Whytoprecruit Ahmad Nowell committed to UConn men's basketball team: 'Everything I really wanted'
Jul. 24—"It was pretty cool, for me to be on their minds right after winning," Nowell noted.
On Sunday afternoon, UConn was on Nowell's mind, becoming the second Class of 2024 player to commit to the Huskies.
"When I was going down the list of everything I wanted in college, they checked all the boxes: Playing style, the coach at the school, the relationships, the player development, and everything I really wanted," Nowell said by phone. "They checked it all."
Nowell was born in Tennessee but has lived in Philly just about all his life. He helped lead Imhotep Charter to its second straight 5A Pennsylvania state title this past season, teaming with national top-5 recruit and Kentucky commit Justin Edwards.
Nowell is the No. 36 overall 2024 prospect in the nation, per 247Sports.com's composite rankings. He is considered a physical guard who is strong at both ends, with a defensive game that should fit well under Hurley.
"I think I'm a point guard that can play off the ball and shoot the ball really well," he said. "I play really well off the pick-and-roll. I have the shooting ability, but also can guard the best player from the 1 to the 3."
He is the Huskies' second 2024 commit, following Virginia small forward Isaiah Abraham, who is No. 74 in 247Sports.com's rankings.
Nowell chose UConn over Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Tennessee. In UConn's last recruiting win, Abraham picked the Huskies over Marquette, Providence and Virginia Tech
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Villanova also recruited Nowell, and now he'll be able to visit his hometown at least once a year to play the Wildcats.
Assuming, of course, that UConn doesn't move to the Big 12. Nowell said that was never mentioned in the Huskies' recruiting pitch.
Asked which UConn players he's looking forward to playing with, Nowell simply said: "Everybody. I feel like I have a great ability of making players better."
For now, Nowell is looking forward to his senior season of high school as his school bids for third state title in a row.
"I'm looking to have a big season, hopefully move up the rankings a good amount, make the McDonald's game, and a couple of accomplishments I have (in mind)."
Nowell made his announcement Sunday afternoon at The City Athletics Sports Facility in North Philadelphia, sitting next to his mother Teneka Greer and in front of about 200 family and friends.
"Ahmad is the kind of kid who is an ultra-competitor and a great teammate, he's always had a maturity beyond his years," Imhotep coach Andre Noble told the site cityofbasketballlove.com. "His physical build does make him look like an NFL running back. Think about it. He's 17. His work ethic, from what I see, is incredible. I've been doing this for a long, long time and I've had guys who have worked as hard as Ahmad, but no one who has worked harder.
"The other thing about Ahmad is he's always been very thoughtful. This is 100-percent his team. We've talked to him about that. Ahmad has always been very good at making everyone around him better. We have some good young guys back, and some guys who are seniors joining him, but he's going to have to stir that drink and help us win some games."