell
Johnson recently reneged on his commitment to Nebraska after UConn stole assistant coach Kenya Hunter. Johnson is a three-star recruit from Virginia known for his speed in the backcourt. The Huskies likely won’t show much interest following Brendan Adams’ commitment.
Tre Campbell, Georgetown
Campbell was a bit player for Georgetown last year but is immediately eligible and has received some interest from UConn. He’s a 6’2″ guard from DC and a former four-star recruit.
Kalob Ledoux, McNeese St.
Like Scott, Ledoux is not eligible next year and has also received interest from UConn. He’s a decent three-point shooter (37.4 percent in his two seasons) but lacks a standout skill. My guess is the window on Ledoux is now closed following the commitment of Brendan Adams.
Simi Socks, Incarnate World
In 2017, Socks scored over 15 points per game while shooting nearly 40 percent from three. He’s on this list however because it’s really fun to say “Simi Socks.”
Joseph Chartouny, Fordham
UConn fans should rightfully be scared of Fordham guards at this point. Chartouny had a decent statistical season at first glance and has earned some interest from the Huskies. However, surrounding his 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game are some truly horrific shooting numbers: 37.1 percent from the floor, 28.4 percent from three. Woof.
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As you can see, there are a lot of options for Hurley. He could take a true transfer who can absorb one of next year’s four open scholarships. He could seek more temporary help from a grad transfer as he aims to bring in a huge 2019 recruiting class. Or he could take a three-star 2018 kid who fits the system. My personal preference is to get a grad transfer who can contribute right away without eating a future roster spot. Any of the first few guys on this list would be great.
