Basketball recruiting is in full-swing, and this class will be the one that likely determines how quickly UConn gets back to the status we’ve become accustomed to. If Enosch Wolf returns, and both DeAndre Daniels and Ryan Boatright choose to leave early for the draft at the end of next season (I doubt this is the case, but stay with me), we could see as many as 7 players from the 2013-2014 team depart at the end of the season. Obviously, some of those players would need immediate replacements. In terms of recruits that have been signed for the 2014-2015 season, there isn’t yet much quantity, but there is quality:
SG, Rodney Purvis, So. – Purvis you know, or soon will. He was a top-20 recruit in the 2012 class, but external pressure led him to stay close to home and try to hack it at NC State, a program that wasn’t a good fit for his game. Purvis is a dynamic athlete with quickness and strength, slashing to the basket aggressively on offense. His jump shot developed nicely last season (39% on three point attempts), but his free throw shooting needs work (51%). Purvis will likely slide in at SG to replace the departing Shabazz Napier, and should be one of the Huskies’ top scorers (along with Omar Calhoun).
G/F, Daniel Hamilton – Hamilton eased a lot UConn fans’ concerns that recruiting was going to be compromised by coaching changes and conference affiliation uncertainty. I’m not sure if the lanky swingman is an elite prospect, but he’s an awfully good one, boasting great length and athleticism with a deft shooting touch and passing ability. His decision-making has been suspect in the past, but if he continues to develop, I have hopes that he could settle in at lead guard. Right now, he looks more like a wing.
UConn has never had much trouble recruiting and developing quality wings, but they’re going to need more than just wings to succeed. With Purvis and Hamilton in the fold, that leaves UConn with 9 players that I’m nearly certain will be on the roster for the 2014-2015 season: Purvis, Hamilton, Omar Calhoun, Kentan Facey, Phil Nolan, Amidah Brimah, Leon Tolksdorf, Terrence Samuel, and Brendan Allen.
Early mock drafts indicate that Ryan Boatright would be better off returning to school for his senior year, but a strong junior season could change that, and UConn should prepare assuming that he and Daniels will be departing together, leaving UConn without a credible point guard.
Terrence Samuel is a NYC guard, and UConn has had success with such players in the past (Taliek Brown, Kemba Walker), but I’m not sure that Samuel has that kind of talent. He’s likely to be used sparingly as a freshman, sitting behind Boatright, Napier, and Lasan Kromah on the depth chart headed into this season. Given this, it wouldn’t be wise to assume he’d be ready to take over as lead guard heading into his sophomore season. Hamilton may have the skills to play the point, but I’d rather not count on an incoming freshman being able to change to a new position with more responsibilities as he enters college. Allen is a hard-working kid with a winning smile, but he’s a rotation player at best.
This leaves Kevin Ollie with two options: disguise himself as a college student, or recruit a starting point guard. The latter is slightly more realistic, so we’ll focus on that. My first choice would be for UConn to land Jordan McLaughlin, but it sounds like they’ve bowed out of recruiting on him. More realistic options seem like Kaleb Joseph and Keith Pinckney, as well as combo guards Ahmed Hill and Jared Terrell. Reasonably speaking, UConn could land two of the four if they’re lucky, the presence of Daniel Hamilton makes the two wings seem less likely. Of this group, Hill seems like the top talent, but Terrell comes with the added bonus of likely being a package deal with big man Abdul-Malik Abu.
Speaking of big men, the front court is still looking like a serious question mark, especially if DeAndre Daniels departs after the season. I’ve seen Daniels listed as a first-round pick on a few mock drafts, so he’s a more likely bet to go than Boatright, but obviously none of that really means anything at the moment. Anyway, UConn is likely looking at returning Kentan Facey, Phil Nolan, and Amidah Brimah. Facey is the most-polished of the three, and he’s not that polished. It would be nice to be able to pair him with a credible big with some scoring touch. The best-case scenario, now that Jahlil Okafor seems headed elsewhere, would be the awesomely named Goodluck Okonoboh, the #4 center in the 2014 class. While UConn is still in on Okonoboh, he seems more likely to end up at Indiana or Syracuse, especially since I can’t imagine he’s gotten a lot of pro-UConn talk from our old friend Alex Oriakhi, who is Okonoboh’s cousin.
Beyond Goodluck, we’re looking at more projects. Abu has a lot of talent, and it sounds like he’s still growing, but at the moment, he looks more like a 4 than a 5. One intriguing player would be Pascal Chukwu, an ultra-lanky Nigerian who is currently playing at Fairfield Prep in CT. Chukwu measures out at 7’1″ with an absurd 7’6″ wingspan. While raw, Chukwu has shown flashes of solid footwork and shooting touch. UConn is also pursuing Leron Black, a skilled 6’7″ combo forward out of Tennessee. Black has the size and athleticism to play the 4 at the college level, but his future is likely on the wing, and I suspect he’ll develop accordingly, trying to add more of a perimeter game.
With as many as four scholarships remaining, the ideal (somewhat realistic) recruiting class would see UConn sign Black, Joseph, Hill, and Chukwu. That gives the Huskies a skilled low-post scorer to pair with Facey, a talented lead guard, and depth and potential up front and on the wings. Let’s bring them to Olliewood.
