Recruiting targets show their stuff at XL Center
HARTFORD — Reid Ducharme has a tough time admitting it, but at least he’s honest about how he’s fared playing against his sister, Caroline, in basketball.
“I have never beat Caroline one-on-one,” he admitted. “It’s hard to say that, but ...”
Now, it’s worth noting that Caroline has a couple of years on Reid. She’s currently a freshman on the UConn women’s basketball team; Reid is entering his junior year at Brewster Academy. Reid also reported that he hasn’t played his sister in a long time — since she tore her ACL several years ago.
“But if I (did now),” he predicted, “I think I’d beat her.”
One thing is certain: Caroline’s presence at UConn will certainly be an allure for Reid if he chooses to commit to the men’s program.
“My whole family and I are really close, Caroline and I have been working out together, (played) together a whole lot,” he said. “That’ll definitely help my decision.”
That decision won’t likely come for another year. Ducharme,
a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, is being heavily recruited by not only UConn but Iowa, Stanford, Providence and a few Ivy League programs, among others. On Saturday, he was at XL Center, playing in the first-ever Splash Day Elite Game. In fact, it was the first basketball game of any kind since March, 2020 — the UConn men’s and women’s teams played all their home games last season at Gampel Pavilion.
Ducharme was accompanied by another pair of 2023 UConn targets: Taylor Bowen, a 6-8 forward and teammate of Ducharme’s at Brewster, and Gavin Griffiths, a 6-7 shooting guard and Simsbury product who’s now playing at KingswoodOxford. All three have visited UConn’s campus recently, and they are unanimous in their praise for the program.
“I love the love that they showed me,” Bowen reported. “Coach (Luke) Murray I talk to all the time, he’s probably one of the coaches I talk to the most. I really liked my visit. I just thought it was a great vibe, and they really made me feel at
home.”
Bowen, who scored 18 points on Saturday, is being recruited by numerous schools, including Kentucky, Duke and Arkansas. He won’t likely make his decision until fall, 2022. And he won’t be bedazzled by the blue-bloods.
“I’m not gonna pick Kentucky because it’s Kentucky, or Duke,” he noted. “I’m gonna pick the best fit for me, and where I can really shine in and hopefully one day accomplish my dream of making the NBA.”
Bowen, a Vermont native who played his first two seasons at St. George’s in Newport, R.I., is very tight with recent UConn commit Alex Karaban. He said the UConn coaching staff has conveyed a definite message.
“They told me I can come in and be, not just a guy but be the guy, and really excel in their program,” he said. “And really just showcase all my tools that I’ve been showcasing.”
Griffiths, who netted 15 points on Saturday, is coming off an unofficial visit to Storrs earlier in the week, when he met Hurley and Murray for the first time.
“They think I can make
an impact offensively,” Griffiths reported. “They tell me to keep working on my defense and rebounding, so I can be an all-around player there.”
Griffiths, who played one year at Simsbury High before transferring to Kingswood-Oxford, is also hearing from Syracuse, Maryland, Iowa, Dayton and Rutgers, among others.
Ducharme, who knocked down a couple of 3-pointers and displayed his athleticism on a pair of impressive, breakaway dunks and finished with 19 points, has been on UConn’s campus a few times — with his sister, as well as on an unofficial visit of his own.
“I really liked (head coach Dan) Hurley a lot,” he reported. “His energy was awesome. I hadn’t really talked to him before I came on the visit, but when I got here, I loved what he had to say. I loved his mentality that ‘we’re just gonna outwork everybody.’ He liked that I work hard.”
“I feel like I have the ability to score the ball for whatever team I play for.,” Ducharme added. “I think what separates me is how hard I work. I don’t take plays off. I’ll get up in someone’s shorts and strip the ball. I feel like a lot of coaches appreciate that.”
RIM RATTLINGS
1 The biggest — literally and figuratively — attraction of all did not attend Saturday’s game. Donovan Clingan, the 7-footer from Bristol who committed to UConn last month, has been bothered by a hip ailment and didn’t want to aggravate it by playing on Saturday.
The injury, which occurred at NBA camp last week, is minor according to a source.
1 Avery Brown, the Beacon Falls product who plays at Northfield Mount Hermon, started at point guard for the “grey team,” alongside Bowen and Griffiths. He finished with 15 points.
“It was definitely fun to end the summer off,” he said. “The next couple of weeks, I’m getting ready to go to school (on Aug. 29).”
Brown, a 6-3 point guard, has made official visits to Nebraska and Colorado, and plans to visit Arizona State, Notre Dame and Georgia.
UConn has never really shown any interest.
“The fit just wasn’t there,” he said. “I’ve always loved Connecticut, but the fit wasn’t there, and it is what it is. Hopefully, we’ll cross paths and I’ll play them, wherever I go.”