James Bouknight Commits to UConn
Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies have their first 2019 recruit, as James Bouknight has announced that he’ll be heading to Storrs.
The 6’4”, four-star shooting guard narrowed his list down to five schools on August 10th, with UConn, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Miami and VCU making the cut. Nearly a month and a half later, a time period which included a visit to Storrs, he’s decided that UConn is the best fit, providing a great start to Hurley’s 2019 recruiting class.
The New York native is ranked 16th in the country among shooting guards by Rivals and in the top-100 on every scouting site. He can shoot from range and has great athleticism around the rim, making him a well-rounded piece for an incoming class that still has a few openings. Given that this is the first piece of his first full recruiting class, new Husky head coach Dan Hurley has to feel good about this one.
After making the top-five, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the Huskies were able to land him, but Bouknight had been keeping things close to the vest throughout his recruitment. After a late-July showcase where he dropped a ridiculous 33 points, he implied that his decision was far from finalized.
“I like UConn a lot, but I still haven’t decided to make any decisions yet. I’m just keeping my recruitment wide open.”
Bouknight had his official visit this past Friday. Speaking with rivals.com, he cited excellent coaching and a winning tradition as major factors in his decision. But it seems that assistant coach Kimani Young played the biggest role, as he first developed a connection with James while coaching in his previous stop at Minnesota.
“I built a relationship with Coach Kimani when he was at Minnesota. That relationship grew when they both (Kimani and Hurley) came to UConn. They stayed in touch with me throughout my injury process and that meant a lot to me and my family. We trusted them.”
Bouknight tore his meniscus in January, leaving some concerned about his future. However, that concern was washed away with his Live Period performances. James was back to his old self by mid-summer and erased any questions surrounding his long-term health.
With Jalen Adams set to graduate after this season, there will be plenty of opportunity for Bouknight to make an early impact upon his arrival. Barring any changes, he’ll be joining Brendan Adams, Christian Vital, and potentially Alterique Gilbert in what could be a formidable backcourt.
"The Rivals150 guard will be leaned upon for his shooting abilities," Corey Evans of Rivals said. "He can also slide over onto the ball and playmake in spurts but it is his toughness and three-level scoring skills that should enable for a smooth transition to the college level."
UConn fans were eagerly anticipating the first returns on Dan Hurley's recruiting. This is a great first step. In terms of where UConn is looking next, Jalen Gaffney appears to be another high-level recruit that's close, and Evans has some additional thoughts.
"The Huskies remain heavily involved with Precious Achiuwa, Akok Akok, Jalen Gaffney, Al-Amir Dawes, Tre Mitchell and Qudus Wahab as they attempt to patch together a nationally recognized recruiting class."
