Top 2014 HS Player Signs With USC

The news is only surprising in that the Huskies didn't land the best player in college basketball. It's become almost a foregone conclusion; Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Breanna Stewart made their way to Storrs in back-to-back years and both have flourished in Geno Auriemma's program. But A'ja Wilson, the 6-4 do-everything superstar from Columbia, SC, has decided to stay close to home, announcing Wednesday that she'll play at the University of South Carolina.

It's not so much a setback for UConn as the realization of what seemed inevitable; Wilson, for all her talents, seemed happy to play in her back yard.

“There is really no place like home,” she said after her announcement.

And Storrs is a long way from Columbia.

Not surprisingly, the Huskies will be fine. Yes, they're losing Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson to graduation and the WNBA, but the depth on Auriemma's roster is ... well, staggering. And a year after bringing in just one player, Saniya Chong, the 2014 recruiting class is deep.

Four players -- three guards and a wing -- all five-star recruits, according to ESPN.

Gabby Williams (5-11, Nevada), Sadie Edwards (5-9, New Jersey), Courtney Ekmark (6-0, Arizona) and Kia Nurse (5-11, Canada), will all make their way to Storrs this summer. And the rich could get richer for 2015. This weekend, the program will host four of the country's best high school juniors: De’Janae Boykin (6-2, F, No. 8 in espnW's top 60), Napheesa Collier (6-1, W, No. 7), Haley Gorecki, and Katie Lou Samuelson (6-2, W, No. 2).

So, yes, in the world of recruiting, you win some and you lose some. It's just that Auriemma has been on the winning side a lot.

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