UConn received an oral commitment from 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward Cleveland Melvin today.

Melvin, who's from Baltimore, attends Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass.

He chose the Huskies over Memphis, Seton Hall, DePaul and South Florida.

He averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks last year at Lake Clifton High School, which went undefeated and won a state championship, in Baltimore.

Notre Dame coach Ryan Hurd believes Melvin will be a small forward at UConn.

Melvin visited UConn last weekend.

Here's what people are saying about Melvin:

Hurd: "His strength is his athleticism, which is second to none. His kind of hops and his ability to use his body you just don't see."

Anthony Lewis, Melvin's AAU coach with Cecil Kirk, told the Baltimore Sun: "He has almost freakish athleticism. ... And you couple that with the ability to get to the bucket, put it on the floor and knock down the mid-range jumper, and he's just a natural fit for an uptempo type of team.

"He's also long and can guard the perimeter, so he gets out. ... He's worked very hard to expand his game beyond the mid-range. So I see him doing very well (at UConn)."

Lewis also coached former UConn standout Rudy Gay.

Melvin also talked to the Baltimore Sun: "When I go to school next year, it's going to be exciting. ... Jim Calhoun is a great coach. He's put a lot NBA players into the league. Rudy Gay, Ben Gordon, Josh Boone, all of them had great impacts on their team."