STORRS --- John Riek, the 7-foot-2 center from Sudan who is now playing at the Winchendon (Mass.) School, is expected to attend UConn’s First Night festivities at Gampel Pavilion on Oct. 12.

Riek, who is the fifth-rated overall prospect by scout.com and top-rated center, is a postgraduate at Winchendon since he has a high school diploma from Ethiopia. He will be eligible for next June’s NBA Draft, and most assume he’ll go pro, especially since he is still struggling with his English and may have trouble academically qualifying for school. But not everyone is convinced his game is ready for the NBA, even though he raised a lot of eyebrows at the LeBron James Skills Academy in July.

Expected to join Riek next Friday will be three players who’ve already committed to UConn – Kemba Walker (Class of ’08), Alex Oriakhi (’09) and Jamaal Coombs (’09).

Also, Assane Sene, a 7-foot center from South Kent School, will make an official visit to UConn next weekend. Sene already made an unofficial visit to the school last month.

--- David Borges