Australia’s top basketball player, Jacob Furphy, told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday that he is committed to defending two-time NCAA champion UConn.

The 1.80 tall, 18-year-old player is a left-handed winger from Tasmania, an island state of Australia. He developed at the NBA Global Academy in Australia, where he was known as a tough and competitive player, as well as being an excellent shooter and passer. He drew comparisons to veteran Australian winger Joe Ingles of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who called himself “the best shooter in the league.”

“I will take my talents to the University of Connecticut,” Furphy said. “I believe I have the style of play and work ethic that will be a perfect fit for the Huskies and their championship culture. I have already established great relationships with the coaching staff, and I think this will provide a great foundation for my continued development as a player.”

Furphy, who is no relation to former Kansas guard Jonny Furphy, visited UConn and then Illinois in September.

He averaged 16.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds as Australia won the FIBA ​​U18 Asia Cup in September. He shot 13-of-28 from deep during the event.

“I pride myself on my basketball IQ, which allows me to make great reads from the pick and roll and create for myself and my teammates, as well as my competitive nature to help influence wins,” Furphy said. “I am also a confident bowler which helps space the floor.”

More than 115 NBA Academy participants received NCAA Division I scholarships, including Duke’s Khaman Maluach and Tyrese Proctor, Florida’s Alex Condon, Indiana’s Oumar Ballo and Marquette’s Ben Gold. NBA Academy graduates in the NBA include Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Bennedict Mathurin, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Johnny Furphy, Cui Youngxi and Alex Ducas.

“Jacob is a crafty 6′5 lefty with excellent court vision and a great feel for the game,” said Greg Collucci, Director of Recruiting and Alumni Relations at NBA Elite Basketball College. he said. “He plays with great tempo, makes the right reads, can finish at the rim and is a quality three-point shooter. “His work ethic, ability to understand basketball concepts, and character as a teammate will allow him to seamlessly ascend and fit into any top-level program.”

Furphy is likely the final piece of UConn’s 2025 recruiting class. Complements elite guards Darius Adams, New Jersey native and Braylon Mullinsalso 7-footer Eric Reibe.

“We lost a lot of top talent,” the UConn coach and New Jersey native said Dan Hurley he said at Big East Media Day last week. “I think this recruiting class for us in ’25 is to bring in top-end talent, potentially early entry-level players, players that we can bring into this class that we defined that way in ’25 and ’26.

“We lost seven NBA players in two years, which is a lot, so we need to replenish this top NBA talent. Kimani (Young) and Luke (Murray) know what they are tasked with.”

Hurley added: “If we keep recruiting the right type of people, we’re not going anywhere.”

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter covering Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out the website at ZAGSBLOG.com.

Four year player

Darius Adams and Braylon Adams are complementary guards who can play alongside each other

He is mostly described as a wing type, small striker.

He’s like 6-5, left-handed, can really shoot and pass. An unfit, heavy but tough kid, he was competitive and had success in the Australian leagues. Compared to Joe Engles from Australia. He is left-handed, can shoot and keep the ball. Upgraded feel for gaming.

He’s fine. He played in the NBA academy, played with Australian FIBA ​​teams and had success

Visited UConn, then Illinois

Finkelstein is considered a top 100 candidate.