When Steven Enoch finally decided to commit to UConn, he waited until after dinner to make his big announcement on Saturday night.

With his family, AAU coach and UConn coaching staff in attendance at a Hartford restaurant, he broke the news during dessert.

"It was a real touching moment," said Rick Enoch, Steven's father, on Sunday. "I was not going to cry. I was just so proud of him and how he dealt with a lot of stuff."

The Enoch family is happy an exhausting recruiting process is finally over.

A 6-foot-10 power forward from Norwalk, Enoch returned to St. Thomas More in Oakdale on Sunday.

It's been a crazy year for Enoch, who's seen his stock skyrocket since last spring. He received a flood of calls from college basketball coaches. Oregon, Memphis, Kansas, Creighton, Providence, Rhode Island, Virginia, Arizona State and Virginia Commonwealth expressed an interest in him.

The recruiting process was hard to handle at times.

"That was always a dream," Rick said of Steven playing for UConn. "But it became confusing because of the onslaught of schools interested in him. It was overwhelming."

Enoch took just one official visit. He's always been a Husky fan. His father has closely followed coach Kevin Ollie's career since his UConn playing days.

"We're a UConn family, "Rick said.

All signs pointed to Enoch committing to the Huskies prior to his official visit, which sealed his decision.

"We're all elated," Rick said. "He just wanted to be sure. … He thinks out what he wants to do."

Rick raved about the UConn coaching staff and their recruiting approach. They didn't follow the same old recruiting pitch that the family heard from some other coaches.

"They're all down-to-earth people," Rick said of the UConn coaches. "They didn't have to do much of a sales job. They're genuine. … Kevin's an excellent person as well as an excellent coach."

Enoch has moved closer to his future college home, leaving Norwalk High School for St. Thomas More. He learned about the school from Andre Drummond, a former UConn and STM standout now playing for the Detroit Pistons.

"Coach (Jere) Quinn is a class act," Rick said. "He knows everything about everything when it comes to that level. … Now (Steven) can focus on growing more as a player and student. He's in good hands."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe