Well to say that UConn's recruiting class is coming together nicely would be an understatement of immense proportions.

In my dealings with Montini Catholic coach Jason Nichols since his star player Michala Johnson returned from her visit to UConn, it was pretty much a case of when and not if Johnson would commit to UConn. It came a little earlier than expected as Johnson decided not to take visits to Vanderbilt or Georgia as she had originally planned to do. When Johnson informed Nichols she planned to commit to UConn on Monday, nobody was more surprised than Nichols. He asked her to think it over for a couple of days and when her intentions didn't waver, he told her to make the call to UConn coach Geno Auriemma on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Nichols, Johnson is a high-energy, low-maintainence forward whose best finishing manuever is a spin move on the baseline. She is still recovering from surgery to repair the torn ACL in her left knee but believes she will be able to start running by May. Speed is the name of Johnson's game as she can fill the lane on the fast break with alarming regularity and also brings it on the defensive end.

The funniest part of the conversations I had with Nichols and Johnson centered around the recurring dream Johnson had about being a Husky. I don't want to steal my own thunder so you'll have to read the story in tomorrow's edition of the Register but it's pretty funny stuff and gives a peek into the engaging personality the newest UConn commit possesses.

It's funny that it didn't seem too long ago that there were concerns about UConn not being able to recruit size. Now all of a sudden UConn's 2010-11 roster will feature 6-3 Heather Buck, 6-5 Jessica McCormack, 6-5 Stephanie Dolson, 6-3 Michala Johnson and 6-1 Samarie Walker. It would seem as if UConn would be done recruiting in the frontcourt but it is possible UConn could take a flyer on a project type player like Orsi Szecsi, a 6-foot-3 forward from Hungary who plays at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. Add in guards like Caroline Doty, Tiffany Hayes and Kelly Faris all checking in around the 5-10/5-11 range and size is certainly not going to be an issue for the foreseeable future.

The focus is now on backcourt players for the UConn staff as well as eyeing prospects in the current sophomore class. I spoke with Dennis Hartley, the father of North Babylon junior guard Bria Hartley shortly after I got off the phone with Michala and he said they would like to visit when North Babylon is on break. That is from Apr. 6-10. Obviously the UConn players and coaches are hoping not to be in Connecticut on April 6 and 7 since the national championship game is on the 7th in St. Louis. There is a good chance they would make the trip to Connecticut once UConn returns to the Final Four (if the Huskies emerge out of the Trenton, N.J. Regional.

As for Lauren Engeln, the Laguna Hills junior guard who received a scholarship offer before returning home after her unofficial visit last month, her AAU coach said not to expect any sort of decision until the viewing period in April - at the earliest.

If UConn lands Hartley and Engeln, which is a very real possibility, to go with Walker, Dolson and Johnson it could be a remarkable class and a classic UConn group with five players with distinct strengths. It is a very important class since they will be among the players asked to prove there is like after Maya Moore since the two-time Big East Player of the Year will be a senior when this current group of recruits will be freshmen.