Virginia Tech transfer Nahiem Alleyne is all about winning with the UConn men’s basketball team

Nahiem Alleyne couldn’t believe what was happening. He looked at his phone screen, saw the 860 area code flash on the screen and quickly picked up the phone.

The 6-foot-4 junior guard from Virginia Tech listened intently to the voice on the other end, his eyes lit up and his mind began to wander with possibilities.

The person on the other end of the phone was UConn men’s basketball assistant coach Luke Murray.

“I felt kind of shocked,” Alleyne said. “I mean, UConn, man. UConn really called me. That’s a historic place. I had a lot of schools call me. I would say that was one school where I was like, ‘Wow, this is really happening. They just called me.’”

This past season at Virginia Tech, Alleyne averaged 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists and shot 37.3% from 3-point line and helped lead the No. 7 seeded Hokies upset Duke 82-67 to win the ACC Tournament title in March, but he was ready for a new challenge.

“I felt, personally, it was time to go,” he said. “I needed to start a new chapter in my life. It was nothing personal. I still have mad love for the players and coaches.”

Alleyne chose UConn because the program checked all of his boxes: The coaching staff felt like family, he saw potential to grow as a player and was impressed by the environment at Storrs.

But ultimately it came down to one thing: “I’m all about winning,” he said. “That’s what I came in to do, is win.”

Long journey to Storrs

Shortly after Alleyne entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal, his phone couldn’t stop buzzing with texts and phone calls from coaches all over the country.

The amount of interest from schools showed the Buford, Georgia, native how far he had come.

“In high school, I wasn’t really recruited,” Alleyne said. “I had a lot of mid-major offers. Virginia Tech was my only high-major offer. I only had seven offers in high school. I was shocked, but at the same time, I’ve put in a lot of work here at Virginia Tech.”

Schools even reached out to his father, Daryl, in an attempt to recruit Nahiem.

“Everybody called, man,” Daryl said. “Florida State. Illinois. Georgia. Georgia Tech. Kansas State. North Texas. Seton Hall. I missed a bunch of calls and texts. It got to be a lot.”

Murray stood out from the pack because he was the only coach who directly messaged Nahiem on Instagram.

As Nahiem narrowed down his choice of schools, he remembered his conversation with Murray. He says Murray came off as genuine and shortly after, he hopped on a Zoom call with the entire UConn coaching staff.

“I really liked how they were just being themselves the whole time and not trying to act professional,” Alleyne said. “They were talking usually how they talk to themselves and players. I really enjoyed that. The coaches were being themselves. I rocked with that.”

He jumped at the opportunity to visit Storrs, where UConn head coach Dan Hurley made him feel wanted.

“Hurley told me, ‘We need a guy that can really put the ball in the hole, and we need a vet that’s going to bring winning experience,” Alleyne said.

By the end of his visit, Alleyne felt the Huskies were the perfect fit for him.

“The three things I was looking for in school was one, skill development,” he said. “That’s really important to me because I’m a guy that likes to get better every single day and compete in practice.

“The second one was building a relationship with coaches. When I got there, all of the coaches felt like family to me. The third one was the environment. I liked the campus and I could tell they had a nice environment with nice people.”

For Alleyne, it came down to UConn vs. Florida State for his final two choices. The Huskies just felt right.

“I loved what Florida State was saying, but I felt UConn was more genuine,” he said. “I felt like I would be a better fit at UConn.”

He has big aspirations for his tenure with the Huskies.

“I just want to win the Big East and the national championship,” he said. “Those are the only two goals for me, and to get better. I just want to win, get better and have fun.”

A passion for winning

Alleyne’s passion for winning dates back to his time at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

“Freshman year, he came off the bench for us,” said Mountain View coach B.J. Roy. “I never got a complaint from him or his parents. It was just win. Let’s win. He defended Ashton Hagans and B.J. Boston (former Kentucky Wildcats). It was never about the points. It was just, what can we do to win the game.”

“He’s going to play hard from the beginning to the end,” Daryl said. “He’s not going to give up on any situation.”

On the court, Nahiem’s skills are conducive to winning.

“I can score at all three levels,” he said. “I can really defend the ball. I’m an older guy, so I know what it takes to win games.”

Alleyne models his game after his favorite player, New Orleans Pelican guard CJ McCollum.

“I’m a guy that likes to shoot a lot of mid-range shots,” he said. “I can handle the ball. I think I’m a little better defensively. CJ’s a guy I look up to.”

Perhaps the mark of a quintessential Hurley guard, he takes pride in his defense.

“My biggest strength is my defense,” Alleyne said. “I’ve always been a guy that’s better defensively than offensively when I was younger. As I got older, I got better with offense and whatnot. I’m a guy that communicates, good on the ball and good team defensive player. I feel like I have a good feel for defense.”

Off the court, Alleyne describes himself as a quiet, chill guy.

“I like to draw,” he said. “I’m not the best drawer now because of basketball. I read comic books. I watch Anime. Naruto is my favorite anime show.”

Most importantly, he wants to be a good example for his 11-year-old brother, Omari. Every day, he wakes up early and tries to push himself harder than the day before at the gym.

“I’m trying to make sure he looks up to the right things,” Nahiem said. “He motivates me to get better because I want him to be a better person than me.”

Breaking out of his shell

The soft-spoken Alleyne tends to let his game do the talking and rarely shows much emotion on the court. He looks to reinvent himself at UConn.

“I think it would just be best if I do come out of my shell a little bit,” he said.

The energy UConn exhibits during games is something Alleyne wants to be a part of.

“Hurley tells me we aren’t one of those teams where a player gets a bucket, we just clap. He said, ‘We are all with it. If somebody gets crossed up or something, we jump in the air.’ I was like, ‘Wow, that’s what I like to hear.’ So, I’ll say (Hurley) will definitely get my shell broken.”

Hurley’s passion left a lasting impression on Nahiem and Daryl when he got ejected for hyping up the crowd in UConn’s 71-69 win over Villanova on Jan. 22.

“That man (Hurley) is crazy,” Nahiem said. “I watched a couple of games and my man got ejected for hyping up the crowd. That’s what’s up. I could really tell he was always in it every single day. Not just him, but everybody on the staff.”

“I remember watching Hurley catch that technical for hyping the crowd up,” Daryl added. “That was great. I was just like, ‘Wow, that’s somebody who would be fun to play for.’ It’s crazy because it came full circle.”

Shreyas Laddha can be reached at sladdha@courant.com or at shre98 on Twitter.