Decisions are starting to come in from the 2026 high school basketball recruiting class.
Connecticut’s top in-state recruit, Notre Dame-West Haven’s Abdou Toure, is set to make his decision on Friday after announcing UConn, Arkansas and Providence as his final three.
Signs point to the top-35 recruit and West Haven native leaving the state.
Dan Hurley and the UConn coaches like Toure, a high-flying 6-foot-6, 185-pound wing with good upside ranked No. 31 nationally by ESPN and No. 34 by 247Sports. But even though they spent time with him as he grew as a prospect this summer, he wasn’t among the six players who were invited to Storrs for an official visit this cycle.
That list includes Spanish 7-footer Sayon Keita (Aug. 2), 6-5 point guard Dylan Mingo (Sept. 5), 6-7 wing Cole Cloer (Sept. 12) and 6-6 wing Qayden Samuels (Sept. 19). Junior County, a 6-4 guard who is touted for his three-level scoring ability, basketball IQ and competitive, physical defense, came for his official visit this past weekend. Colben Landrew, a 6-6 wing with great size and shooting ability ranked in the top 30 nationally, is set to make his trip to Storrs this weekend.
As for Toure, there are a number of factors in this age of name, image and likeness compensation – and what is essentially a salary cap with the new revenue share – that play into his recruitment.
Expecting to retain a number of players from this year’s roster, UConn couldn’t honestly offer Toure the same immediate role as a freshman that figures to be available for him at a school like Providence, which reportedly made him an in-home visit on Monday and has received a “crystal ball” prediction from 247Sports. With the amount of resources available for John Calipari at Arkansas, the Razorbacks have also presumably had a greater ability to prioritize the Connecticut product.
UConn plans to designate a chunk of its money for high school players who will make an impact right away, and therefore can’t afford to pay high six-figures or even seven for a player who may not see much time on the court in his first year. The Huskies also have to keep in mind the transfer portal in addition to the retention of their own players; both of which figure to make up a good portion of the revenue share dollars in building the 2026-27 roster.
As much as Hurley and staff would love to keep Connecticut’s top prospect in the state, there are schools who appear positioned to have him as a higher priority leading into his announcement on Friday, Oct. 3, at Notre Dame High School.
Originally Published: September 30, 2025 at 2:27 PM EDT
