Report: Noah Vonleh Trims List To 6 – Including UConn [ESPN.com]

Noah Vonleh, 6-foot-8, 220-pound power forward from Massachusetts, has cut his list down to six, his current coach, Pete Hutchins, told ESPN’s Dave Telep, and UConn has made the cut.

The six are: Indiana, Ohio State, Syracuse, Georgetown, North Carolina and UConn. The significant point here is that UConn is the only New England school on the list, so the Huskies have some hope that if Vonleh decides to stay close to home – as many do when all is said and done – he would choose Storrs,  roughly a two-hour drive from Haverhill, Mass.

UConn has been after Vonleh, who recently reclassified from Class of 2014 to 13, for a long time and he has made unofficial visits. He went to Syracuse for their First Night on Oct. 12, but the Huskies hope to host him for an official visit soon. They have made a home visit.

Hutchins, coach at New Hampton Prep, told Telep:

         “Noah is obviously aware of the history and tradition at Connecticut and he saw some

          of that firsthand at their [First Night in 2011]. … Kevin Ollie’s a very dynamic person

          and coach, and he’s done a good job relating to Noah and everyone in his corner believes

           they’ll do a great job. As a local school, if Noah decides to not go away far from home,

            Noah thinks they would be a great choice.”

Click here to read Dave Telep’s entire post on ESPN.com 

Another key to this, as with most all elite players UConn is targeting, is the timetable on which Vonleh wants to make his decision. If he wants to sign in November, UConn would be risky because of Ollie’s short-term contract. If he waits until spring, by which time UConn’s coaching situation will be settled, and if Ollie indeed has a long-term deal, UConn would have a much better chance.

Brandon Austin, a small forward from Imhotep Charter School in the Philly area, is still expected to visit UConn this weekend. He was at Providence last weekend.