McGary Has UConn Options; Cummins to Harvard

The defending national champs have a scholarship to give.

Some player currently on a high school or prep campus could be a member of the defending champion UConn Huskies in a matter of days or weeks.

“We’re operating right now on 10 scholarships,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said recently in New York. “We can add one more and we plan to.”

Toward that end, UConn offered 6-foot-10, 255-pound Brewster big man Mitch McGary — currently a member of the Class of 2012 — and gave him the option of enrolling in 2011 or 2012.

The No. 2 power forward in the Class of 2012, McGary may well opt to  remain in 2012, but the fact that UConn is giving him the choice means they think highly of him.

“He has such a high ceiling because he has legit size and he’s pretty skilled and he plays really hard and competes,” Brewster Academy coach Jason Smith told Dave Telep of ESPN.com. “He’s been really physical during our workouts this spring.”

The Indiana native told Telep he holds offers from Arizona, Texas, Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Florida State, UConn, Louisville, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Kentucky and Kansas.

CUMMINS TO HARVARD

Evan Cummins became the latest product of Northfield (Mass.) Mount Hermon to commit to the Ivy League on Tuesday.

Cummins, a 6-8, 210-pound forward from the Class of 2012, chose the Crimson while on an unofficial to the school.

“Evan’s athletic, has a very, very high IQ and is very skilled,” NMH coach John Carroll said by phone.

“He’s a combination of a number of players that they have in one player. He can shoot 3’s, can play with his back to the basket, is a very, very good passer and he defends.”

Cummins averaged 6.5 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks for an NMH team that finished 21-9 and reached the National Prep Championship quarterfinals.

Notre Dame, Northwestern, Davidson, St. Joe’s and the rest of the Ivy League offered, Carroll said.

Next year, NMH will have 30 players in the Division 1 ranks, including 11 in the Ivy League. Over the past five years, 16 NMH players have committed to the Ivy League.

The only Ivy League teams without an NMH player next season? Penn and Princeton.

“There aren’t a lot of places where high end student-athletes can pursue basketball,” Carroll said of NMH.

FREE THROWS

2012 point guard Kareem Canty confirmed he will visit Xavier beginning Thursday. He said Seton Hall, Miami, Providence, Tennessee and Oklahoma were also involved…Memphis coach Josh Pastner recommended that Damon Stoudamire join his staff. The decision is pending approval.

(Photo courtesy National Hoops Report)