The UConn men’s basketball program landed its first commitment in the 2025 class on Monday.
Darius Adams, a four-star shooting guard from Manasquan, N.J. and La Lumiere School in Indiana, announced his decision to join Dan Hurley and the back-to-back champion Huskies during a 247Sports livestream on Monday evening. He unzipped his hoodie to reveal UConn as his choice over Michigan State and Tennessee.
“First and foremost, it’s close to home. And then the coaching staff, loved being around them. Their intensity in practice I really like, I want to be pushed hard I want to earn something, so I think I will do that (at UConn),” Adams said on the stream, surrounded by his family.
“Everyone has the same goal there. They want to get better, and I want to put myself in that position. (Dan Hurley) makes his players better, the way he gets his players open is amazing, honestly, and I’m excited for it.”
Adams is ranked No. 19 in the Class of 2025 by both ESPN and the 247Sports composite ranking, which has him ranked the fourth-best shooting guard in the class.
At 6-feet-5, Adams is similar in height to former Huskies guards Tristen Newton, Jordan Hawkins and Stephon Castle, but still has room to grow physically.
Competition for minutes in full swing as UConn men’s basketball holds first official day of practice
247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein described Adams as “a skilled and smooth guard with good positional size at 6-foot-5 and an instinctive feel for the game. He’s a multi-dimensional scoring threat who can make threes and mid-range pull-ups in a variety of different ways.”
“I would say (UConn fans) are getting a fierce competitor that’s willing to do anything to win, and they’re gonna just have to sit back and wait and see,” Adams said.
Hurley and the UConn coaching staff made multiple trips to see Adams during the EYBL season this summer, where he averaged 15 points per game on 40% shooting from the floor, 32% from 3, and 59% from the free throw line, according to Finkelstein, who noted that he is widely considered a better shooter than the numbers suggest.
“Overall, Adams is a skilled, smooth, smart, has good size, and his best basketball still in front of him as he continues to make strides physically,” Finkelstein’s scouting report concluded.
UConn was also included in the final three schools for Braylon Mullins, another touted shooting guard, and has targeted top-10 guard Meleek Thomas and four-star guard Acaden Lewis. The Huskies are also in the mix for big men Eric Reibe and Niko Bundalo.
