Kevin Ollie took part in the Travelers Championship Celebrity Pro-Am Wednesday, but the Huskies' coach seemed more excited about the upcoming basketball season. And for good reason: UConn is two months removed from a national title and the 2014 recruiting class is a good one.
In addition to transfer Rodney Purvis, the class includes Rakim Lubin, Daniel Hamilton and junior college transfer Sam Cassell Jr.
“Kids are coming up next week and I’m getting excited,” Ollie said of the new players (via the Connecticut News). “Daniel Hamilton texted me his plane ticket, so I was real excited about that. I was real, real excited when I saw that. ... I’m looking forward to (them). Seeing Rakim, he likes to be called ‘Rock,’ but he’s going to have to get a couple rebounds before I call him Rock.”
Purvis was a high school All-American out of Raleigh, North Carolina, who transferred from NC State last year. Hamilton is considered the Huskies' highest-profile recruit, but Lubin, at 6-8, 250 pounds, could make an impact first. Then there is Cassell, who has basketball in his veins; his father is former Florida St. and NBA standout Sam Cassell Sr.
But in recruiting, there is no rest for the weary, which is why it won't be long before Ollie and his staff are again beating the bushes.
That said, there are no plans to add another player to the class of 2014.
“Probably not,” Ollie said of the possibility. “I want to save those scholarships unless something (happens). We’re always working.
“There’s always something that could happen, an Andre Drummond signing. We’d be welcome with him. I’m not really looking to add anybody, but we always have our ears to the concrete and see what’s shaking.”
As it stands, guard Willie Jackson is the lone 2015 commitment after Prince Ali de-committed earlier this month.
