Five-star recruit Akok Akok committed to UConn after years of recruiting and attending Huskies games. (Photo courtesy of Akok Akok’s Twitter account, _akok11)
After two years of recruitment, five-star forward Akok Akok announced his commitment to UConn Saturday afternoon.
He will enroll at UConn during the semester break and redshirt the spring semester, and will be ready to play in Fall 2019, he told 247sports.com.
“I’ve known these guys for a long time now and I trust them,” Akok told 247sports.com. “They have a huge support system and they’ll lead me to my future goals and I can help them to their future goals.”
There was much speculation as to whether Akok would enroll in college or choose to play professionally. Akok attended a post-graduate semester at Putnam Science Academy this fall and announced his withdrawal on Nov. 24 with the intention of enrolling in college.
Aside from UConn, Akok also held offers from Syracuse, Georgetown, Pittsburgh and Providence. The 6-foot-10 forward is ranked No. 40 in the ESPN top 100 and is also ranked at the No. 10 center in the 2019 class, according to ESPN.
After taking official visits to the campus on the weekend of Oct. 12 for First Night, he then attended UConn’s game against Cornell at the XL Center in Hartford.
Akok has a versatile skill set, able to block shots, post up and shoot from distance. He is sure to figure into head coach Dan Hurley’s long-term plans at UConn, a team that has been without a truly dynamic big man for some time.
“Akok is an explosive talent… who can hit the three, swat away shots and dunk— tickle everyone’s basketball fancy,” Hearst Media columnist Jeff Jacobs told the Daily Campus in October.
Akok joins guards James Bouknight and Jalen Gaffney in Hurley’s first full recruiting class as head coach.
Luke Swanson is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at luke.swanson@uconn.edu.