Flagg at Half-Staff in Storrs

The Story: The UConn men didn’t get top recruit Cooper Flagg, but Dan Hurley isn’t making any excuses on the recruiting trail about the Huskies’ expectations.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Flagg picked Duke yesterday morning as coach Jon Scheyer builds another elite recruiting class, but the Huskies gave the Blue Devils a run for their money and, according to reports, made it closer than anyone thought possible.

• Does that make us feel better? Not really. Flagg is a generational talent, and we would have enjoyed having him in Storrs for six months before he becomes the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Oh well. We’ll take the national titles.

• Hurley, who cannot speak about Flagg specifically, did note during the annual tip-off breakfast at the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce that UConn has historically recruited players ranked No. 30-100, and that’s where the bulk of their team and even NBA players come from.

• Another interesting note, per Hurley, is that the most likely recruits to pick UConn are those making pure basketball decisions. If there are marketing, agent, NIL or other factors, they don’t favor the Huskies.

WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “UConn is second to no other program in college basketball. We don’t decide who we get, but no one should be off the board, relative to whether they should be considering us. We do it, right now, as good as anybody.”

UCONN’S 2024 RECRUITNG: UConn has been in the mix for the top guys in Flagg and others, but have not nailed a top-15 recruit. It’s not like what they have is low quality, however.

• UConn has guard Ahmed Nowell, a top-30 point guard from Philadelphia, and Isaiah Abraham, a top-75 forward, as part of its recruiting class. That’s coming off a top-three recruiting class this year.

BOTTOM LINE: Recruiting is the lifeblood of all programs, and the Class of 2024 has questions. We can assume that Donovan Clingan and likely Stephon Castle are headed to the NBA, and Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer will be gone after exhausting their eligibility.

• Alex Karaban could return, along with perhaps the balance of UConn’s recruiting class this year, minus Castle. Perhaps Samson Johnson can step into a full-time role as a senior. The Huskies will also look at the transfer portal, but it’s so far out and too soon to panic.

• And, just in case you haven’t noticed, UConn is going to be one of the favorites to reach the Final Four again this year.

— John Silver (john@uconndaily.com)

WNBA Can Wait: Fudd ‘Staying’ at UConn

The Story: Azzi Fudd removed any doubts about her future at UConn yesterday, saying she plans on “staying” in Storrs beyond the upcoming season instead of entering the WNBA draft.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Fudd, a junior with two more years of eligibility, could turn pro after the season because she turns 21 next month. But as she told UConn great Rebecca Lobo in a post on X, “Why would I want to leave the Basketball Capital of the World?”

.@UConnWBB junior @azzi_35 is eligible for the 2024 @WNBA draft. What are her plans? She was definitive when I asked her. pic.twitter.com/6M5mMVTkyp

— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) October 30, 2023

MORE WORK TO DO: Big expectations have followed Fudd ever since she arrived at UConn as the nation’s No. 1 recruit. Last week, the 5-foot-11 guard received dual honors as an AP Preseason All-America honorable mention and a Preseason All-Big East selection.

• Arguably the best pure shooter in the women’s game, she averaged 15.1 points per game last season, but only played in 15 games due to a knee injury.

DYNAMIC DUO: UConn fans have been waiting for Fudd and Paige Bueckers to form one of the nation’s most lethal backcourt tandems, yet they have only appeared together in 15 of a possible 73 games over the past two seasons.

• With both players healthy, Geno Auriemma almost can’t contain his excitement about the possibilities with Fudd on the court alongside two playmakers like Bueckers and Nika Muhl.

• Envisioning the shooting opportunities for Fudd, who’s a career 38.8 percent shooter from 3-point range, Auriemma said he is “the happiest person on campus right now.”

UP NEXT: The first look at Fudd and company comes Saturday when the women play an exhibition game against Southern Connecticut State at Gampel Pavilion at 1 p.m. The season opener is only eight days away — Nov. 8 vs. Dayton at the XL Center.

— David Kull (david@uconndaily.com)

Top photo: Dan Hurley during the season-opening win over Stonehill. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)