UConn recruit Corey Floyd reclassifies and will enroll this fall
Aug. 12—A deep UConn men's basketball team got even deeper with Corey Floyd, Jr. deciding to reclassify to the Class of 2021 to speed up his arrival in Storrs.
A four-star guard out of Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey, Floyd will enroll at UConn this fall and be on the campus later this month.
Floyd talked about his decision when reached by phone on Thursday. He said he took online classes to put himself in position to reclassify.
"(UConn associate head) Coach Kimani (Young) had called my mom earlier this year and he told us about the offer coming in early and reclassifying," Floyd said. "At first, I wasn't too hyped about it. But as I thought about it and sat down with my family and talked it over, it seemed like the best option for me."
"Now I'm more than excited about it."
Floyd, 17, committed to UConn in January as a member of the Class of 2022.
He had a terrific summer playing AAU basketball for Team Final, which won the prestigious Peach Jam Championship in Georgia late last month.
"At Peach Jam, being down there for two weeks, I showed how consistent I could be," Floyd said. "Usually, my numbers were around the same and, on top of everything, we were winning."
Now he's ready to make an impact at UConn.
With the Huskies loaded in the backcourt, Floyd, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, could be a redshirt candidate. But nothing has been decided yet, he said.
"I feel like my game is going to translate great to the next level," Floyd said. "As far as this year, if I play or don't play, either way will be beneficial for me. Just being around that atmosphere, that type of playing style and just that energy, it's going to be great for me.
"I'm just planning on seeing how things go. I'm not going in there with a definite mindset that I'm redshirting this year. I feel like that would be holding something back and that's not how I play. So I'm going all-in. Whatever happens, happens."
When asked what he could bring to the team, Floyd responded: "I think I could bring my mentality, that's the biggest thing. I hate to lose more than I love to win. That's something I really pride myself on. ... I'm just ready to go in there and see what happens."
Floyd already knows some of the UConn players, especially the players from the New Jersey area.
Junior Jalen Gaffney's father once coached Floyd for a couple seasons. Freshman Rahsool Diggins played for the same AAU program but in a different age group.
Floyd enjoyed hanging out with the Huskies during his official visit.
"It's a cool team," Floyd said. "They're really good guys. I'm excited to get up there."
Floyd will join a deep backcourt that includes veterans R.J. Cole and Gaffney, sophomore Andre Jackson, Diggins and freshman Jordan Hawkins. Head coach Dan Hurley will have some tough decision to make as far as playing time.
His AAU coach, James Johns, who also coached current Husky Tyrese Martin, had this to say about Floyd earlier this year: "Tough, smart, great kid, great family. Corey reminds me a lot of Tyrese because they have this quiet demeanor about them but they're competitive and it all comes out on the court. Awesome kid. Love him to death. I thought Dan (Hurley) would be great for him."
