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How Steve Enoch went from unknown CT kid to a top 50 recruit in three months

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PHILADELPHIA -- Three months ago, Steve Enoch was just another guy from Connecticut, a kid that played JV as a freshman and that didn’t start on the varsity team at Norwalk HS until his junior season. He was a dude that was spotted by Sydney Johnson and Martin Bahar of Fairfield who were staring down the barrel of a recruiting battle with crosstown rival Sacred Heart.

That all changed when April’s live period hit.

The 6-foot-9 Enoch went with his team to the Pitt Jam Fest and had himself an impressive enough weekend to earn an invite to Pangos All-American camp in Long Beach, Cali. And it was in Long Beach where Enoch blew up, playing some of the best basketball of his career against some of the best competition in the country, enough so that he shot up to No. 54 in the class of 2015, according to Rivals.

His play at Pangos earned Enoch a trip to Charlottesville, Va., for the NBPA Top 100 Camp, but thanks to a thigh bruise, he was unable to participate in the event.

What that means is that entering his final July live period, by far the most important month of his basketball career to date, Enoch was one of the nation’s great unknowns. Prior to the start of the Reebok Breakout Classic a week ago, many of the schools that have reached out to Enoch and offered him a scholarship have yet to see him play first hand. Quite a few of the evaluators on hand were going to be getting their first or second extended look as well.

It was also the first time that Enoch could look into the stands and see the likes of John Calipari, Rick Pitino and John Beilein.

“Before the game, in layup lines while I was warming up, I took a look and I was amazed,” Enoch told NBCSports in Philly last week. “It wasn’t butterflies, it just made me that much more amped up to play.”

“I have to go out there and ball out. I know there are going to be guys that are more experienced than me, and some better than me. I understand that. I just have to play to my advantage.”

And his advantage at this point is that he’s a strong 6-foot-9 forward that can step out and knock down a three, which is impressive given where he was in his development only a year ago. “I’ve been working really hard,” Enoch said. “I’ve become more versatile on the court. I can do a lot of things I couldn’t do before.”

“Sixteen months ago he couldn’t run up and down the court,” Enoch’s AAU coach George Matthews told SNY.tv. “Right now he’s put way more weight on. He’s in that growth stage where everything’s starting to kick in.” Enoch, however, is quick to point out that his progress is far from finished, as he’s still developing his perimeter game and still looking to add some more back to the basket moves. He also knows he has to get into better shape if he wants to be an elite player in this class.

“I have to definitely improve my stamina,” he said. “I get too tired. I have to play that much more aggressive against these guys, it’s the highest level of competition you get.”

Enoch recently visited some of the biggest schools in the Northeast -- Providence, Rhode Island, Boston College and UConn -- and has a number of high major programs offering him scholarships -- Memphis, Oregon, Arizona State, Kansas State and VCU in addition to the four schools he visited. But it’s the reigning national champs that have the inside track on Enoch at this point for no reason other than the fact that he grew up like every other basketball player in Connecticut.

“My whole family and I grew up UConn fans,” he said. “We’ve just always been surrounded by UConn fans. It’s a blessing for me that they showed me interest. I’ve taken a couple of visits there. They’ve reached out to my coach and told him how interested they are in me.”

Enoch said that he hasn’t really thought about what it would mean to play for the school that he grew up rooting for, but staying local does have it’s appeal, whether he winds up at UConn or not.

“I think it’s good if all my hometown friends and family can come and see me play,” he said.

Follow @robdauster