Solomon Ball became a big Dan Hurley fan after watching on television as the UConn men's basketball team played in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas last November.

He loved Hurley's passion.

"The first thing I pointed out was coach Hurley's energy when he was coaching," Ball said on Friday night. "I told my dad, 'Look at his energy. That's something I want to be around.' My dad was the same way coaching me. I grew up around that. It only made me better."

On Friday, Ball, a four-star guard from Leesburg, Virginia, committed to Hurley and the Huskies. He also considered DePaul, Miami, Providence and USC.

Ball is the second member of the Class of 2023 to decide on UConn this week. His high school and AAU teammate Jayden Ross announced his decision on Monday.

Ball visited UConn twice in the last few months, unofficially in May and officially last weekend.

His second visit convinced him that UConn was the place for him. He hung out with all the players already on campus but mostly Donovan Clingan and Andre Jackson.

"I got a completely different feeling," Ball said. "I got to be around the players more. Just a great coaching staff, great people in the area, great people on the team that I can bond with."

At that point, Ball didn't want to wait any longer to make a decision. He had made up his mind.

"I feel like there was no need to wait," Ball said. "I just wanted to get everything out of the way. I knew I wanted to be at UConn, so I made my decision early so I could focus on finishing out my AAU season strong, too."

A left-handed combination guard, the 6-foot-3 Ball plays for Team Melo on the AAU circuit. He will complete his high school career playing at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. He previously attended Saint James School in Hagerstown, Maryland.

It's an added bonus for Ball that he'll continue to play with Ross, a 6-7 wing, at UConn. Both future Huskies are considered strong all-around players.

"I'm really close with him," Ball said on Friday. "Of course, we talked but I really didn't commit off of him. I just committed because I really wanted to go there. It was just even better that he committed there, too."

Ball and Ross are two of the building blocks for the future. They join four star guard Stephon Castle, who's from Covington, Georgia, and also a Class of 2023 recruit.

g.keefe@theday.com