Simi Shittu Names Top Ten Schools
By JACOB POLACHECK Simi Shittu, the 6-foot-8 power
By SEAN BOCK Michael Devoe, the 6-foot-4 point guard
Calling the UConn Huskies’ 2016-17 season tumultuous would be an understatement.
In November, UConn lost two key players — Alterique Gilbert and Terry Larrier — to season-ending injuries.
After finishing 16-17, three players opted to transfer, two key frontcourt players graduated, a coach departed the staff and the program’s top recruit asked to be released from his Letter of Intent so he could go elsewhere.
That’s not the type of season they’re used to up in Storrs, Conn., where the Huskies have won four NCAA championships since 1999.
“Coach [Kevin] Ollie, we met and he we took some time and one of the things he constantly talked about was identifying what a UConn man was, identifying how we wanted to play and we also talked a lot about culture and trying to figure out the right guys that were going to fit,” UConn assistant Dwayne Killings said on The 4 Quarters Podcast.
UConn has received a signed National Letter of Intent from Isaiah Whaley, who will join the men’s basketball program for the 2017-18 season, head coach Kevin Ollie announced on Thursday.
Whaley, a 6-foot-9, 195-pound forward from Gastonia, N.C., is coming from a prep school year at Mt. Zion Prep in Baltimore. He joins an incoming UConn class that includes five newcomers.
“Isaiah is a long, active player who will bring us great energy,” Ollie said. “He gives us some more depth on the front line and I look forward to him coming in and fighting for playing time during his freshman year.”
Whaley averaged just over 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game for Mt. Zion, playing his best games against some of the finest prep school competition in the country and helping the team to a 27-10 record.
