Aubrey Griffin admits that the University of Connecticut is her dream school to continue her basketball and academic careers.

But reality is that she wants to be sure the biggest decision for her to date is the right one. That's why the 6-foot senior guard/forward from Ossining, New York, plans on taking four official visits - including this weekend's trip to Storrs - before making her call.

"I've always wanted to go there, but I need something to compare it to," Griffin said Thursday. "I've been so focused on UConn it was like I didn't look at other schools. So now I'm doing that. I need to do my homework to make sure that I pick the right school, the one that's right for me."

Griffin took her first official visit to Louisville a week ago. After returning home from UConn on Sunday, she'll go to Mississippi State the weekend of Sept. 28 and to South Carolina the weekend of Oct. 5.

She has made her share of unofficial visits to UConn to attend games. But her official visit is different.

"I want to see if I'm able to get along with the players and coaches," Griffin said. "I want to find a school that I'll be able to call home the next four years."

Griffin was named to the All-State team as a freshman at Ossining High but missed her sophomore season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

She returned as a junior to average 28.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks, and was named the New York Section 1 Player of the Year and All-State.

"The rehab and not being with my team were tough," Griffin said. "But what I learned through all of it was overcoming adversity and challenges. Now I know there isn't anything that I can't overcome."

But even with her bounce-back high school season, it was in late May at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she opened a lot of eyes.

As an applicant candidate - meaning she paid her own way to participate - at USA Basketball's U-17 trials, she was one of 18 finalists for the 12-member team from a starting group of 158. It was Griffin's first national team trials.

"It was a great experience to go there and play against the best girls in the country," Griffin said.

While she didn't get a shot at a gold medal, she continued her outstanding play through her AAU summer. People noticed. In the recently-released ESPNHoopgurlz rankings for the Class of 2019, Griffin checked in at No. 33, up 23 spots from the spring.

"Going to the trials made me a better player," Griffin said. " I knew going there would only help me. I got feedback from some great coaches there and they told me what I needed to work on.

"It was a real confidence booster for me. But my dad told me I could do well and my parents are always giving me confidence. So I went out there to get better and I was going to give my best no matter what the results were. They knew what I was capable of."

Griffin's father, Adrian, played at Seton Hall and in the NBA and is now the top assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. Her mother, Audrey, was an All-American in track at Seton Hall.

UConn has had two others players from coach Dan Ricci's Ossining program. Saniya Chong graduated from UConn in 2017 and won three national championships with the Huskies. She is part of the class with the best record (152-2) and most wins in a four-year span in NCAA history. She spent the summer of 2017 with the WNBA's Dallas Wings after being their third-round draft pick. Andra Espinoza-Hunter, a former teammate of Griffin, lasted only one semester at UConn and transferred to Mississippi State last January.

"I'm just looking for the right school that's right for me," Griffin said.

Also making her official visit this weekend is Jordan Horston, a 6-foot senior guard from Columbus, Ohio, who is rated the No. 2 recruit in the class by ESPNHoopgurlz, As a junior she led Columbus Africentric High to a 27-3 record and the Ohio Division III state championship. This summer, she was named the Most Valuable Player of the U-17 World Cup.

UConn has at least six scholarships available for the Class of 2019.

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