Harkless decommits from UConn

Ever since Connecticut was accused of several violations in late May by the NCAA, questions have swirled around regarding Maurice Harkless’ commitment to the Huskies.

On Monday, the 6-foot-6 rising senior from Queens, N.Y., officially decided to decommit and open up his recruitment.

“He really saw that he didn’t get a chance to explore all his options,” said Nate Blue, an advisor to Harkless. “We believe the investigation is bogus, so that had no bearing. He just wanted to open up some options.”

As recently as a week ago, Blue told me he still expected Harkless to end up in Storrs, but the forward’s plans clearly changed.

Since Harkless announced his decommitment, Blue said he has received about 16 phone calls from schools in the Big East, ACC, Big Ten, Conference-USA and Pac-10. Blue added that Connecticut is still under consideration.

Don’t expect a quick decision the second time around from Harkless, either; the future South Kent Prep (Conn.) product is going to take his time.

“He just turned 17 years old,” Blue said. “He could be 6-10 in a month; who knows? But he’s going to play hard like he’s been doing this spring, and he’s going to take his visits.”