The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Va. Tech’s Alleyne transfers to UConn
UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley was looking for guards who can shoot and potentially start right away through the NCAA transfer portal, and he got a commitment from just such a player on Thursday.
Nahiem Alleyne, a 6-foot-4 guard who just completed his junior season at Virginia Tech, pledged to the Huskies after completing an official visit to Storrs.
“Let’s get it!,” Alleyne posted in a tweet on Thursday evening.
He is UConn’s second transfer commitment so far. Tristen Newton,
a 6-5 guard from East Carolina, committed to the Huskies last week.
Alleyne was basically a threeyear starter at Virginia Tech, starting 84 of his 90 games in three seasons with the Hokies. He averaged 9.7 points and shot 38.7 percent from 3-point land over his Virginia Tech career.
This past season, Alleyne started all 37 games for the Hokies, who won the ACC championship tournament before falling to Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Alleyne averaged 9.6 points and shot 37.3% from 3-point range on the season. He made at least three 3-pointers in 10 games and shot over 40% from 3 18 times.
His best year came as a sophomore in 2020-21, when Alleyne averaged 11.8 points per game and shot 40.8% from 3.
The Huskies are looking to employ a 4-out offense, with multiple 3-point threats on the perimeter surrounding a big man (Adama Sanogo, Donovan Clingan, Samson Johnson). Alleyne also appears close to 2023 UConn commit Stephon Castle, whose father, Stacey, referred to Alleyne as “family” in a tweet during his official visit this week.
UConn has lost four players to
the transfer portal — Jalen Gaffney, Akok Akok, Rahsool Diggins and Corey Floyd Jr. — but has arguably already improved its
overall talent with its two incoming transfers so far. The staff will likely look for at least one more perimeter player via transfer or high school recruiting.