With practice set to start next month, the Huskies men's basketball team is ramping up for the 2013-14 season. Meanwhile, coach Kevin Ollie is looking for ways to make this group better, and that includes leaving no recruiting stone unturned.
According to the New Haven Register's David Borges, the program is inquiring about 6-1 point guard Devonte' Graham, presumably for the 2014-15 season.
Graham is from Raleigh, NC, and currently attends Brewster Academy. He has signed with Appalachian State but requested a release in February. That was denied so he opted to do a post-graduate year at Brewster.
"He could have done the easy thing, what kids have done for a long time, and withdrawn from class (at Raleigh's Broughton High), which would make him a non-qualifier and a fifth-year senior at Brewster, and his letter-of-intent would have been voided," Brewster coach Jason Smith said, via Borges.
In addition to the Huskies, Providence, Pittsburgh and Rhode Island have all expressed interest in Graham.
"He's very athletic, explosive," Smith said. "He shot the ball extremely well yesterday and the day before. He had a great summer, as well. He played in the North Carolina pro-am and was named player of the year for high school/prep kids."
So how did Graham end up signing with App State?
"He wasn't really sure how the recruiting process worked," Smith said. "His only visit to App. State was early in September, and the coaches did their best job to get the player to commit, put a little pressure on him."
If UConn lands Graham, he would join Rodney Purvis and Daniel Hamilton in their 2014 recruiting class. The Huskies have other '14 targets too, including Quentin Snider, Paul White, and Bonzie Colson.
