Andre Drummond reverses course, heads to UConn

In one fell swoop, Andre Drummond was able to not only render our 2012 Consensus Recruiting Rankings obsolete just 10 hours into their existence, he also managed to force UConn into the conversation with Kentucky and North Carolina as the nation's favorite to win the 2012 national title.

Just two weeks after officially announcing that he would be heading to Wilbraham and Monson for another year of prep school, Drummond shocked everyone -- and I mean everyone -- when he sent the following tweet:


The sheer nature of the announcement is what made this such a big deal.

The saga was over. The story was dead. Drummond wasn't ever going to set foot on a college court. And out of the blue, at 7:30 pm on a Friday night that saw most of the eastern seaboard bracing for Hurricane Irene, Drummond is headed to play for Jim Calhoun. Why? One theory involves Kris Dunn, Drummond's AAU teammate. The plan was to attend Wilbraham and Monson together next season, but Dunn -- who committed to Providence yesterday -- opted to return to New London for his senior season.

Before I get into what this means for the Huskies, there are a couple of things to think about. For starters, it will be interesting to see when, exactly, Drummond is actually able to take the court. He has finished all the requirements to be able to enroll at UConn, but he still has to send the paperwork off to the NCAA's clearinghouse. That process could take a while.

The other issue has to do with UConn's scholarship situation -- they don't have any available. They are already dealing with a reduction of three scholarships thanks to the Nate Miles investigation, and Deandre Daniels took the last available spot earlier this summer. Most expect Drummond to have to walk-on.

With Drummond in the fold, UConn now looks like a legitimate threat to repeat as national champions. He'll be joined on the frontline by Alex Oriakhi, Roscoe Smith and Deandre Daniels with Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb and Ryan Boatright holding down the back court. Where last year's club was Kemba-centric, the 2011-2012 Huskies will look quite a bit like the Jim Calhoun teams of the aughts -- a ton of size, even more length and athleticism, and enough perimeter shooting and playmaking to keep from being a one-dimensional basketball team.

(As an aside, has anyone in the country had a better six month stretch than Jim Calhoun? He shocked the world by winning eleven straight games to cut down the nets at both the Big East Tournament and the Final Four, he got Jeremy Lamb to return to school for his sophomore season, he forced out athletic director Jeff Hathaway and now he brings in Andre Drummond on the heels of signing Deandre Daniels. This was a program that had some [admittedly stupid] people questioning whether or not they could recover from the investigation into Nate Miles. Now they are the reigning champs and a favorite to repeat next season despite losing Kemba Walker. Unbelievable.)

At the end of the day, the bottom-line is that Drummond made the correct decision. Not solely to attend UConn, but to head to college in general.

The knock on Drummond is that he's not a competitor, that he gives inconsistent effort far too often. If there is anyone in the country that will run a lack of intensity and focus out of a player, its Jim Calhoun. If Drummond isn't giving his all, he'll be riding the bench.

And don't forget the added bonus of becoming a national name next season. With a loaded in 2012, Drummond is going to want to have a profile. Not only will it make him a more intriguing recruit -- NBA folks will get a chance to see him perform against the best competition in the country, and he'll be able to build a following that will increase the money he can demand from sponsors.

Clearly, Drummond reads B.I.A.H.