Huskies sign two top-five recruits
UConn signed two topfive nationally ranked Class of 2022 recruits on the first day of the early National Letter of Intent signing period.
Ayanna Patterson, a five-star recruit from Indiana, was the first to sign. UConn tweeted out the signing Wednesday morning, although Patterson was holding a signing ceremony at her school later in the day.
UConn later announced that San Diego forward Isuneh Brady also signed with the Huskies.
“During the recruiting period for this class, we set out to find a couple bigs who could play multiple positions,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in Wednesday’s release. “I think we found the two best in the country in Ayanna and Ice. As a tandem, I think they’re going to give us exactly what we were looking for.”
Patterson is ranked as the No. 4 overall recruit and No. 1 wing of the 2022 class per ESPN. She verbally committed to UConn in March, choosing the program over offers from UCLA, Indiana, Louisville and Notre Dame.
The 6-foot-2 Fort Wayne, Indiana native helped lead Team USA this summer to a gold-medal victory at the 3x3 U18 World Cup.
Patterson’s lengthy athleticism will help UConn in the frontcourt as she’s gone viral for her two-handed dunks and will fill in the gap of
graduating seniors like Evina Westbrook.
“What’s most impressive about Ayanna is her incredible athletic ability and the places she can get to on the court,” Auriemma said. “Offensively and defensively, I think she’s going to have a huge impact right away because those were two things we needed to address.”
UConn’s other Class of 2022 signee is Brady, who signed with the Huskies at Cathedral Catholic High School.
ESPN ranks Brady, who is also a five-star recruit, as the No. 5 overall prospect and the No. 2 post player of the 2022 class. She was the first recruit of the class to verbally commit to UConn back in December 2019 when she
was a sophomore at Cathedral Catholic.
Brady, also known as “Ice,” will provide depth for UConn also in the frontcourt. Standing at 6-foot-3, the power forward will fill in for Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Dorka Juhasz, who both could graduate in the spring unless decide to utilize their final eligibility year. During her first three years at Cathedral Catholic, Brady averaged 17.8 points, 2.7 assists and 12.3 rebounds per game.
“With Ice, you have the classic power player who can step out and make a perimeter shot,” Auriemma said. “She can handle the ball at the high post and is a very good passer.”