Analysts concur, Dan Hurley’s 2022 recruiting class for UConn men’s basketball is an impressive haul
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With the commitment of Alex Karaban this week, the UConn men’s basketball program continues to achieve coach Dan Hurley’s goal of stacking strong recruiting classes.
Recruiting analysts are in general agreement that the Huskies’ Class of 2022 — which includes guard Corey Floyd Jr. from New Jersey, center Donovan Clingan from Bristol Central and Karaban, a small forward from Massachusetts — is one of the top classes in the country.
“It’s another really strong class,” said ESPN recruiting analyst Adam Finkelstein, former coach and pro scout. “They continue to recruit at a really high level and the impressive thing about what they’ve done, they’ve brought in a group that complements last year’s three-man class in a lot of ways. Those six players fit together really nicely.
“There appears to be a true approach to roster construction that sometimes you don’t see in the college ranks. In a lot of places it’s just about talent acquisition and roster construction takes a back seat to that.”
The Huskies 2021 class, now incoming freshmen, included point guard Rahsool Diggins, combo guard Jordan Hawkins and forward Samson Johnson, all ranked in the top 60 by ESPN. This year’s threesome, Floyd (81), Clingan (51) and Karaban (45) constitute a top-five ranking in the country. That’s likely to change later in the recruiting season, and UConn could add to its class, but it’s likely to remain near the top, certainly in the Big East. Floyd, who led his team to a championship, and Karaban both excelled at the Peach Jam, and Clingan impressed at the NBA Top 100 camp.
“It’s really been outstanding when you start to evaluate the prospects and who they are as people,” said Paul Biancardi, longtime college coach and now ESPN analyst and recruiting director. “It’s a different level of recruit that UConn has had in the past, and you put this class with their last class, its six ESPN top-100 players. But they’re not just ranked players, they’re players UConn really wanted and did a thorough job of evaluating. It doesn’t seem like they’re individuals as much as they are team guys.”
Jake Weingarten, founder of stockristers.com, said: “It’s a great combination of skills, size, everything you want on a winning team. All three guys are X factors in every game they play in. That’s what you want in a winning program. It’s really a monster class.”
Since coming to UConn in 2018, Hurley has set his sights on upgrading talent, and concentrating on the East Coast, between New England and the Washington, D.C. area, and most of his current roster has come from this region. Finkelstein considers Clingan and Karaban the top recruits in New England and Floyd one of the top players in New Jersey. Then last year’s group included Diggins, from the Philadelphia area, Johnson, from New Jersey, and Hawkins, from DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md.
“For the last two years, they got the first guy on their board at every position,” Finkelstein said. “Not one of the six guys they’ve taken has been a second or third option. They covered the entire Northeast region down to the Mid-Atlantic. They’ve hit every major hotbed of talent from the [DC area] up north. They’ve done it while continuing to reassert the UConn brand.”
Hurley has also put a premium on players who can accept his demanding style of coaching in an era in which transferring is easier than ever.
“I think the first thing they’re looking for is guys who are uber-competitive like he is,” Biancardi said, “and guys who are coachable, because Danny’s going to come at you, in a positive way, but he is brutally honest. Once you accept that, crave it and embrace it, you can turn into the best version of yourself with him. They’re recruiting guys who can get their own shot, and make a shot.”
Here’s how the analysts see each of the newcomers:
Corey Floyd Jr., 6-foot-3 guard, Roselle, N.J.
Biancardi: “Floyd can do things with the ball that coaches can’t coach. He brings that competitive edge, that Alpha-dog, coming-right-at-you mentality, a lot like Danny. Whether it’s making a shot or making an assist, throwing the lob, he makes momentum-changing plays.”
Finkelstein: “Corey’s just a winner. He’s a guy who had a really big reputation at an early age because he was pretty physically mature as a high school underclassman, and lots of times that’s a recipe for entitlement or complacency. But he is just the antithesis of those things. He continues to get better each passing year, gotten himself into phenomenal shape, maximized his athleticism. He’s a guy who can get downhill and attack in a straight line. He’s also dramatically improved his skill set. He’s become a much more reliable shooter and improved his guard skills.”
Weingarten: “He’s a guy I’ve covered for three years now and his development has been really insane. He’s such a reliable player. If you need scoring, playmaking, defense, he’s going to bring that.”
Donovan Clingan, 7-1 center, Bristol
Biancardi: “You’ve got to work around him. He’s got skills, a good touch. I think he’s an outstanding passer. When I first saw him play, shades of Billy Curley. His upside is in his conditioning. As his body changes his game will change. They’re going to adjust and tweak their offense and defense to what he does well when he’s ready to contribute.”
Finkelstein: “Their coverages will probably evolve to keep him as close to the basket as possible, and offensively, he gives them a different kind of weapon with his size in the post and he can really pass the ball. Down the road, he’s going to be a guy that can pull shot-blockers away from the rim because he’s going to be able to stretch the floor with his shot; he’s got a really soft natural touch. The transition is not going to be seamless, adjusting from Connecticut high school basketball to the Big East. Local people are going to want to see him be great right away, but it’s going to require some patience.”
Weingarten: “He’s one of the best big men in America, regardless of class.”
Alex Karaban, 6-8 forward, Northborough, Mass.
Biancardi: “He really can do a lot of different things, when you look at versatility. He’ll post up because he knows how to use his body inside. He’ll move without the ball, a lot of guys can’t move without the ball. He can play with his teammates, score off the dribble, score off the catch and he can find open people. And he rebounds. He brings a lot of different things with the size of a small forward.”
Finkelstein: “He’s the consummate mismatch problem and a super-high IQ player. Alex is not the kind of guy you’re going to watch one time and he’s going to blow you away with his body type, athleticism or even having the prettiest shooting mechanics, but he has been the most consistently productive player in New England, at a high level of [prep school] competition.”
Weingarten: “I’ve called him one of the most underrated scorers in America. At Peach Jam he was outstanding. He was one of Peach Jam’s best performers, he was an X factor in every game.”
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com