German big man will need time to mature
Earlier this week at the start of the July recruiting period, UConn coach Jim Calhoun headed to Germany.
His trip proved to be a productive one.
Enosch Wolf, a 7-foot-1, 209-pound center, gave the Huskies an oral commitment, making him the second German player to join the program in the last few weeks. Berlin native Niels Giffey, a 6-6 forward, informed UConn of his plans to come to Storrs last month.
Wolf and Giffey were once teammates on Germany's under-16 national team
Georgia Tech, Boston College, Oklahoma and Georgetown also were interested in the 19-year-old center. Wolf also visited Georgetown.
UConn assistant coach Andre LaFleur also visited Germany this week.
Moritz Korff, who writes for Eurobasket.com, is familiar with Wolf's game. Here's his scouting report:
"He is a movable big man who runs the floor well," Korff said in an email. "Thanks to his size and his long arms Enosch is able to do some damage underneath the basket. In my opinion, he has to work on his offensive game and should even take more advantage of his size.
"As far as his defensive capabilities are concerned, Enosch will alter many shots. He possesses a solid presence in the paint and is a decent shot blocker. He has been struggling from the free throw line.
"Like many European post players, he is kind of skinny and needs to bulk up. … He benefited a ton from his size when playing against players of his age, but it remains to be seen how he will be doing when he has to take on guys who have the same physical attributes but are much stronger than him."
Korff added that there are better centers in Germany, but he expects that Wolf will benefit from working with the UConn coaches and become a solid big man.
Wolf is the seventh member of UConn's incoming recruiting class that also includes Giffey, guard Shabazz Napier, guard Jeremy Lamb, swingman Roscoe Smith, forwards Michael Bradley and Tyler Olander.
g.keefe@theday.com
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