The UConn men’s basketball team have added a new player to their roster for the 2026-2027 season: Seton Hall freshman transfer center Najai Hines. The 6’10” 265-pound Hines visited the UConn campus on Tuesday.
Read our Portal Prospect Profile on Hines.
The Huskies were without any centers on the roster after Eric Reibe and Rrezon Elezaj entered their names into the transfer portal last week, and Tarris Reed Jr. exhausted his collegiate eligibility. UConn will look to further bolster the center depth in the transfer portal this offseason.
Hines played his freshman season at Seton Hall under Shaheen Holloway. He averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 18 minutes per game, coming off the bench in all of his games. His blocks per game average led the Big East, ahead of every starter in the conference, and his block rate percentage was second nationally for qualifying players. Hines was born in New Jersey, but moved down south and went to South Garner High in North Carolina for a few years. He attended Plainfield High School in New Jersey for his senior year, winning a state championship.
The Huskies liked what they saw when they played against Hines this past season. He had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 19 minutes during UConn’s meeting at the Hall on January 13th. In the return game on February 28th in Connecticut, he had a double double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Najai has big shoes to fill, namely those of Big East First Team All-Conference and NCAA All-Tournament Team member Tarris Reed Jr. Najai’s physical post play, voracious rebounding, and elite shotblocking should fit nicely into UConn’s schemes on both sides of the ball. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
