Makai Ashton-Langford was a UConn fan growing up, but when it came to deciding on a college, he knew he had to take the emotional investment out of it.
“UConn was one of my favorite schools,” said Langford, a point guard, considered a four-star recruit in the Class of 2017, “but when I started being recruited, I put that in the back of my mind and everything was going to be even. When it came down to UConn and Providence, it was 50-50 – that’s how close it was.”
Ashton-Langford, 6-foot-1, from Worcester, Mass., ranked 33rd by ESPN, visited Providence last week, and UConn over the weekend. After sleeping on it and discussing it with family, he informed UConn coaches on Monday afternoon that he was going to be a Husky.
“It just felt like a home to me,” he said. “It felt like it was a place I could be at, and I think Coach [Kevin] Ollie, he played in the NBA as a point guard, can be a guy who really shows me the right way to play.”
Ashton-Langford is UConn’s first commit for the Class of 2017. He is moving from Cushing to Brewster Academy this season, to play against Triple A prep school competition.
Sophomore Jalen Adams, who played on Ashton-Langford’s AAU team, Mass Rivals, and also played at Cushing and Brewster, was the host for his visit this weekend. Adams had an up-and-down freshman season, but his 70-foot, game-tying shot in the American Athletic Conference Tournament made national news and ignited the Huskies’ run to the conference title.
“That was a big part of [my decision],” Ashton-Langford said. “Seeing what he did last year, practically putting UConn in the [NCAA] tournament with that shot. He was telling me I could trust Coach Ollie, and that he would lead me in the right direction.”
Ashton-Langford said also spent time with Rodney Purvis and freshmen Alterique Gilbert and Christian Vital, “and it felt like a brotherhood.”
He had a particularly strong summer, leading Mass Rivals to 21 consecutive wins and four tournament titles, including the Uprising Summer Championship in Las Vegas in July. Ashton-Langford averaged 22 pointsm six assists and four rebounds per game at Cushing Academy last season, helping his team to the Double A New England Prep championship game.
“Coach Ollie told me I’m a dynamic guard,” Ashton-Lanford said. “I bring something different. I can easy buckets and make things easier for my teammates.”
By late summer, Lousiville, Providence and UConn were the three finalists. Louisville landed a guard in August, and Ashton-Langford pushed up his visits. He said he came away from Providence, where he spent time with Kris Dunn, very impressed also, but did not want to make a snap decision while on campus.
It was the same experience at UConn, “that’s why I didn’t want to decide while I was on campus,” he said. So he went home to take the time to weigh his decision. It came back to UConn, to join the Huskies tradition of stand-out guards. Adams registered his approval via Twitter on Monday: “YESSSSSSIRRR Husky Up!!”
UConn has a highly-rated recruiting class coming in, with Gilbert, Vital, Mamdou Diarra, Juwan Durham and Vance Jackson. After this season, the Huskies will lose seniors Purvis, Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey, and there will be the possibility of early NBA departures. So landing Ashton-Langford gives them a good start, or re-start, on the Class of 2017.
Big man Zach Brown committed last January, but after a series of off-the-court problems he and UConn later parted ways. Now UConn has Ashton-Langford and continues its pursuit of big men, such as Mohamed Bamba, Nick Richards, and Josh Carlton, who visited last weekend, and also 2018 prospects.
