STORRS, Conn. — UConn men’s basketball officially signed its four-member freshman Class of 2025 this week, as head coach Dan Hurley will welcome another highly talented group to Storrs next year.
Every major recruiting evaluation system has UConn’s incoming class ranked in the top three nationally, making it the program’s second top five class in three years.
The 2025 freshmen will include guard Darius Adams from New Jersey, guard Jacob Furphy from Australia, guard Braylon Mullins from Indiana and center Eric Reibe from Germany.
In a release from the UConn Division of Athletics, Hurley praised his staff for doing a tremendous job recruiting. He specifically thanked coaches Luke Murray and Kimani Young for their efforts before shifting focus to the incoming players.
“We are welcoming four high-level men to our program who will fit seamlessly with our culture,” Hurley said. “They are intelligent, hard-working, well-coached and disciplined young men with well-rounded skillsets that will help us continue to compete for and win championships.”
In a press conference on Wednesday, Hurley said that the group of new players is serious about basketball and will represent the program’s values. He compared the players to recent UConn champions and NBA first-round draft picks Jordan Hawkins, Steph Castle and Donovan Clingan, predicting that they too will leave for the pros early.
“I mean, these are guys who are not going to be here very long,” Hurley said.
Adams is ranked as the No. 19 recruit in the nation by ESPN and is a consensus top 25 prospect, which earned him five-star designation. Furphy is considered one of the top international players available, while Mullins is a consensus top 20 prospect who is ranked as a five-star recruit by 247. Reibe is a consensus top 30 recruit and is one of the top centers in his class. Hurley says they all shoot well.
“Obviously, shooting is at a premium, and they’re all super snipers, all four of them, but the shooting, the passing, the versatility positionally…It’s a monster class,” Hurley said.
Darius Adams
Adams is a 6-5 guard from Manasquan, N.J., who currently plays prep ball at La Lumiere School in Portage, Ind. after spending his first two seasons at Manasquan High School.
Last season, as a junior, Adams led La Lumiere to a 23-5 record, and his team is ranked in the top 10 nationally entering his senior season. Adams also plays with PSA Cardinals on the club level and scored more than 15 points per game most recently playing in the summer EYBL circuit.
“Darius comes in with all the pedigree and the character that we love in our people,” Hurley said in the UConn Division of Athletics release. “Great basketball family, the type of skill and size at the guard spot that has gotten us where we are. Excellent offensive player who can score at all three levels, big-time shooter.”
Adam Finkelstein, director of Scouting for 247, described Adams as a skilled and smooth guard with good positional size 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,” Finkelstein said, noting he can shoot off the dribble and by spotting up.
According to Finkelstein, Adams can make reads with the ball and is a reliable passer, who is strong defensively and has good hands and intellect.
“Where there is untapped potential is his frame and the amount of sheer force he plays with,” Finklestein said.
Jacob Furphy
A native of Tasmania, Australia, Furphy is a 6-6 guard who attends the NBAL Global Academy and has experience with the Australian National Team. He most recently played for the Australia U18 squad at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup, where he scored 16.2 points with 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. During that stretch, Furphy shot 46.4% from behind the arc, helping Australia earn a gold medal.
“Furph’s going to be a fan favorite,” Hurley said. “He’s going to be someone that UConn Nation is going to fall in love with. His toughness, his competitiveness, his skill and his mentality…he’s a dog.”
Finkelstein describes Furphy as a highly skilled and extremely cerebral facilitating type of wing. His offense is better than his defense at this point, but Finklestein said he is tough and competitive with untapped potential if he improves his conditioning.
“He’s an ideal connector who thrives in offensive structure with his ability to shoot from long range, make reads and high-level passes,” Finkelstein said. “He has definite gravity as a floor-spacer but is also dangerous as a secondary pick-and-roll option. He’s physically strong and not a terrible vertical athlete.”
Braylon Mullins
Braylon Mullins comes from Greenfield, Ind. and plays at Greenfield-Central High School in his hometown. As a junior last season, Mullins averaged 25 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game for Greenfield-Central while shooting 43% from behind the arc. Mullins also played with Indiana Elite 17U on the 3SSB circuit.
“An explosive player. A big-time talent who comes from a great basketball state, son of a former big-time player, so it’s in his DNA,” Hurley said. “He’s got off-the-charts shooting, incredible athleticism at the rim and [is] a guy that is going to continue this run of incredible guards that come here and are great players.”
Finklestein said that Mullins is one of the best long-range high school shooters in the country, noting that he knocked down 47% of his attempts from behind the arc in 3SSB play, making more than six threes per game. Mullins is also a threat to make shots in transition, off screens and off the dribble.
According to Finklestein, Mullins has good feel for the game and is a solid passer, a dangerous cutter and the type of off ball weapon that coaches will run plays for. He is also a strong athlete that shoots well on two-point field goal attempts and can dunk hard with only several steps of separation.
“The other area of the game in which Mullins is a true standout is on the defensive end,” Finklestein said. “He’s quick laterally, very active with his hands (1.4 steals per game) and competitive with a scrappy mentality. He’s also not afraid to stick his nose into traffic and pull out some rebounds on both ends of the floor.”
Finklestein went on to give Mullins an ultimate compliment.
“The bottom line is that when you have an elite shooter, capable of getting hot at any point, who is also a standout defender, with positional size, solid athleticism and a competitive mentality…you have an elite national prospect,” Finklestein said.
Eric Reibe
Reibe [pronounced rye-buh] is a 7-0 center from Hanover, Germany who plays prep ball at The Bullis School in Potomac, Md. He also spent time with Orange Academy Ulm in the German ProB. Over the last two seasons, Reibe has led his school to a 53-8 record. He also has represented the Germany National Team at several different levels, including the U18 team most recently.
“What a UConn type of guy,” Hurley said. “With competitiveness and his work ethic along with his passion for the game, he is going to become a fan favorite quickly. He brings an advanced skillset to the center position. Offensively, he’s so far ahead of the game. A seven-footer with that combination of size and skill; he’s going to be an impact player.”
Finklestein described the southpaw as one of the most skilled big men in the national class, complimenting him on his naturally sturdy build.
“He can dribble, pass and shoot,” Finklestein said. “He’s already a major floor-spacing threat with easy range to the arc that allows him to pull opposing big men away from the rim as a stretch-five. He’s a good passer, who can make reads, hit cutters from various spots on the floor and play out of dribble-hand-off action. Reibe also has a very advanced understanding and feel for screening.”
Finkelstein added that Reibe has above average size and basketball IQ, calling him a massive low post target who is very difficult to get around. While Reibe must strengthen his mobility, physicality and durability, Finklestein said he’s already gotten stronger and improved his conditioning in recent months.
“He also has soft hands, good footwork and is very difficult to double-team because of his passing ability. He also understands offensive actions, spacing and should be a very quick fit for offensive structure at the next level.”
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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