More Andre Drummond to UConn Talk

For several months now, Andre Drummond, the best high school basketball player in the country, has been linked to the Huskies, both because the school is recruiting him but also because Drummond seems legitimately interested in playing for UConn.

A few weeks ago, we wrote that Drummond wasn't enrolling at UConn for the 2011 season, instead opting for a post-graduate year with the plan to enroll somewhere for 2012.

The Hartford Courant's Mike Anthony wrote Wednesday night, however, that "there are rumors Drummond is still considering enrolling at UConn next month and playing for the Huskies in 2011-12." Although Anthony points out that Drummond "isn't much interested in analyzing his future."

Asked to clarify his status, Drummond said he would be eligible to play NCAA basketball next season. UConn coaches and others, have tried to impress upon Drummond that he probably can't benefit from another year in prep school. So why would he want to wait? Well, life is more complicated than basketball, which doesn't appear to totally define the affable Drummond. "Developing, maturing, on and off the court, would help me," he said.

Drummond was in Hartford playing with his AAU team and looked every bit like one of the most sought-after recruits in the country. His basketball-playing options include (via Anthony):

  • A post-grad year at St. Thomas More, then attend college (where UConn appears to be the front runner;
  • Enter the NBA Draft after his post-grad year;
  • Enroll in college immediately (like, say, UConn) although Drummond says there's "no way that happens."

Shorter version: there's no way of knowing what will happen, but if Drummond does end up in college -- either in a few weeks or next summer -- UConn seems to be his No. 1 choice.

The UConn Blog makes a good point:

Playing in the best conference in the nation, for a coach who's known for developing NBA-quality players (at least, enough to get them grossly overpaid) would surely help [Drummond]. And there's no way Calhoun could keep Drummond off the court, even with the championship-winning roster (sort of) the Huskies have returning. But how much of a focus would the freshman be in an offense led by a potential superstar in Jeremy Lamb and with two superb running mates in Shabazz! Napier and Alex Oriakhi?

We've taken to mentioning this at the end of almost every post, but it fits: it's hard to imagine that Jim Calhoun is retiring anytime soon.

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