UConn Huskies football coach Randy Edsall doesn’t put much stock into the rankings by the recruiting experts. He just tries to get the best guys that will succeed at UConn. And we won’t even talk about what women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma does in recruiting. Simply put, the man is a genius.
UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun is no different as he regularly puts together good, consistent recruiting classes. Every once in a while you’ll see a player or two transfer out but you can’t argue with the success that Calhoun has had in developing NBA caliber players.
During this year’s recruiting season, Calhoun lost out on almost all of the top-flight recruits. He was able to secure Roscoe Smith out of Baltimore, Maryland, who was ranked No. 34 in the ESPNU 100. Joining Smith in Storrs will be point guard Shabazz Napier, shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, local boy Tyler Olander, a power forward, and center Michael Bradley.
Those five were good enough to help UConn into the top 20 of ESPN’s Class of 2010 rankings at No. 20. The Kentucky Wildcats came in at No. 1.
Here’s what ESPN Insider had to say about UConn’s class:
UConn added a lot of nice pieces in this group of recruits. The national headliner is Roscoe Smith (Baltimore, Md./Oak Hill) and the long, athletic small forward has the talent to be a star. However, he needs to keep his motor on high and be consistent. Jeremy Lamb (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) is another long and athletic wing and could blossom during his time at Connecticut. Michael Bradley (Chattanooga, Tenn./Tyner Academy) and Tyler Olander (Storrs, Conn./E.O. Smith) are both advanced projects whose best days are ahead of them. Bradley is a long, athletic shot-blocker who is a little raw offensively right now but with great upside. Olander is stronger right now and is a nice high-post player with a solid stroke to 17 feet. Early high school graduate Shabazz Napier (Randolph, Mass./Lawrence Academy) is a surprise addition to the class. Napier can really score and could be instant offense off the bench with the Huskies’ backcourt returning.
A full look at the top 25 schools can be found by using the read more button to the right.
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Memphis Tigers
- Syracuse Orange
- Duke Blue Devils
- North Carolina State Wolfpack
- Texas Longhorns
- Florida Gators
- Michigan State Spartans
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Missouri Tigers
- UCLA Bruins
- Florida State Seminoles
- Marquette Golden Eagles
- Stanford Cardinal
- LSU Tigers
- Connecticut Huskies
- Maryland Terps
- Baylor Bears
- Kansas Jayhawks
- California Golden Bears
- South Carolina Gamecocks
