Catching Up With Kelly Oubre
by 3uconn
“UConn has always been known to produce guards” is a very popular line from recruits about what makes UConn an attractive school to them. Kelly Oubre is the latest player to say that line. There have been the house-hold names and productive players that made it to the NBA from UConn like Ray Allen, Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton, and others to the most recent in electrifying point guard Kemba Walker and the rookie Jeremy Lamb. Now UConn has a couple
more who very well may make it in Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright, Omar Calhoun, and Rodney Purvis. This is clearly a huge selling point to recruits.
Another selling point is the head coach, Kevin Ollie. Oubre mentioned that Ollie is “a passionate guy, and loves what he does” and that he’s “a great down to earth guy.” Everyone respects him very much and every recruit I have talked to has said it as well. Ollie and Oubre also have a big connection. Everyone knows Ollie is a person who is very religious and puts who puts God first, well so is Oubre. While talking to him he threw in something small, but it seemed to mean a lot to him. It was, “I strive to be the best everyday, and put God first.”
Another thing that Coach Ollie has brought to the Huskies is his “brotherhood” aspect. This has been very prevalent in post-game interviews with Coach Ollie and the atmosphere around the team. When asked about his thoughts about this Oubre said, “I can’t really tell because I have never been around the team like that but I do see by the way coach Ollie presents himself that he believes in that motto.” This aspect has been a great addition by coach.
Many sports reporters have liked how the team last year presented themselves like they were playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back. This was also why many people rallied together and cheered on the team when there was no postseason to look forward to.
Kelly Oubre has been dominating on the court for his Houston Hoops AAU team, the same AAU team former UConn star Emeka Okafor played for. He’s averaging 15ppg, 7.1rpg, and 2apg. He said he wants to be a guard in college and if he were to come to UConn he and committed junior Daniel Hamilton would be interchangeable at the shooting guard and small forward positions.
Oubre himself describes his game as, “Aggressive, I like to always play complete games, on offense and defense, crash the boards, score the ball, and get rebounds. Anything my coach needs me to do on the court.”
Another great bonus is that he’s another tall guard, standing at 6’7″ and 195lbs and possibly still growing. Coming off a year where at times opponents would get three or four offensive rebounds in one possession it will be nice to have tall players at every position to get rebounds.
This AAU season he’s working on “being a complete player, and working on the little things to my game that play important roles, like rebounding and defense.”
As for his recruitment, he’s not close to committing yet. UConn is on his list of ten right now with Kansas, Georgetown, Arizona, Louisville, Florida, UCLA, Baylor, Alabama, and Texas. That list is full of high-majors with the capabilities to win championships during his year or years there. He previously was telling recruiting experts that UConn was recruiting him the hardest. Now he’s saying, “After the live period everyone seems to be coming on pretty strong.”
Every team confirmed their initial opinion that Oubre is definitely a big-time player. Most likely every school on his list besides UConn watched him during the live period. This is the last of the recruiting penalties. The staff was, and still is until July 1st, prohibited from going out and watching
recruits games when other teams can. As for any visits at this time Oubre said, “Not now, me and my dad will sit and plan some at the end of AAU season when I cut my list.” The part about cutting his list was new. With more on that Oubre added, “Everyone has an equal chance right now. I’m still open.”
Another thing that seems to be big with recruits is if they want to stay close to home or not. Oubre stated that distance from home will have no impact on his decision and that he’s “trying to take my time to choose the best college for me and my family.”
Look for more news about Kelly Oubre to come out in the coming months in terms of a cut list or visits planned. He doesn’t look to be rushing into a commitment any time before he visits schools so getting a visit from him will be huge.
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