HARTFORD, Conn. _ RJ Cole has completed the paperwork and officially joined the UConn men's basketball program Friday.
Cole, a 6-foot-1 guard who is transferring from Howard University, announced Tuesday he was coming to UConn, after completing his two-day visit to campus, but now that he has signed his athletics aid agreement, coaches can comment:
"We couldn't be more pleased to add a student-athlete of RJ's talent, maturity and character to our program," coach Dan Hurley said, in a statement released by UConn. "His on-court skills will be a tremendous help, especially for our young guards, during practice this season and his influence in the locker room and off the court will be just as important. Then, obviously, we expect him to have a huge impact the following season. He is a quality young man."
Cole, who averaged 22.5 points and 6.2 assists at Howard, scored over 1,000 points in two seasons. He was the MEAC's player of the year in 2017-18. He will have to sit out next season, by transfer rules, and will then be eligible for two more seasons, beginning in 2020-21.
He joins guards James Bouknight and Jalen Gaffney and forward Akok Akok as newcomers in Hurley's second season as Huskies coach. Cole played for Hurley's father, Bob Sr., at St. Anthony's High in Jersey City. As a junior, Cole led St. Anthony's to a 32-0 season. As a senior, he finished with a 4.0 GPA and was salutatorian of his graduating class.
All of UConn's scholarships for next season are taken, but if one does open up, the coaches could add another player, such as Charles Coleman, a 7-foot center who de-committed from Wake Forest this week. Coleman made an unofficial visit to UConn two years ago. Meanwhile, Precious Achiuwa, a five-star forward in whom UConn had invested a lot of recruiting effort, announced his decision to go to another AAC program, Memphis, on Friday.
