The University of Connecticut has landed a commitment from Jayden Ross, a late-blooming forward from the Team Melo EYBL program, who announced his decision in a 247 Sports exclusive interview.

“It’s one of those things, I went on the visit and everything just made sense for me. It’s just a place I could tell I wanted to be at,” Ross said. “I have a lot of family up there that I really haven’t been able to see and I feel like it’s a good fit for me academically. Being able to get a degree from UConn is something I want to take advantage of.”

“I feel like I’ve got a good connection with the coaches, Coach Hurley and Coach Murray. I had a great time up there with them and the system that they play in I feel like works best for me. All their players are great people, great people. I had a chance to speak with some of them and they all just seem so happy to be there. They really do produce. I feel like it’s the best chance for me to develop into the player I want to be. You can just see by the players they put in the NBA and the games they win, the national championships. It’s all right there. It’s hard to deny.”

Ross began his high school career as just a 5-foot-8 freshman, but has grown to 6-foot-7 in the last two-and-a-half years.

He landed his first scholarship offer in April of his sophomore year, just as the grassroots basketball world was returning, but saw his recruitment first start to go to the high-major level at last year’s EYBL Finals at the Nike Peach Jam.

One of the first coaches to take notice, was Hurley himself, and the Huskies have been following him ever since.

Full Scouting Report

Not unlike most late-bloomers, Ross’ best basketball is clearly still in front of him. He shows glimpses of what’s to come – extending through the lane with long strides, rising up for smooth pull-ups, and competing on the defensive end of the floor – but is not yet a finished product.

There is a clear foundation though for a versatile forward who could be capable of playing and defending multiple positions down the road, already poses a scoring threat at all three levels, a good general understanding of the game and how to operate within structure on both ends of the floor.

Physically, it’s very possible he’s still growing. Even if not, he’s clearly still just growing into his body after having sprouted up so quickly in recent years, and yet already exceptionally smooth and fluid.

How he fits

Ross joins Stephon Castle to become the second prospect to commit to the Huskies in what is expected to be a large 2023 recruiting class as UConn has multiple returning players who are expected to attract NBA interest next year including Andre Jackson, Jordan Hawkins, and Adama Sanogo.

Ross and Castle are both multi-positional, so they provide flexibility as Hurley and his staff continue to build out the rest of the class. Ross should be capable of playing both forward spots as he continues to fill-out, while Castle is versatile enough to offer minutes at all three perimeter positions given his combination of positional size and playmaking ability.

UConn has also targeted Solomon Ball, Scotty Middleton, Taison Chatman, and Isaiah Miranda among others in the class of 2023.