ADVERTISEMENT

2019 Recruits

Hurley and Kimani look good wearing UConn’s name on their shirts. I just wish the “UConn” name was a bit bigger on their shirts than the Nike swoosh. It’s such nonsense that the school’s name can’t be bigger than the Nike logo.
 
The July Live Period may be over, but that doesn't mean Dan Hurley has taken his foot off the gas. Late last night, news broke that UConn has made an offer to Kadin Shedrick, a 6'10" power forward from Holly Springs, NC.

The tweet refers to him as a guard, but that's because he probably was a guard until recently. Shedrick has reportedly grown eight inches in the last two years and is just beginning to grow into his body (Brian Snow, 247 Sports).

After performing well in front of the college coaches, there's been explosion of offers of late. He's described by Rival's Eric Bossi as "a thin big man who runs the floor with long strides (who) finishes well with either hand and has good skill."

A little out of the market for UConn, but perhaps other big-name recruits can help bring him to Connecticut.
 

According to a tweet from his personal twitter account last night, Jalen Gaffney plans on cutting his list down to six programs today. I'd be very surprised if UConn wasn't on that list.
 
KhalidShockedTheWorld said:
Gaffney is only ranked #199 nationally by 247:

https://247sports.com/Player/Jalen-Gaffney-91815
Click to expand...

That site seems like it's all screwed up, according to them they have his profile listed at #201, but in their latest updated rankings (8-5-18) he is now a 4 star & just jumped close to 70 spots. ( link: #135). Also read he was 6-0/150lbs, but he's grown to 6-2 or 6-3/185lbs, depending on who reports it.

"He is known as a player with talent and skill whose body will catch up to his game in college; he was once listed as 6’0”, 150 pounds."

AAU stats: Jalen Gaffney - Under Armour A

Zags report:
Stock rising on Class of 2019 point guard Jalen Gaffney
 
Last edited:
Sounds like a classic late bloomer. It’s surprising that in the digital age a lot of websites are so slow to update their talent evaluations.
 
Last edited:

Isaiah Wong has cut his list down to five schools and UConn is on the list. Unsurprising given the momentum of his recruitment, but still good to make it official. UConn joins Clemson, Pittsburgh, Miami and Villanova (via Pat Lawless, Prep Circuit).

He had this to say about the Huskies: "UConn is a great place with great history and reputation. Coach Hurley is the son of one of the greats so they will expect a lot. They tell me they really want me to be a part of building their program and have a lot of good things to say about what they think I can do there."

According to Wong, it'll come down to a number of factors. The relationship with coaches and an environment that'll get him to the next level appear to be priorities for the 6'2" guard out of Pennsylvania.
 
Qudus Wahab has cut his list down to 12 schools and UConn is still in the running for the big four-star center. Listed as 6'10" or 6'11" depending on where you look, Wahab appears to be a real powerhouse in the paint. Looks to have good defensive instincts and a great nose for rebounds.

UConn joins Ohio State, Temple, Miami, URI, VCU, Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville, Pitt, LSU and Virginia Tech.
 
Last edited:

The clock is ticking and recruits continue to narrow down their lists of schools. For four-star 6'4" shooting guard James Bouknight, the list is down to five, as UConn joins Virginia Tech, Miami, VCU and Indiana.

Coming off a meniscus tear in January, Bouknight was back to his regular self by the end of July, dropping 33 points in a showcase game for the PSA Cardinals on ESPN U.
 

Could UConn be one step closer to landing a top five-star recruit? Kofi Cockburn is a 6'10" powerhouse center out of the famed Oak Hill Academy. In an article written by Jacob Polacheck for zagsblog.com, Cockburn had this to say about the Huskies.

"Kentucky and UConn are both blue blood schools that get the job done. They're known for winning championships and as places to get better."

This quote followed the announcement that Kofi was planning visits to Kentucky, UConn, Florida State and Illinois. He has officially cut his list down to 12 schools, but it appears as if UConn could be in the top tier with a legitimate shot at landing this Class of 2019 star recruit.

As far as what he's looking for in a program: "I want to go to a school where I'm able to go in, get better, and show my talent as a player and a person."

Another cut is expected before he commits.

 
It used to be that you batted a jaundiced eye to highly rated Canadian players. I remember all the hype when Denham Brown dropped 111 points in a high school game. Denham was a nice college player but never made it in the NBA.

However times have changed. Canadian basketball took off largely due to Steve Nash who is now actively involved with their national development program. In recent years Canadians Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins were #1 overall NBA draft picks.

I can remember Gerry Besselink and Denham
Brown as Canadian Huskies. Any others I am forgetting???? Apart from Kia Nurse- probably the best Canadian Husky of them all now balling in the WNBA.
 
Akok and Cockburn have very similar ratings, in fact Akok is #30 and Cockburn #31 nationally per 247, so little separates them:

https://247sports.com/Player/Akok-Akok-46035535/

Interestingly Akok is, per the 247 Crystal Ball, a Syracuse lean, and one would think if Syracuse gets him, UConn could get Cockburn if that Crystal Ball is working well here, or perhaps vice versa. Although Cockburn is a 5 and Akok a 4 so there could be room for both?
 
247's composite as I posted above has him as a 3 star, but 247's own rankings have him as a low end 4 star at 106.......so what that tells me is a lot of other sites have him as a 2 or 3. Even ESPN has him as a lower end 4 star as compared to the higher end Cockburn.
 
I hear ya...but do you really think stars matter ? Tell that to Jonathan Mandeldove .......24/7 had him a 4 star. But regarding this kid I'd say 5 decent hoops schools... over the years.... are interested. Is he Hurley's plan B ????.... I have no Idea and neither do you..
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Shaggydog84
His body looks better than Brimah. Brimah was always a no show against any team with physical bodies that could push him around. I remember his sophomore year he dropped 40 points on alley oop dunks against Coppin State. Next game was against Duke and he had 10 minutes and no points due to immediate foul trouble. I was so disappointed with him being a non factor in that game.
 
Akok Akok was very diplomatic in his statements. I sometimes wonder who is coaching these recruits on their statements to the media. I assume their coaches.
 
The recruitment of good big men has been a problem for a while now. We have in the last 6 years gone through Enosch Wolf, Amida Brimah, Phil Nolan, Steven Enoch and Juwan Durham, who transferred because they did not like being "glorified mannequins" in KO's offense. Josh Carlton looks like he could be a decent player although he has yet to do anything against stepped up competition, much like Brimah, who was largely ineffective against big, physical teams.

We obviously have to give Hurley a chance but he is fighting a recent poor history of developing bigs. One could argue that the last 2 good big men were Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond, and the last effectively developed, 4 year big man was Josh Boone or Hilton Armstrong. It's been way too long. And Boone and Armstrong were not even top recuits.
 
Wahab is waiting to see what happens with Achiuwa. He has probably been told he is a safety recruit for the schools also recruiting Achiuwa.
 
Really need Achiuwa and one of MItchell or Wahab. I am very concerned by the lack of size and beef. Back in 2011 UConn had the likes of Oriakhi, Okwandu, and Roscoe Smith inside to clean boards and block shots. Those UConn teams did not get pushed around or experience rim assaults. Now team after team pushes and shoves UConn around in the paint, and finishes drives and jams home putbacks with impunity! What happened? The program is no longer respected.
 
  • Like
Reactions: the Blades
What about Chol Marial? There is only one crystal ball prediction for him and it's to UCONN. Anyone know if we have been recruiting him at all?
 
What bigs are still out there for UConn? Is it going to be a grad transfer like that kid who came in from Cornell last year who could set picks but could not do anything else?
 
KhalidShockedTheWorld said:
What bigs are still out there for UConn? Is it going to be a grad transfer like that kid who came in from Cornell last year who could set picks but could not do anything else?
Click to expand...
He is really the only solid big in 2019 left that UConn is involved with, but seems like he is a ND lean
 
I recall the scouting report on Mitchell. He is a beefy player, of the kind UConn needs, although a rim protector would be more ideal (supposedly Akok Akok can protect some rim but he also likes to play on the perimeter). But they have to get a big body, this has been a very significant problem for a very long time, even dating back to Brimah's days when he would get pushed and shoved and would get into foul trouble trying to battle legit big bodies underneath. Brimah just could not play against the upper tier more physical teams. Does anyone remember when Brimah put up 40 against Coppin State (all on alley oop dunks) and then the very next game a big donut, 0 against Duke in 10 foul plagued minutes, which were an embarrassment? UConn cannot compete with those kinds of teams without the kinds of bodies who patrolled the middle in past years like Oriakhi, Okwandu, etc. You never saw anyone push them around, I never saw Jake Voskuhl get pushed around or Souleymane Wane or Emeka Okafor. Need to bring in these kinds of bigs, guys who can hold their position and not be knocked back and posted up like a defenseless mannequin.
 
Last edited:
That article speculates about Hurley possibly "running one or more players off the team" - I wonder what that means??????? Does he know something or is that just rank speculation? The only guys I see that maybe applying to are Whaley or Diarra. I think Cobb and Williams eligibility have been used up.

What is really needed is a big strong body who can set picks, rebound, protect some rim and do dirty work. I am describing a Jake Voskuhl type player. Just go out and find one. There are guys like Voskuhl out there. Granted Jake was unusually good at setting picks, and was a smart player on almost everything, but you can find a guy like that who is around 6'11" and 240-250 and coach him up. Grad transfer or maybe a foreign guy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: piantinofamily_a_gmail.com
I figure the JUCO route is where Hurley would look for some big rim protection bodies. This guy seems to fill both needs.
 
Kambala is not even listed on 247 but saw him ranked #52 in New England on another website. Appears to be actually 6’7” and similar in build to Sidney Wilson. Sid might have him by a few pounds. Is there going to be enough food around to feed all these guys next year? A lot of meals seem to have been missed.
 
UConn needs at least 2 more bigs for next year. Someone has to be able to play behind Carlton and Akok if they both start. Also, there are no dirty work bigs or even forwards on the roster.
 
  • Like
Reactions: the Blades
Cameron Lard has left Iowa State (apparently was asked to do so) and while he brings a lot of baggage he also has talent and promise. Not sure if he would be eligible for 2019-20 but since he was asked to leave or it was mutual, he might be a good backup big:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.am...rd-departing-cyclones-program?template=ampart

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.desmoinesregister.com/amp/3279159002

https://es.pn/2YtqfSP

I should warn everyone the dude was alarmingly foul prone (10.2 fouls per 40 minutes, a real hacker), but he has to come off the bench and you can live with alarmingly foul prone, talented bigs if they come off the bench. It’s when they are counted on for starter minutes (e.g. Brimah) that the constant foul trouble becomes a disruption.
 
Last edited:
From what I read in local media reports, the departure of the very talented Lard was a combination of 2 factors, numerous undisclosed disciplinary issues coupled with a logjam of quality bigs that Iowa State has returning. Simply put, with the quality rotation they had returning, Prohm deemed him to not be worth the headaches.

Hopefully Hurley can domesticate Lard and unleash the beast that he was his freshman year in the Big 12.

He could easily be an Alex Oriakhi type big for UConn.
 
Why should he have to sit out a year when Iowa State made him redshirt and then ran him off the team after two years? If he is not eligible next year I agree, but I think if he is transferring due to being run off the team, he should not have to sit.

The staff should definitely take a look at him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R

BB Recruiting UConn Hoops keeping pace with nationally ranked guard recruits

Replies
1
Views
363
UConn Basketball
KhalidShockedTheWorld
KhalidShockedTheWorld
R

FB Recruiting TBT: Looking back at UConn Football and NC State's starters as recruits

Replies
0
Views
796
The Husky House
Richie O
R
P

UConn Officially Introduces 10 Transfers

Replies
0
Views
1K
UConn Football
PAWSARF
P
T

FB Recruiting Recruits React to win against Boston College

Replies
0
Views
322
The Husky House
Tyler Bannerman
T
R

FB Recruiting TBT: Looking back at UConn Football and Syracuse starters as recruits

Replies
0
Views
330
UConn Football
Richie O
R
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back