By ADAM ZAGORIA
After winning the program’s fifth national championship last month, UConn is rebuilding its team for the future.
The Huskies are hosting Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer this weekend and will also host several elite Class of 2024 prospects in the coming weeks.
The 6-foot-4 Spencer averaged 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 44% from deep last season at Rutgers. He entered the portal late and has already visited Miami, with Oklahoma and UCLA also in the mix.
He could be the perfect plug-and-play shooting guard for coach Dan Hurley on a team that will return Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban and big man Donovan Clingan from this season’s NCAA championship team.
UConn will also host St. Thomas More (CT) and NY Rens shooting guard Tyler Betsey June 9-11, per the New Haven Register. Betsey also has visits planned to Duke and Alabama.
The 6-8 Betsey is ranked the No. 8 small forward in the Class of 2024, per 247Sports.com.
The Huskies will then host Paul VI (Va.) and Team Takeover small forward Isaiah Abraham and center Patrick Ngongba from June 12-14.
The 6-10 Ngongba is rated as a four-star center by 247Sports.com and on Tuesday picked up an offer from Duke.
“Pat brings a lot of versatility, has ability to be tough around the basket, rebound and rim protect, and has passing and decision-making skills that allow him to be very effective on the perimeter,” Paul VI coach Glen Farello said. “He can shoot it from all ranges. High efficiency player. Great in pick-and-roll. And is adept at all ball screen coverages.”
Abraham is a 6-7 four-star small forward who has visited Marquette officially and Virginia unofficially. “Isaiah has established himself as an elite defender with ability to guard multiple positions and switch out on any perimeter player,” Farello said. “His athleticism allows him to impact the game with rebounding and scoring at and above the rim. He is a solid 3-point shooter with a nice mid-range game” Four-star Class of 2024 wing Jahki Howard of Overtime Elite will visit UConn June 20, his father told ZAGSBLOG. Ranked the No. 23 small forward in 2024 by 247Sports.com, he will also announce July 29 between UConn, N.C. State, Arkansas, Georgetown, Florida State and Auburn, among others, as reported by Tipton Edits. Howard uses one word to describe his game – motor. “I say motor because people really think that I can’t do a lot of things like dribbling the ball, shooting,” Howard said. “I can do those things, but I know that’s not what my team wants me to do. When you have all those good players around you, you find your spot. My spot is to play defense, rebound, dunk and hit open shots. I’m going to do what I have to do to win.” This post was updated June 3. Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookPat Ngongba has cemented his status as one of the most dominant bigs in the 2024 class. 💪 @NgongbaPatrick
— EliteYouthBasketball (@NikeEYB) May 30, 2023
Memphis stats:
▫️ 18.8 PPG
▫️ 29-46 FG (63%)
▫️ 13-16 FT (81%)
▫️ 11.3 REBS
▫️ 2.8 APG
▫️ 1.8 BPG#EYBL2023 pic.twitter.com/PCTDwx9flZ
