The term “Fab Five” became synonymous with the University of Michigan basketball program in the early 90s, when freshman Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson joined together to lead the Wolverines to two-straight national championship appearances in 1992 and 1993. Now, that nickname may start brewing in Hamden soon.
Quinnipiac men’s basketball welcomed five freshmen this offseason — guards Samson Reilly and Jaden Zimmerman and forwards Grant Randall, Braylan Ritvo and Spence Wewe.
In a time where the transfer portal and NIL deals are easily accessible, it’s rare to see five freshmen join a team simultaneously. This is the first class since the 2018-19 season — that featured six freshmen and one redshirt freshman — that it had five or more first-year players.
“ We are always recruiting freshmen and looking at the portal,” head coach Tom Pecora said. “But now so many of the schools, especially the big ones, they want men. They want guys that are 20, 21 years old, that have played a couple of years of college basketball.”
Recruiting players is one challenge, but retaining them is even harder.
“The next step in (the recruitment) process is, can we keep them for two years or three years or God forbid four years,” Pecora said.
After losing two valuable pieces to last year’s record-setting team — guard Matt Balanc ‘24 and sophomore forward Rihards Vavers to graduation and the transfer portal respectively — the young class has stepped in to contribute.
Three out of the five, Randall, Zimmerman and Wewe, are registering top minutes off the bench with Zimmerman sliding into the starting lineup the last three games.
Zimmerman has been a mainstay in Pecora’s rotation, playing the most minutes among the freshmen. The Bronx native models his game after Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, showcasing a similar ability to score from all three levels.
Zimmerman sits as the No. 4 scorer on the Bobcats seeing an uptick in minutes after playing 11 minutes against Yale in the season opener.
“I was prepped well being at Cushing Academy by (head coach) James Cormier,” Zimmerman said. “He really showed me a lot because his dad coached the Boston Celtics. I was really familiar with the way Coach Pecora talks and everything.”
Randall, also a New York native, has been a key player off the bench for the Bobcats, racking up 15.5 minutes per game. At 6-foot-9, he has been a key in Quinnipiac’s zone defense, being able to crash down low while also being able to guard the three-point line.
“Defense has always helped me,” Randall said. “That’s what’s going to keep me on the floor, as long as I stop the other team from scoring, and I’m showing that I’m willing to do that, then I’m going to stay on the floor and coach Pecora loves defense.”
While he may not shoot the ball as well as Zimmerman as of publication —hitting 22.6% from the field — his presence in other facets of the game is where he shines. He’s been a top rebounder for the squad, averaging 3.5 RPG.
The tallest of the group, Wewe, stands at 7 feet and has been the backup big man to graduate student forward Paul Otieno. Out of the ‘Fab Five,’ Wewe started playing basketball the latest — at 16 years-old — and earned offers from George Mason and the University of Albany after his performances at Toronto Terror Prep.
“I think it was really helpful being out there,” Wewe said. “Being able to put my name out there and develop myself as well as a player, and just what it took to understand what I needed to do to make it at this level.”
When Otieno was caught in some early foul trouble against St. John’s on Nov. 9, Wewe was able to play an extended role, playing 15 minutes more than he has all season. Wewe has become another defensive replacement for Otieno, earning five steals to go along with two rejections.
“He’s definitely playing better than I thought he would be this early in the season,” Pecora said after the 96-73 loss to St. John’s. “I think he continues to grow every day in practice and become better tonight with the lights on. I thought he was a force at times. He did some really good things.”
The remaining freshmen, Reilly and Ritvo, have not seen the court yet and are trending toward redshirt seasons.
Ritvo has dealt with injuries, including a back issue, since arriving in Hamden. But before stepping on campus, he was a top player at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York, ranked as a three-star by ESPN. The Harlem, New York native models his game after New York Knicks center Karl Anthony Towns, who stretches the floor as a big man.
He may not have been able to crack the rotation, but he’s pretty confident he’ll be up to the task when his No. 13 is called.
“I’m trying to work on my player development as best I can right now,” Ritvo said. “Getting in the gym extra, doing what the team needs me to do right now. And then, when it’s my time to play, I’ll be ready to play for sure.”
Reilly, the first player to sign with Quinnipiac’s 2024 class hails from Manchester, Connecticut. The Reilly name is well-known in Connecticut basketball. Three of his brothers Luke (Florida Southern), Rocco (East Catholic high school) and Joey (Sacred Heart University but now plays in Spain) play basketball and his dad (East Catholic high school), grandfather (South Catholic and Bloomfield high) and uncle (Wesleyan University) all have coached basketball.
“It shaped who I am as a player as well as a person,” Reilly said. “So my earliest memories are at a basketball game, on a basketball court, anything really basketball related.”
Like Ritvo, Reilly may not see the floor for the Bobcats this season. But what he has given to the first-year group comes off the court with four wheels, his blue 2011 Honda CRV.
Whether he drove it to get food, go to orientation, do hot yoga or just roll windows down during the summer, the freshman class was able to bond using Reilly’s car. While there are many different places they traveled during summer training, one moment stood out.
“The Gunna (rapper) concert was probably the highlight of the whole thing,” Randall said.
The group’s relationship grew after that, but they’ve still had to adjust to college life as Divison I student-athletes.
Luckily, all five are going through the same thing at the same time.
“Being international, it can be scary going to a new country to embark on a new journey like this,” Wewe said. “Even just the college piece on its own, just having those people to support you as you’re going through, people you know you can count on and depend on, it makes that whole thing that much easier.”
While this crew likely won’t match what Michigan accomplished in the early 90s, the nickname still has merit at Quinnipiac.
“We’re all super talented,” Reilly said. “We’re all great players. We compliment each other, so yeah, I consider us a ‘Fab Five.’”
