Tre Simmons tried to convince his nephew, Jaylin Stewart, to do something special to announce his commitment to the UConn men’s basketball program.

Stewart, a four-star recruit out of Garfield High School in Seattle, wanted to keep it simple and posted the news Friday on Instagram.

“I got t-shirts made,” said Simmons, who’s also Stewart’s high school coach. “This is huge. He’s like, `yeah, thanks.’ ”

Stewart, a 6-foot-7 wing, is excited about joining the Huskies, but he’s just not the type to show it, according to Simmons.

UConn scored a major recruiting victory by adding Stewart to its highly-regarded, top 10 nationally ranked Class of 2023. Stewart made the decision after taking an official visit to Storrs last weekend.

Future teammates Stephon Castle, Solomon Ball and Jayden Ross, who’ve all committed to UConn, were also on campus last weekend. They posed together along with uncommitted big man Youssouf Singare for a photo, re-creating a shot from the Michigan Fab Five days.

The trip helped convince Stewart, who couldn’t be reached for comment, to pick UConn.

“Once I got out there and met all the coaches, it all kind of clicked,” Stewart told Adam Finkelstein, director of scouting for @247Sports. “They already had other recruits who were committed, but they all came down and showed me love and made it comfortable. Once I got to know all of them it was easy for me at that point.”

Stewart’s stock rose over the summer while playing with Seattle Rotary. He had a strong performance at Nike Peach Jam, a prestigious AAU event in Georgia.

Up until then, Stewart had flown under the radar. Simmons said people assumed that Stewart would end up staying close to home and play at the University of Washington.

UConn coach Dan Hurley and his staff made Stewart a recruiting priority. Washington, Alabama, Oklahoma and Southern California were some of the other schools that showed interest.

“I think the separation from coach Hurley and (assistant coach) Luke (Murray) and the rest of the coaches with everybody else, it felt genuine,” Simmons said. “We believed him. There weren't any doubts.

“They didn’t put him in the box. A couple of other colleges put him in a box and limited his talent. UConn is, what you do now is what you’re going to be doing here, just a better version. They were consistent. They truly believe he’ll be one of the best players to come out of UConn.”

So what kind of player will UConn be getting?

“He’s very coachable and very unselfish,” said Simmons, who played at Washington from 2003-05. “Sometimes it’s frustrating as a coach and as an uncle to see how unselfish he is, but at the same time he gets his, too. He’s always played the right way since he was a young kid.

“I think his IQ separates him from other players. He has God given ability and athleticism. … And he uses all of his talents. He’s not just a scorer. He doesn’t have a weakness in his game. I think he’s only going to get better.”

Simmons also believes that Hurley will bring out the best in Stewart.

“I know what type of coach Dan Hurley is,” Simmons said. “He’s very passionate. I think that will be good for Jaylin.”

g.keefe@theday.com