Archive for June 11th, 2012

Recruiting Roundup: June 11

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As mid-June approaches, it’s time to examine UConn’s upcoming recruiting classes. Although UConn has two scholarships available for next season, my hunch is that the Huskies are done for 2012.

If that’s the case, they get one more back in 2013 (moving their total to 13 scholarship players), an additional scholarship with the graduation of senior R.J Evans and possibly one more if Ryan Boatright goes pro (certainly a possibility).

So, if my elementary math is correct — and sometimes it isn’t — that could give UConn five scholarships to fill in the class of 2013. Here’s a look at the potential signees:

Akoy Agau, 6-9 PF, Omaha, Neb.: Brutally physical big man who has won three straight state titles at Omaha Central. Had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 14 blocks in last year’s state championship game. Considered a top 50 recruit nationally.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Georgetown, Xavier, Marquette, Nebraska, Creighton

Decision: Agau said he’ll likely wait until the spring signing period.

Wayne Selden Jr., 6-4 SG, Roxbury, Mass: Physically, he doesn’t look like a rising high school senior. Scout.com considers him the No. 1 shooting guard in the country. Needless to say, he’d be a huge pickup for UConn.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Florida, UCLA, Harvard, Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky (per ESPN.com)

Stevie Clark, 5-10 PG, Oklahoma City: Scoring point guard who will sort through “25-30 offers,” his mother said. Clark could reclassify for the class of 2012, but at this point it seems as though he’ll stay in high school until 2013. His family is very high on Kevin Ollie.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Missouri, Memphis, Oklahoma, Marquette, UCLA

Decision: Could come as early as this week.

Kentan Facey, 6-9 PF, Long Island: Jamaican big man transferred to U.S. to gain exposure. He’s an adept shot blocker who needs polish offensively.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Florida, St. John’s, Rhode Island, Drexel

Decision: Facey said he’s planning a visit to UConn. He’d like to make a decision before fall of his senior year.

Davon Reed, 6-5 SG, Princeton, N.J.: He’s drawn comparisons to Jeremy Lamb because of his length and spot-up shooting.

Offer: No

Also considering: Louisville, Memphis, Xavier, Cincinnati, Harvard

Decision: Reed hopes to make a choice “sometime in the fall.”

Terrence Samuel, 6-3 PG, Brooklyn, N.Y.: Word is Samuel has become a top priority for the Huskies. He’s an explosive athlete who is still developing consistency on his 3-point shot. Samuel, considered one of the top prospects in New York City, is AAU teammates with two other UConn targets, Kentan Facey and Jermaine Lawrence.

Offer: Yes

Kuran Iverson, 6-8 G/F, Hartford, Conn.: Once touted as an elite prospect in this class, Iverson’s recruitment has leveled off. It could pick up again with a big summer on the AAU circuit. Many reports indicate that his talent is off-the-charts, but his mental toughness and desire may be questionable.

Offer: No

Marcus Lee, 6-9 PF, Antioch, Calif.: Considered one of the premier shot blockers in the class of 2013, Lee is one of the nation’s hottest recruits. Rivals.com reports that he holds nearly 30 offers.

Offer: Yes

Kendall Smith, 6-3 PG, Antioch, Calif.: Smith, who is Lee’s high school teammate, is extremely high on UConn. In fact, he recently posted a Twitter picture of him wearing a personalized UConn jersey. He’s a smooth, pass-first guard who thrives in the open floor.

Offer: No

Also considering: USC, Washington, San Jose State, UNLV, Colorado, Portland

Tyler Roberson, 6-7 SF, Roselle, N.J.: One of the most sought-after prospects in the Northeast, Roberson picked up an offer from UConn in late May. Fun note: He’s a contributor to Adam Zagoria’s ZagsBlog.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Syracuse, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Florida

Jermaine Lawrence, 6-9 PF, Springfield Gardens, N.Y.: An athletic big man with 3-point range. It’s no wonder almost every high major in the country is lining up to see Lawrence, who averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks per game after transferring midway through his junior year of high school.

Offer: Yes

Greg McClinton, 6-6 SF, Winston-Salem, N.C.: Dynamic athlete with a high ceiling is headed to Hargrave Military Academy for his senior year.

Offer: Yes

Dominic Woodson, 6-10 C, Round Rock, Tex.: At 6-foot-10, 265 pounds, Woodson is one of the most physically-imposing players in his class. He attends prep school at Vermont Academy.

Offer: Yes

Xavier Rathan-Mayes, 6-4 SG, Toronto: Rathan-Mayes, who attends Huntington Prep (W. Va.) is ranked as the No. 20 overall prospect by ESPN.com. He’s a big-time scorer who has really exploded on the high-major scene in the past year.

Offer: Yes

Jarvis Williams, 6-8 PF, Gordon College (Ga.): A junior college All-American, Williams averaged 17.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this past season.

Offer: Yes

Isaac Hamilton, 6-4 SG, Los Angeles: A smooth, versatile scorer who ranks as one of California’s elite prospects. He’s the younger brother of former Texas guard Jordan Hamilton.

Offer: Yes

International Flavor in Storrs

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Let the “German Takeover” begin.

At least that’s what Enosch Wolf tweeted (using the hashtag #GermanTakeover) after the Huskies received a commitment from Leon Tolksdorf. With the addition of the 6-foot-8 shooter — Jim Calhoun calls Tolksdorf “more of a scorer” than his two German counterparts — the Huskies now have three foreign players, all from Germany, on next year’s roster. It’s nothing out of the ordinary in Storrs.

Starting with Nadav Henefeld and Doron Sheffer in the early 90s,  Calhoun has always found talent outside the U.S. That trend continued even after UConn established itself as a national power. Since 1999, the Huskies have had 12 international players,  far more than other teams with such national pedigree. Check the chart below.

UConn (in order from most successful to least)

Note: Because he has not played a game, Leon Tolksdorf is not on the list. Ryan Thompson, a preferred walk-on in the early 2000s, is included.

Hasheem Thabeet (AP)

Hasheem Thabeet, 2007-09 -- Thabeet moved to America in 2005 and attended three different high schools before committing to UConn. He could have set the NCAA record for career blocks if he stayed for his senior season.

Denham Brown, 2003-06 — Brown, a Toronto product, once scored 111 points in a high school game (he had already committed to UConn at that time). The 6-foot-6 swingman won a national championship as a freshman and was perhaps the team’s best all-around player in 05-06.

Souleymane Wane, 1997-01 — A 7-footer from Senegal, Wane earned a reputation as a fan favorite during his four-year career. He steadily progressed and averaged 4.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks as a senior.

Charles Okwandu, 2009-11 — A developmental big man who came along nicely in his two-year career. Played a significant role in UConn’s 2011 title run.

Niels Giffey, 2011-present — The perfect “glue guy” will need to provide more offense next season. He helped anchor a terrific defensive effort in the 2011 national championship game against Butler.

Ryan Thompson, 2003-05* – A lefty sharpshooter from Australia, Thompson was buried behind talented swingmen during his two year career. He arrived in Storrs as a preferred walk-on after two years of Junior College at Western Nebraska.

Justin Brown, 1998-03 – A reserve center who never averaged more than 1.2 points per game in his career. The 7-foot Australian enjoyed a professional career overseas following graduation.

Ajou Deng, 1999-01 — Touted as the next great Husky, Deng flamed out of Storrs after two years and transferred to Fairfield.

Ater Majok, 2009-10 – This was Ajou Deng 2.0. The super-long, super-hyped Australian withdrew from UConn after one uninspiring season (2.3 points per game). For some reason, he was picked by the Lakers in the second round of the 2011 draft.

Enosch Wolf, 2011-present — After two uneventful years, the 7-foot-1 Wolf will have an opportunity to earn some minutes in a depleted frontcourt.

Ben Eaves, 2006-07 — Eaves, a native of England, appeared in 11 games before transferring to Rhode Island. He never truly caught on there, either.

IN COMPARISON…

A look at the international players from other “blueblood” programs since 1999.

Kentucky (4): Lukasz Obrzut (Poland), Sheray Thomas (Montreal), Bernard Cote (Quebec), Souyelmane “Jules” Camara (Senegal)

North Carolina (2): Orlando Melendez (Puerto Rico), Neil Fingleton (England)

Duke (4): Olek Czyz (Poland), Martynus Pocious (Lithuania), Eric Boateng (England), Luol Deng (England)

UCLA (5): Nikola Dragovi (Serbia), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Cameroon), Alfred Aboya (Cameroon), Jerome Moiso (France), Dan Gadzuric (The Netherlands)

Michigan State (4): Idong Ibok (Nigeria), Maurice Joseph (Montreal), Goran Suton (Bosnia), Erazem Lorbek (Slovenia)

Kansas (1): Moulaye Niang (Senegal)

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