NEW YORK – UConn men’s basketball‘s incoming recruits are ready for the challenge that will come as Dan Hurley and the Huskies restart their climb after the program’s historic NCAA Tournament winning streak came to an end in the Round of 32 last week.
“It’s just something that Coach Hurley is going to harp on every single day, that they didn’t win that third (NCAA Championship) in a row and he wants to prove something,” said Braylon Mullins, the five-star headliner of the Huskies’ highly-touted 2025 class. “He wants us to win three out of four.”
Mullins was seated next to one of future teammates, 7-footer Eric Reibe, as they took part in Media Day ahead of the McDonald’s All American Game in Brooklyn Tuesday night. Darius Adams, the third All American in the class, sat in the same spot once their time was finished.
The trio – the most McDonald’s All American recruits UConn’s ever had in a single class – makes up a quarter of the 12-man East roster that will take to the Barclays Center court in the annual high school all-star game (9 p.m. ESPN).
The last few days practicing and scrimmaging together have given them a head start on the bonding that will pick up over the summer.
“It’s fun playing when me, Eric and Darius are on the same team,” Mullins said. “It shows a little preview for what’s gonna happen at UConn. It’s exciting, really, just to be able to build a little bit of a bond before we go play.”
Top 25 recruit Eric Reibe on joining UConn: ‘I’m happy to be a (bleeping) Husky’
“Being able to talk to them actually in person and not just on Instagram,” has been the highlight of the week so far for Adams, the 26th-ranked player in the class. “They’re easy to play with already just because they’re such good players. It’s gonna make it easier, for sure, for next year.”
When Stephon Castle played in the same event in 2023, and Liam McNeeley in 2024, UConn was still preparing for the Final Four and, ultimately, winning back-to-back national titles. Now starting the climb over again, these incoming freshmen are prepared to be challenged.
“I just see it as extra motivation just to work harder,” said Reibe, the 7-footer ranked by ESPN as the second-best center in the 2025 class.
Reibe is a more versatile offensive option at center than the Huskies have had in recent years. The Germany native started developing his shooting ability when he was eight years old and can score at all three levels, opening a number of doors in UConn’s complex, screen-heavy offense.
“How UConn and Coach Hurley used Donovan Clingan on the offensive side, giving hand-offs, rolling, doing all of that kind of stuff, I can see myself in that position,” he said. Clingan, of course, wasn’t allowed to shoot much from the outside while he wore a UConn uniform. The approach should be a bit different for Reibe.
“He’s the type of guy to get it off the defensive glass and lead the break. He’s a guy that will bury 3s, post-up. He can, top of the key, quarterback your offense as a hub there,” Hurley said, gushing over the “monster class” after all four – Australian guard Jacob Furphy included – officially signed in November.
Asked to describe Mullins’ game, Reibe was blown away by his shooting ability. Mullins was recently named Indiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year, averaging 32.9 points per game for his Greenfield-Central High School team.
“I mean, obviously he’s one of the best shooters in the country,” Reibe said. “He can just catch anywhere and just shoot. In transition, he can pull up, but he’s also very athletic, some nice dunks. I think people underestimate how high he can jump.”
Mullins and Adams are both bigger guards at 6-foot-5, which should benefit them in the UConn system where they’ll be asked to read defenses and throw lob passes in addition to shooting the 3-ball – a skill they each have at an elite level. Adams sees himself playing either the point guard or shooting guard position for the Huskies, wherever he can help the team.
“I wanted to help them so bad, like, I wanted to be in that spot,” he said of watching UConn’s tournament loss to No. 1 seed Florida. “I kind of felt the pain too.”
Adams has been working on his defense and is focused on getting stronger so he can hold up in Big East play. But he, like his future teammates, has the skill set to fit perfectly in the Huskies’ offense. “He does annoying things on the court, he makes annoying shots, it’s like, ‘How did he hit that?’” said Jalen Haralson, another All-American and a Notre Dame commit who was asked to describe his high school teammate.
“Dan Hurley’s offense, it’s one of a kind, obviously. Just the way he gets players open, it’s dangerous for sure,” Adams said. “I guess I’m a ‘shooter’ as they would say, but just being able to do that and being able to dribble, pass, shooting and also playmaking, it just creates open opportunities for other people.
“Me and Braylon, it’s really gonna be hard to stop us.”
UConn will continue to fill out its 2025-26 roster with older, more experienced players out of the transfer portal, but Hurley and the Huskies remain focused on balancing that with high school talent they can develop. And this 2025 class is their best yet.
“We really needed to replenish high-end, high-end talent,” Hurley said, “and these guys are all high-end, high-end talent.”
Originally Published: March 31, 2025 at 5:20 PM EDT
