Montville — Steven Enoch recently took a moment to reflect on his basketball journey.

Enoch has come a great distance from his days as a junior varsity player at Norwalk High School.

And that was just two seasons ago.

"Last night, I was thinking to myself how crazy it was, just my overall progression, and thinking about the people that have surrounded me and made me better," Enoch said Friday. "I'm just blessed and honored."

Enoch, an athletic 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward, is receiving a valuable education - on the court and in the classroom - at St. Thomas More. He helped the Chancellors win their Founder's Tournament, averaging 14 points and 10.5 rebounds in double digit wins over Bridgton (Me.) Academy on Friday and Coastal Academy of Belmar, N.J. (86-63) in Saturday's championship.

He's a popular kid around campus. He's polite, respectful and works hard. He proudly stated that he's received straight A's so far.

"In every aspect of his life, this has been a great year for him," coach Jere Quinn said. "Plus, we love him. He's a wonderful kid."

This wonderful kid with a bright future is heading to UConn next season to play for the Huskies and coach Kevin Ollie. It was an easy choice for Enoch, who took his only visit to his dream school before committing.

Enoch decided to attend St. Thomas More to help prepare him for the next big step in his journey.

"The school is very challenging, but there's no distractions here," Enoch said. "It gives the kids a good opportunity to stay focused. For me, that's clear to see because I have all A's in all my classes.

"... That's why I wanted to come here, because it's just a new experience. ... It's just like college and you play almost like college (teams), too. My game has changed in a good way, it's gotten better."

Enoch is expanding his shooting range, forcing defenders to cover him on the perimeter. In Friday's 73-63 win over Bridgton, he stepped out above the foul line and calmly buried an 18-foot jumper. He's confident enough in his outside shot to fire away from 3-point range.

He also muscled inside to convert a couple offensive rebounds, including one that led to a pivotal three-point play after Bridgton closed the gap to seven late in the second half. He finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Then he added 12 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's championship win.

His confident is growing in his offensive game.

"I worked on it," Enoch said of his shot. "I know there's nothing holding me back from letting it go. I know all the hours I put in working on my jump shot."

Quinn loves Enoch's work ethic and attitude. He added that Enoch has to get stronger and learn to grow accustomed to the physical contact down low.

"He's great," Quinn said. "He's in the gym all the time working on his game. He's a young kid; he's 17 years old. A year ago, he was playing high school basketball. Two years ago, he was playing high school JV basketball. Now he's playing in the best undergraduate league in the country.

"He shows signs of brilliance. He shows signs of fatigue. He shows signs of excellence. He shows signs of skill. He shows signs of being lost a little bit. I like his work ethic."

With UConn's entire frontcourt expected to return, he won't be expected to play a starring role when he arrives in Storrs.

Enoch already is getting to know his future UConn teammates. He's a regular at UConn home games.

He's looking forward to joining them.

"I get excited when I think about it," Enoch said.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe