Dan Hurley knew he was going to be busy looking for a big man this offseason with Tarris Reed Jr. graduating and the sport trending toward dominant front lines. Then Eric Reibe surprised many when he decided to enter the transfer portal and the Huskies’ needs at the center position became dire.
Enter Najai Hines, the former Seton Hall freshman standout who looks like he was built in a Hurley factory and grew up about 25 miles from Jersey City in Plainfield, N.J.
Hines’ commitment to UConn Wednesday night was critical as the Huskies’ roster for the 2026-27 season starts to take shape.
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‘Baby Shaq’
At 6-foot-10, 265 pounds, Hines carried the “Baby Shaq” nickname into his freshman season at Seton Hall. His nicknames, according to his Seton Hall player profile, also include “Big Jah” and “Terminator.”
All were fitting as the front court powerhouse – who models his game after Shaquille O’Neal and Giannis Antetokounmpo – introduced himself to college basketball last season. He had six blocks in his first college game against Saint Peter’s, and had seven in his fourth game against Monmouth. Hines – one of 14 children in his family – held his own against the toughest competition in the Big East, averaging 10.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks over two games against Reed and the Huskies, and reaching double figures with five rebounds twice against Zuby Ejiofor and St. John’s.
Another football prospect
Before he moved back to New Jersey ahead of his senior basketball season at Plainfield High, Hines was first a three-star football prospect out of South Garner High in North Carolina. Extremely athletic and mobile for his size, he received at least 10 scholarship offers to play tight end at power conference schools like Houston, West Virginia and South Carolina.
Of the five players confirmed to be on the Huskies’ roster as of Thursday afternoon, three are former football prospects. Both Silas Demary Jr. and incoming freshman Colben Landrew received football offers before they chose to focus on hoops in high school.
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Peach Jam riser
Hines was a top-75 recruit nationally and the No. 1 player coming out of New Jersey when he reclassified and chose Seton Hall over offers from Kansas, Indiana, NC State and Rutgers, among others. He averaged 18.6 points and 16.9 rebounds in his senior season at Plainfield, but really solidified himself on the scene at Peach Jam last summer when he went for 13.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks across eight games, leading his NY Rens to the finals.
“I’m very dominant,” Hines said then, according to Zagsblog. “I pride myself in that. I’m very rebound and back-to-basket oriented. I can shoot, which not many people know that because most of the time I’m back-to-basket. But I know where I’m needed, and I know what I need to do on this team to win.”
Perfect fit in Hurley mold
Adama Sanogo. Tarris Reed Jr. Najai Hines. It isn’t hard to identify the traits that Hurley is looking for in a big man. Hines is bigger than Sanogo, about the same size as Reed, but he has the touch and finishing skills around the basket that helped Sanogo to be named Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four in 2023. He relates to Reed more on the defensive end, where he wasn’t afraid to guard all over the court and ranked No. 2 nationally in block percentage, averaging 2.2 denials a game.
His physical dominance and rebounding presence can be related to both. Hines averaged 5.5 rebounds in just 18 minutes per game at Seton Hall last season with 2.4 per game coming on the offensive glass and often leading to put back dunks. He ranked 19th in the country in offensive rebound rate (15.3%) and No. 183 at the defensive end (19.9%).
How many minutes can the Huskies get out of him?
UConn will still need to add a backup to continue its strategy of having a two-headed monster at the center position. Hurley typically likes to have height complimenting his bruiser.
Hines, one of the top options in the portal, figures to fill the starting role. That has meant anywhere from 19 to 27 minutes per game for UConn’s starting centers over the last four seasons. The main area holding Hines back was a propensity for fouling in his freshman season. He averaged 5.2 fouls per 40 minutes and came one away from disqualification in six games despite his limited role coming off the bench. But Reed dealt with similar concerns before making foul trouble a non-issue in the NCAA Tournament.
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