By ADAM ZAGORIA
Tarris Reed Jr., the 6-foot-10 sophomore forward from Michigan, has officially signed with to two-time NCAA champion UConn after committing April 17.
UConn assistant Kimani Young was the lead recruiter for Reed, who averaged 9.0 points and 7.2 rebounds last season at Michigan.
“We are very excited to have a big man with Tarris’ high major experience join our program,” head coach Dan Hurley said. “His size, talent and athleticism at the center position gives us the potential to continue receiving tremendous production from that spot – which has contributed so much to our success the last two years. His work ethic fits perfectly into the culture we’ve established and we are really looking forward to Tarris’ career as a Husky.”
He will help offset the loss of 7-2 big man Donovan Clingan, a projected top-5 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
“I chose UConn for its winning culture, commitment to player development and coaching style,” Reed said to On3. “Coach [Dan] Hurley’s tough coaching style is known for pushing players into uncomfortable situations, making the uncomfortable seem comfortable. UConn provides the ideal setting and coaching for me to maximize my potential both on and off the court.”
UConn will be in the market for a couple more portal additions with the losses to graduation and the NBA of guards Cam Spencer, Tristen Newton and Steph Castle.
The Huskies hope to return Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson and freshmen Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross as the core going forward. Sophomore forward Alex Karaban also has a decision to make about whether to test the NBA Draft waters.
“I think for us, we want to keep intact obviously as much as the roster as we can to obviously hold on to a championship culture with people that know what it’s all about,” Hurley told ZAGSBLOG during a Zoom call Tuesday to promote his partnership with Bai WonderWater.
“I see us like we have in the past just being strategic, looking for one or two additions to fortify some positions. We’re excited about some of the young players that we’ve got coming back. We’re excited about Hassan and Samson Johnson, two key players from last year’s team, coming back.”
He added: “There’s a lot of moving parts for us right now, but hopefully we’re not in total overhaul mode.”
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