By Andy Katz ESPN.com Monday, April 19, 2004 COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- It was just one all-star game. One of many these days, actually, where defense is never at a premium and the Class of 2004 begins to introduce itself to the country. Yes, Saturday's Jordan Capital Classic gave fans a chance to see a few NBA lottery picks. But not every player wearing black or white was headed to the league in June. Next year's best (or most hyped) freshmen were also in the Comcast Center. And, as first impressions go, Connecticut fans may not be done celebrating. The night before Husky Nation bid its final farewell to Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Diana Taurasi and others -- 300,000 lined the streets of Hartford on Sunday for a parade and rally to celebrate the school's historic dual national championships -- the school's next chapter when it comes to men's basketball just might have been scripted on the campus of Maryland. The national champions can expect Rudy Gay to be on campus this fall. No, Connecticut isn't next year's favorite to win it all. Expect the Huskies to be a factor come March, but a repeat performance? Even with plenty of talent coming back, losing Okafor and Gordon to the NBA lottery means the Huskies can't be expected to double up next year. Well, Rudy Gay isn't so sure. And, national title or not, the freshman will certainly help ease the pain of Okafor's and Gordon's departures. Connecticut's defense may not include a preseason No. 1 ranking or be led by a player of the year candidate. But what UConn will have next year is possibly the best high school player not thinking about NBA riches. And, the 6-foot-8 Gay, who hails from Archbishop Spalding High in Severn, Md., showed Saturday why the Huskies won't fall too far as long as he's on campus. Gay scored 14 points, made a pair of 3s, blocked two shots and had two steals in 22 minutes. He even got a quick sense of life as a Husky, dealing with a little adversity as Maryland fans booed him every time he touched the ball (he chose the Huskies over the Terps). His 14 points included a few jams, but Gay's best moment came during a Friday scrimmage at Trinity College in D.C., when he went by potential overall No. 1 pick Dwight Howard for a one-handed cup dunk. But again, Connecticut could care less what Gay did in the glorified pickup games. Rather, it's was what he reiterated this weekend that meant the most: Gay said he wasn't going to enter the NBA draft. Sure, Gay has garnered the interest of NBA teams. Scouts watched Gay closely last week in the D.C. area. And there is a chance he could sneak into the back end of the first round if he changed his spring schedule. But in the end, Gay said he is committed to attending UConn and trying to become one of the next great guards to come out of Storrs. (Yes, even at 6-8, Gay is the most athletic big guard headed to school out of the Class of 2004.) "It's the best situation for me," Gay said. "They're good at exploiting guards or the three man. I want to go to UConn to expand my game. "We can be the same if not better depending on how hard we work. I would love to be another one of those great players (at UConn)." And Gay isn't arriving alone. The Huskies will also add guard A.J. Price, who had eight points and seven rebounds while playing a reserve role on Gay's team Saturday night. The Huskies also add signee guard Antonio Kellogg for next season. The three join an already loaded UConn squad -- especially up front with the return of Charlie Villanueva, Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong, Marcus White (who sat out most of 2003-04 with a back injury) and Ed Nelson (who redshirted after transferring in from Georgia Tech). The perimeter isn't too shabby, either, with Rashad Anderson, Denham Brown and Marcus Williams (who played in only 16 games because of academics). "Rudy is a great player, a great all-around player," said Gay's roommate during the week, Al Jefferson, who signed to play at Arkansas but might declare for the draft. "He really feels like he's got a chance to win it again at UConn." Winning it all is always the goal in Kentucky. And for all of those in the Commonwealth wondering about Kentucky's chances next season, well, don't. Actually, Kentucky and Indiana shouldn't fret. Help is on the way. And they can see not only their own, but the next generation of college stars Wednesday (ESPN2, 5 p.m. ET) to judge for themselves. “ It's the best situation for me. ... I want to go to UConn to expand my game. We can be the same if not better depending on how hard we work. I would love to be another one of those great players (at UConn). ” — Rudy Gay Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.