Storrs — It will take awhile to determine if UConn truly struck gold with its impressive basketball recruiting class.

Judging by recruiting services and coach Kevin Ollie's remarks, the foursome of Vance Jackson, Mamadou Diarra, Alterique Gilbert and Juwan Durham could fall into the special category. The Huskies announced Friday that they've received signed letters of intent from all four players.

It's UConn first recruiting class with four players rated in the top 100 since the incoming freshmen of the 2006-07 season.

One recruiting service — Scout — puts Ollie's best recruiting class in his four years as UConn head coach at No. 6 in the nation.

"I think all of them have the potential to come in and be great players here, but like I always say, potential has got to become reality based on hard work," Ollie said in a release. "I think they all have the mindset of being detailed hard workers. I think it's going to be a special group when it's all said and done after they finish their playing careers here."

The future Huskies meet one of Ollie's primary recruiting requirements: versatility. They all can do a number of things on the court.

Ollie describes Jackson, a 6-foot-8 forward, as an exceptional all-around player, "who is going to open a lot of people's eyes.'' He has a reputation as a terrific long-range shooter. A former teammate of current Husky Daniel Hamilton at St. John Bosco, he averaged 19.4 points and 7.1 rebounds last season. He's now attending Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif.

Diarra, a 6-8 forward from Queens, N.Y, attends Putnam Science Academy. He is an explosive athlete and an outstanding rebounder on both ends of the court, according to Ollie, who added that he loves his work ethic. He averaged 10 points and 7.5 rebounds last season.

A 6-9 power forward at Tampa (Fla.) Preparatory School, Durham is long, mobile, versatile and considered a tenacious rebounder. Ollie believes that Durham will be a "stat-stuffer." He averaged 22.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.7 blocks last season before being hurt in February. He suffered a second knee injury this fall.

At No. 28 in ESPN's Class of 2016 rankings, Gilbert is the highest-ranked recruit among the four incoming Huskies. An athletic 5-11 point guard, he's a prolific scorer and great facilitator blessed with tremendous speed, quickness and strength, according to Ollie. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.2 assists, 5.3 steals and 4.7 rebounds last season at Miller Grove High School in Georgia.

"Each of these student-athletes brings something different to the program, in terms of their basketball skills," Ollie said. "They don't overlap each other, which I like in my classes. ... We really look at versatility, players who can do can umber of things on the court."

Virginia Commonwealth transfer Terry Larrier, a 6-8 swingman who only can practice with the team this season, will be eligible to play next fall.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe