Does Top UConn Target Prefer Kansas? 'Not So Fast,' Says New Report
The UConn Huskies under Dan Hurley know how to turn a seven-footer into an NBA center.
Donovan Clingan of the Portland Trail Blazers serves as glaring evidence to that fact, as Clingan was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft straight out of Storrs.
Now, UConn and Hurley have their sights set on another seven-foot stud in Eric Reibe out of Potomac, Maryland, who is arguably the best center prospect in the 2025 class.
Not surprisingly, Reibe has other suitors, and enticing ones at that.
Kansas and Creighton are reportedly strong contenders for Reibe, which means that UConn will have to pull out all the stops to land him.
On Monday, Locked On UConn’s Mark Zanetto reported that Kansas is currently the frontrunner for Reibe.
“Kansas is dedicating their time … on Eric Reibe, who UConn also loves,” Zanetto said.
“But KU seems to be in the driver’s seat there. … KU’s still perceived (to be) the leader for Reibe.”
Despite Kansas and Bill Self allegedly owning the upper hand, UConn continues to make Reibe a huge priority in their recruiting efforts, and the interest appears to be mutual, as Reibe recently took his official visit to Storrs.
There’s also the possibility that the Reibe-Kansas connection has been exaggerated.
One day after Zanetto alluded to Kansas leading in the Reibe sweepstakes, Zanetto spoke with Stock Risers’ Jake Weingarten, who offered a different perspective. Weingarten reported that Hurley and his staff visited Reibe directly after being hosted at the White House for UConn’s title celebration, a gesture that made an impression on Reibe.
“Not so fast on the Kansas stuff,” Weingarten said. “The White House visit stood out (to Reibe).”
Weingarten also pointed out that Creighton will have a great pitch for Reibe based on the success of Ryan Kalkbrenner.
All in all, the race for Reibe continues on, and UConn is very much still in the running.
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COLIN KEANE
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org