University of Connecticut Athletics
Jackson, Brown-Ferguson Sign NLOI With Men's Basketball
11/14/2019 4:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. --- The UConn men's basketball program has received signed National Letters of Intent from guard Andre Jackson and center Javonte Brown-Ferguson, head coach Dan Hurley has announced.
Jackson, a versatile 6-7, 195-pound wing from Albany, N.Y., and Brown-Ferguson, a 7-foot, 240-pound big man from Pickering, Ontario, will enroll in UConn classes starting in the summer of 2020. They each will have four seasons of basketball eligibility, beginning with the 2020-21 season.
"We are very pleased and excited that Andre and Javonte will join the program next year," UConn coach Dan Hurley said. "They are both quality young men and they have the type of talent, work ethic, winning backgrounds and character that will help us pursue championships.
"We believe our 2019 recruiting class would have been ranked among the best in the Big East and this class has the potential to repeat that success. We will continue to add talented players as we work to restore UConn to its championship level."
Jackson, who currently attends Albany Academy, averaged 17.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.0 steals and shot an impressive 69 percent last season as he helped the Cadets post a 19-3 record and win the New York Class A State Championship. Jackson, a top 50 prospect who also plays for the Albany City Rocks AAU program, chose UConn over Syracuse, Iowa, UCLA and Maryland.
"Andre is just a super athlete who is all about winning," said Albany Academy coach Brian Fruscio. "He's really a hard worker, a great student. He's the poster child for what a college student athlete should be."
Fruscio has played Jackson as a wing, and maintains he can guard positions 1-4.
"Andre will do whatever it takes to win," Fruscio said. "He doesn't mind scoring 25, but he has no problem scoring 14 and getting 14 rebounds and 4 blocks as long as we win. I may not have ever seen a better open court finisher.
"The best thing about him is he wants to be coached and he's not afraid to be coached hard. He had all high majors after him, but that's part of the reason he chose UConn. At the end of the day, he wanted someone who would push him every day to become the best player he can be and Coach Hurley was his guy."
"We are thrilled to add Andre to the UConn family," Hurley said. "He fills a major need for us – a playmaking guard with great size and tremendous vision as a passer. His elite athletic ability and playmaking on offense perfectly fits our style of play."
Brown-Ferguson, who just turned 17 in September and is in his senior year at Thornlea Secondary School in Thornhill, Ontario, is averaging 24.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks in the 2019-20 season that has already begun. Brown-Ferguson, who carries a 4.0 GPA and is reclassifying from the Class of 2021 to 2020, also played in the Under Armour Canada Elite AAU program. He chose UConn over a final group of schools that included Kansas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Arizona and Marquette.
"Javonte is a great prospect," Hurley said. "He also fills a major need in our program as a big with a great upside and outstanding ability, who can make a huge impact at both ends of the court. He's got an amazing future ahead of him."
Thornlea coach Shane James sees pro potential in his star center.
"If I were to compare Javonte to someone in the NBA, I would say that he can pass the ball and think the game like Nicola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – that's who he wants to be like," James said. "Javonte is actually longer and more athletic, but he really enjoys passing the ball and getting other guys involved. He's also terrific inside, with a soft touch and he uses both hands. He's a terrific rebounder and a great shot-blocker.
"Of course, he has to get stronger – he's still got a really young body that he's growing into and he's just started lifting weights. He's very coachable. At our school, he's a role model to all the younger kids. We've had a few NBA players in the last couple of years and Javonte is the best big guy we've had. I think he can be an impact guy at UConn from the get-go."
