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When Will Daniel Orton End His Recruitment?

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This is an update from Jim Calhoun's Elite Camp day 1. It goes in detail about some background information on the kid. A really nice read. His father said that he would like his son to end his recruitment this fall, however Orton said that it would likely be spring before a decision is made.

Jim Calhoun and the UConn men's basketball team's coaching staff welcomed 25 local and national recruits to Gampel Pavilion Sunday for the first day of Calhoun's elite camp. Here are a few notes and observations, in addition to those in today's story:(1) Daniel Orton, the top-10 prospect out of Oklahoma City, is a beast. At 17 years old (he'll turned 18 on Aug. 6), he looks 25, and his 6-foot-10, 267-pound frame proves as much. Why 267? At least, that's what he weighed at Sunday."It depends on what day it is," Orton said, drawing a chuckle from the ground of reporters around him. "I can be 265, 270."

Some key things to know about the Scout.com 5-star recruit:a) At the moment, Orton, ranked No. 10 overall in the Class of 2009 by Rivals.com as well as the No. 2 center, has been praised for his defensive skill set, and says he draws parts of his game from past UConn defensive stalwarts such as Emeka Okafor and Hilton Armstrong, as well as Charlie Villanueva. That said, his offensive game has room to grow, though there certainly is loads of upside. In the few hours I got to see him Sunday, he showed off a number of powerful dunks in drills as well as good instincts around the rim during a scrimmage, including some pretty interior passing.

Orton said he's working primarily on refining his jump hook this summer "because I figure in high school, I can get those down over the small 6-4, 6-5 guys.""I have to say so right now, yes (my defense) is (the best part of my game), but I'm improving everything," Orton added. "I'm trying to become an all-around player. My offensive game has come a long way and it's developing really well. I like it."b)

Orton has his list of schools down to seven: UCLA, Kansas, Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, UConn and Kentucky. He's not sure which ones he'll make an official visit to, though he said he plans to wait until the spring to declare."That's something new," his father, Larry said. "I would like him to get it over with in the fall (during the early signing period). I thought he wanted to get it over with in the fall. But you know kids, they change every day."So far, Orton said he's yet to visit Ohio State, Texas and Kansas unofficially."I know he went to Kentucky and really liked it," Larry Orton said. "The fans were great. (Oklahoma State), he grew up as the ball boy at OSU because my son (Terrence Crawford) played there (between 2000 and 2005)."Orton said playing time is a significant factor for him as a freshman, as he is looking to stay one, maybe two years, in college. With Hasheem Thabeet seemingly a lock to leave following this season (barring injury) and Jeff Adrien guaranteed to leave (graduation), there would be immediate opportunity for Orton in Storrs. It's notable, too, that UConn has never had a one-and-done.

"But I look for a college that I can see myself at for four years because you never know what can happen," he said. "You can get hurt, you never know what can happen."c)

Why has UConn caught his eye? For one, the Huskies put players in the pros, and "the development of the big men, I really like that," Orton said.Larry Orton, who said his family plans on moving to wherever Daniel goes to school, has also taken a liking to UConn, he said."I think it's excellent," he said. "It's what we thought it was, one of the top three programs in the country. ... (The campus) kind of reminds me a little of OSU because it's kind of sitting in the back when you get of the highway. The campus is really nice. And I grew up on the East coast. I was telling the young lady that picked me up that it reminded me a lot of home and where I grew up in (Virginia)."d)

Some background on Orton: He didn't start playing basketball seriously until the seventh grade, roughly about the time he grew 15 inches in a single year, his father said."Me and my older son, we used to laugh at Daniel," Larry Orton said. "We didn't think Daniel was going to be a basketball player because he didn't really get into it until his seventh grade year. He was just a short, chubby, fat kid. I have pictures I can show you. And then he grew 15 inches — and I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when. Then between 14 and 15 (years old), he grew 15 inches."The first game he played he scored 16 points, never played in an organized game (before)," he added. "He was just doing things that were unbelievable. The guy didn't believe he was seven years old."e) Just a very well-spoken kid, and is seemingly very aware of the recruiting process and how things go. He also has a rather hectic summer planned. From UConn, he heads to Kentucky for its elite camp, to Portland for the Nike Global Challenge, to San Francisco to work out — “But I don’t think my mom’s going to let me,” he said — and finally Brazil for another Nike competition. -
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