Haylen Ayers, one of the top prospects in the women’s basketballClass of 2027, has set her official visit to UConn.
That trip to Storrs, Conn., is scheduled for Nov. 6,247Sports’ Dushawn London reported Monday. The five-star recruit also has avisit planned for Oct. 24 to Vanderbilt, whose head coach, Shea Ralph, played atUConn.
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Vanderbilt and UConn are two of her five finalists. Theothers are Texas and Kentucky of the Southeastern Conference, and Duke of theAtlantic Coast Conference.
UConn is the only one of those finalists in the northernhalf of the country.
She is rated by the 247Sports composite as the No. 1 playerat her position: shooting guard. She plays at the University School of Jacksonin Tennessee.
Per industry reports, head coach Geno Auriemma has offersout to the top three players. as ranked by the 247Sports composite.
The first is the 6-foot Ayers, who is joined by two other No. 1-rankedplayers at their positions — point guard KaleenaSmith from Ontario (Calif.) Christian and small forward IvannaWilson-Manyacka of The Bullis School in Potomac, Md.
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247Sports does not have any scheduled visits listed foreither Smith or Wilson-Manyacka as of yet. Smith is ranked No. 1 overall, followed by Wilson-Manyacka and Ayers.
Ayers, Smith were part of the 2026 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup team that beat Canada to win the AmeriCup tournament in Irapuato, Mexico, in June.
Fun fact:
Haylen Ayers and her mom could be the only mother-daughter tandem to accomplish this: win Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Haylen won the award for Tennessee in 2025, repeating what her mother, also a guard, did in 1999.
Her mom, then known as Ashley McElhiney, went on to play at Vanderbilt (1999-2003) and was selected by the Indiana Fever in the third round of the 2003 WNBA Draft but never played in the league.
On the men’s side, former UConn center Eric Reibe underwentfoot surgery on Friday, as announced by his new school, Southern California.
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The 7-foot-1 Reibe entered the transfer portal after hisfreshman season at UConn, where he was a valuable backup to senior – and eventualNBA first-round draft pick Tarris Reed Jr. in the 2025-26 season.
USC disclosed the surgery on Monday but the injury is notnew. After arriving at USC this spring, Reibe apparently aggravated a lingeringinjury that he played with last season at UConn. He already had been ruled outfor the summer, but the rest was not enough apparently.
The Trojans did not provide a timeline for his return.
Reibe appeared in all 40 games (five starts) last season forthe Huskies. He averaged 5.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 13.8 minutes per game, hitting65.8% of his shots.
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He was one of three centers on the UConn roster last season,along with Reed and the 7-2 Rrezon Elezaj, who saw action in only four games.He also entered the portal.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley made his own moves in the transfermarket, bringing in expected starter Na’jai Hines (Seton Hall), Oskar Giltay(Stanford) and Elmir Dzafic (Arkansas). All three are sophomores.
