I hope DH is using the Calhoun method: offer two guys that he feels can do the job and take the first one who commits. Travis Best and Kevin Ollie are the two guards I recall as one example and KO committed first.
It'd be a great story for a movie to have the local kid stay home and lead the team to multiple championships, but we won championships with two lightly recruited guys, Jake Voskuhl and Amidah Brimah, at center.
And then there's Emeka Okafor who few, if any, had heard much about.
Committed late and Bob Gibbons, the recruiting guru of the time, had him rated as the 106th best player in the country but on the upswing. Here's the Courant article on him (but I think they got his SAT score wrong):
"Huge.
That's what Emeka Okafor's oral commitment is for the Huskies.
The 6-foot-9 center/forward from Bellaire (Texas) High made it official Thursday night. But he made the promise to UConn coach Jim Calhoun on Wednesday that he would play his college basketball in a UConn uniform.
He just wanted to sleep on it one more night. When he woke Thursday, he was certain.
`
The things Okafor thought through were jotted down on a sheet of paper: availability of playing time, tradition and academics.
Whenever Okafor looked at that sheet, all the check marks were placed next to UConn.
``It's the place where I think I'll have the most success academically and athletically,'' said Okafor, who through honors courses has a 4.3 grade point average on a scale of 4.0.
He said there is no chance he will change his mind and that he intends to fax his letter of intent to UConn today.
Until then, the coaching staff can't comment on Okafor, but there is no question landing him was huge for the Huskies.
First and foremost, they needed a player like him, a sinewy, athletic post player who can run the floor, jump, block shots and play defense. And after a fall recruiting season that netted just one player -- a pretty good one though in Mount Vernon guard Ben Gordon -- the Huskies now have two recruits rated in the top 100 and are in good shape to land another player or two before the spring signing period ends next month.
With Okafor joining Johnnie Selvie and 7-foot center Justin Brown, the Huskies should be solid inside.
`
``He's not like the other fella UConn had there from Texas, Jake Voskuhl, who was a power guy. Emeka is more of the athletic, wiry type who can do a lot of things.''
Okafor, who scored 1,013 on the SAT, said he enjoyed his visit to Storrs this month.
`
Okafor played exceptionally well at the Nike camp in Indianapolis last summer but said he wasn't ready to commit to a school.
As his senior season went on -- he averaged 22 points, 15 rebounds and almost six blocks -- he continued to grab the attention of schools such as Stanford, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Rice and Vanderbilt.
New Texas Tech coach Bob Knight tried to get in the Okafor sweepstakes late. And after Okafor had 26 points and 12 rebounds in being named MVP of the Pittsburgh Hoops Classic last weekend, North Carolina tried to jump in this week.
But Okafor told the Tar Heels it would be a waste of time. In his mind, he was pretty sure he would choose UConn.
`
It'd be a great story for a movie to have the local kid stay home and lead the team to multiple championships, but we won championships with two lightly recruited guys, Jake Voskuhl and Amidah Brimah, at center.
And then there's Emeka Okafor who few, if any, had heard much about.
Committed late and Bob Gibbons, the recruiting guru of the time, had him rated as the 106th best player in the country but on the upswing. Here's the Courant article on him (but I think they got his SAT score wrong):
"Huge.
That's what Emeka Okafor's oral commitment is for the Huskies.
The 6-foot-9 center/forward from Bellaire (Texas) High made it official Thursday night. But he made the promise to UConn coach Jim Calhoun on Wednesday that he would play his college basketball in a UConn uniform.
He just wanted to sleep on it one more night. When he woke Thursday, he was certain.
`
I pretty much knew I wanted to go there for a while,'' said Okafor, who chose the Huskies over Arkansas and Vanderbilt. `I just wanted to think things through.''The things Okafor thought through were jotted down on a sheet of paper: availability of playing time, tradition and academics.
Whenever Okafor looked at that sheet, all the check marks were placed next to UConn.
``It's the place where I think I'll have the most success academically and athletically,'' said Okafor, who through honors courses has a 4.3 grade point average on a scale of 4.0.
He said there is no chance he will change his mind and that he intends to fax his letter of intent to UConn today.
Until then, the coaching staff can't comment on Okafor, but there is no question landing him was huge for the Huskies.
First and foremost, they needed a player like him, a sinewy, athletic post player who can run the floor, jump, block shots and play defense. And after a fall recruiting season that netted just one player -- a pretty good one though in Mount Vernon guard Ben Gordon -- the Huskies now have two recruits rated in the top 100 and are in good shape to land another player or two before the spring signing period ends next month.
With Okafor joining Johnnie Selvie and 7-foot center Justin Brown, the Huskies should be solid inside.
`
Connecticut is getting a significant addition to its program with Emeka,'' said Bob Gibbons, the national high school recruiting expert. `He was the best available center or big man available this spring, which is why he's been considered one of the top unsigned players in the nation. He had a lot of schools coming after him that wanted him back in the fall. But he decided to wait. But I think UConn is a good choice for him.``He's not like the other fella UConn had there from Texas, Jake Voskuhl, who was a power guy. Emeka is more of the athletic, wiry type who can do a lot of things.''
Okafor, who scored 1,013 on the SAT, said he enjoyed his visit to Storrs this month.
`
The visit definitely helped,'' he said. `But I just wanted to wait and make sure I was making the right decision.''Okafor played exceptionally well at the Nike camp in Indianapolis last summer but said he wasn't ready to commit to a school.
As his senior season went on -- he averaged 22 points, 15 rebounds and almost six blocks -- he continued to grab the attention of schools such as Stanford, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Rice and Vanderbilt.
New Texas Tech coach Bob Knight tried to get in the Okafor sweepstakes late. And after Okafor had 26 points and 12 rebounds in being named MVP of the Pittsburgh Hoops Classic last weekend, North Carolina tried to jump in this week.
But Okafor told the Tar Heels it would be a waste of time. In his mind, he was pretty sure he would choose UConn.
`
I have Emeka rated as the 106th best player in the nation right now, but his stock has risen so much in the past year, he'll easily be in the top 100,'' Gibbons said. `It doesn't matter what number he'll be. If he's top 100, he's top 100. I'm sure UConn won't care. They are getting a great player no matter where he's rated. That's a nice catch for them.''
