The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
National scouting director breaks down UConn’s No. 3-ranked class
Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo have entered the NBA Draft. Andre Jackson Jr. and Tristen Newton may follow their lead.
Dan Hurley and his UConn men’s basketball coaching staff knew the Huskies could lose a player (or four) to the pros once this season concluded, national title or not.
“This is why,” Hurley said, “we went out and invested the time in the 2023 class.”
The Huskies invested wisely. UConn’s five-man recruiting class of Stephon Castle, Solomon
Ball, Jaylin Stewart, Jayden Ross and Youssouf Singare is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation by 247Sports.com. That ranking isn’t likely to change much, if at all, when the site updates its rankings in a couple of weeks.
The quintet, which spent much of March and April enjoying UConn’s championship ride from afar, could form a strong, versatile starting unit on its own: Castle at point, Ball at the two, Stewart at the three, Ross at the four and the 7-foot Singare manning the middle.
Alas, it doesn’t typically work that way. Freshmen often take a while to find their way at the collegiate level, though Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban proved this past season that some players adjust quicker than others.
No doubt, especially if Jackson and Newton elect to go pro, some of these freshmen will play key roles next season. Others are probably more longterm projects.
Either way, one of the top recruiting classes UConn has ever assembled is only about a month away from descending upon campus for the first time since famously posing for their “Fab Five” photos back in September.
Here’s a look at the Huskies’ heralded recruits, with analysis from Adam Finkelstein, director of scouting for 247Sports.
Stephon Castle
No. 8 247 composite ranking, 6-6, 205 combo guard:
McDonald’s All-American is the most highly-ranked and highly-touted of UConn’s five incoming freshmen. Castle gave a nice preview of coming attractions at the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass. a few months ago, darting the ball all over the floor with pinpoint passes and showing some impressive athleticism, if not necessarily pinpoint perimeter