Thursday was a quiet day for And Hurley and the UConn men’s basketball program.
It started with the announcement of Hurley’s new six-year, $32.1 million contract, and continued with the national champion head coach sitting with the second lottery pick of his tenure at UConn in the NBA Draft.
After sitting on ESPN in Brooklyn, beaming with pride for Jordan Hawkins, the 14th overall pick of the New Orleans Pelicans, Hurley and assistant coach Kimani Young headed to Manhattan where Andre Jackson Jr. threw a watching party at a local. restaurant.
Jackson, who had become extremely close to Hurley during his three years at Storrs, got a call that he would be selected 36th overall by the Orlando Magic and immediately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. After he said “I can’t wait” and hung up, Jackson immediately went to hug Hurley. Yong Yong stood to the side with a proud uncle smile at this moment.
Adama Sanogo, who was in Indianapolis during the draft, was not selected, although he signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls shortly after the final selection. Hurley took to Twitter for his response to that news, reposting a graphic from the team’s account and adding, “MVP!!!”
Thursday marked the first time that OConn selected two players in the NBA draft since Shabazz Napier and DeAndre Daniels were selected after winning the 2014 national championship.
The trio joins Tyrese Martin (picked 51st overall in 2022) and James Bucknight (picked 11th overall in 2021) as Hurley’s products in the NBA. Andre Drummond (who recently said he plans Back to the bulls next season) and Rudy Gay, who both played for Jim Calhoun, are the only other former Huskies in the league, both at the end of their long careers.
So how will UConn’s newest pros fit in with their new teams?
Jordan Hawkins
It’s safe to assume that the Pelicans are happy with their lottery pick. The team changed the bio on their Twitter account to stay in the moment: “With the 14th pick in the NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans selected Jordan Hawkins from UConn!” you read.
in First press conference With the New Orleans media, Hawkins explained that he developed a good relationship with UConn women’s basketball legend Swain Cash, the Pelicans’ vice president of basketball operations, who retired from the program last season after being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I told her I was going to need her autograph, so I’m really going to need her autograph now wherever I live out there,” Hawkins said. Cash responded on Twitter with a photo of the two that read, “I guess I need your autographed shirt instead of Hawkeye’s.”
I think I need your autographed shirt instead of Hook @golive23 Shout out to our assistant GM Bryson for the flick… New Orleans show this champ some love❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/Sw23cejS42
– SwinCash (SwinCash) June 23, 2023
Hawkins, he noted, would be a valuable addition almost immediately in terms of floor spacing with frontcourt players like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. The Pelicans were drawn to the jump in production Hawkins made in his sophomore year at UConn and a workout that went “really well,” according to general manager Trajan Langdon.
“(Hawkins’ skill set) complements our group of players on the roster now and I think a lot of our players are excited about his skill set and what he’s going to achieve. The shooting component is huge and he’ll be a great addition to our team this year, but I think he’s a very intelligent basketball player, obviously a winner and a great competitor, So it would be a really good fit for our group,” Langdon told Pelicans Media.
“When you have Brandon, you have CJ (McCollum), you have Zion, you have Jonas (Valanciunas) and then you have this guy who can really shoot a lot of things that players have to keep in touch with and they can’t help with those.” Elite players, it opens the door for our players to get something or if someone helps, from a player like (Hawkins) wide open to a wide open shot, which will help insult us.”
Andre Jackson Jr
Jackson has his own UConn connection for his next stop in Milwaukee. He will be coached by newly hired Adrian Griffin, father of current UConn women’s basketball player Aubrey Griffin.
Aubrey responded to the news on Instagram, reposting the UConn announcement with a simple, yet impassioned, “ayeee!!” Like the caption.
The Bucks released a behind-the-scenes video of Jackson’s initial phone call letting him know he was being cast. “Dre, we’re going to take you, man, so excited,” General Manager John Hurst said before passing the phone to Griffin. “Congratulations, excited to be on board, man. Hey, magic is in the works, right?” said Griffin.
The Bucks made a trade with the Orlando Magic for a pick that was used on Jackson, sending a 2030 second-round pick and cash considerations in return.
Horst said Press conference after the draft. Andre Jackson Jr. is a national champion and seasoned player in a big program. A winner, a guy who was really on award ballots and kind of on the watch list for college basketball’s Defensive Player of the Year, kind of a Swiss Army knife guy.
“Just a top level athlete, great on the open floor, who really knows how to play with great pace, make great decisions, high personality and just a winner. So we are really excited to be able to have him in our team and to be able to recruit him.”
Horst said he believes Jackson has the ability to defend every position on the ground, and as far as shooting is concerned, he doesn’t think Jackson can’t or can’t shoot, but that he “just knows how to play” and choose his positions. “It’s a teachable skill,” Horst said.
Jackson brings a uniquely athletic and competitive presence to a team centered around Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the most athletic and competitive superstars in the league.
“I don’t want to underestimate what he (Jackson) can do offensively. It’s just that he doesn’t have these amazing stats,” Horst said. “This is a conductor, this is a guy who plays the ball that can help people get shots, and that can finish in the stage. transitional.
“He’s a second-round pick and he’s a rookie, so he has to grow and develop. But I think he has the right make-up to do that and he’ll have the right opportunity to get what he earns here in Milwaukee.”
Adam Sanogo
Sanogo will have to compete for a roster spot with the Bulls while also spending time with their G-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, which is located about 25 miles outside of Chicago.
Under a two-way contract, Sanogo will only be eligible to be active in a maximum of 50 games with an NBA team, with the rest of his games to be played in the G League. The first sighting of Sanogo in a Bulls uniform could come just one week away as the summer league schedule begins on July 3.
While Drummond plans to accept his player option for next season, the Bulls roster is full of free agents including center Nikola Vucevic and power forward Derrick Jones Jr. Time in the next developing season in the G League.