STORRS – When the summer practice session began last season, there was a lot of concern about UConn’s men’s basketball program. The team had just lost a few players from the previous season and had to trust the development of its players, taking gambles on players to make leaps and bounds in production.
On Monday, beneath the new ‘National Champions 2023’ banner in the far right corner of Werth’s Champions Center, Haskyun was delighted to be back in action.
Unfortunately, last year is over now. Alex Karaban he said reluctantly.
“It’s basketball at the end of the day,” said Tristen Newton, who decided Wednesday to withdraw his name from the NBA draft and return to Storrs for his fifth college basketball season. “The leadership roles are a little different, but it’s still the same elements of basketball that we did last year.”
“Today is the end of last year. Today a new season begins, today a new year begins, and now we are trying to achieve the same goal with a new and completely different team. It will be difficult, last year was not easy, but we are all willing to put work into it,” Donovan Clingan He said, sweat dripping down his face.
Coach Dan Hurley’s voice was groggy and tired after his first day’s return.
“My voice as a coach, has been nothing but pleasantries and easy conversation and today was the first time in a while that I’ve had a chance to go after some people and get some things right and coach. It’s so much fun being the coach,” said Hurley.
In preparation for next year, Hurley will once again call for leaps and bounds in production on and off the court after losing “one of the best leaders ever” (according to Caraban) in Andre Jackson to the NBA draft. This year the championship-holding trio of Caraban, Clingan and Newton will have to shoulder the brunt of the lead. Naturally striking at 7-foot-2, Clingan’s 13.1 minutes per game off the bench last season is expected to turn him into a crucial role as one of the brightest faces on the program.
“He’s now in a position where he’s responsible for the group’s energy and leadership,” Hurley said. “He’s got a huge, very charismatic personality, but now you have to step into the shoes of Adama (Sanogo) or Andre or Jordan (Hawkins) – like leading men who can’t have a bad day. When you go into the role he has now, practice, game night, Shooting – he can’t have a bad part or a bad day. That’s the difference between being a linebacker and a starter.”
Three members of UConn’s five-man freshman class were working Monday, though Solomon Ball, a four-star recruit from Brewster Academy, was still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered at the end of his pre-season. Hurley says Ball is two and a half weeks away from participating in live action. Jaylin Stewart is still finishing the school year at Garfield High in Seattle and will join the Huskies later this month.
With 11 Scholarship players on the list as of Monday afternoon Andrew Hurley and Andre Johnson Jr remain in a walk-in role Dan Hurley said he hopes to add another player from the transfer portal but is unsure of the 13th on Scholarship unless there is Perfect fit.
“Big Leaps was (Hurley’s) message, making sure the guys coming back pick up where they were last year. And then the freshmen have to be ready, I mean they have to make an impact for us this year and they have to step up,” Karapan said. Just attention to detail. It’s a new beginning – it sounds strange but it’s a new beginning and we just have to re-learn everything.”
Sharpshooter Cam Spencer pays an official visit
Former Rutgers guard Cam SpencerHe, a transfer target on his official visit, sat next to the gym on Monday to watch the team practice. Spencer, 6-foot-4 with four seasons of college basketball under his belt, shot 43.4% last season on three-pointers and averaged 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2 steals per game.
Adding a shooter is his top priority, Hurley said: “At this point, I think, now that the roster is settled (in terms of Jackson and Newton making their decisions) if there’s help from the periphery to continue playing the way we want to play. Obviously we can make adjustments. And we won’t settle or We do badly with what we want. Because we have a culture and it has to fit both ways.”
Donovan Clingan, the next Joker?
Not only is Clingan preparing to lead the Huskies next year, he also hopes to lead his own path to the next level. He knows that means he has to start shooting.
“I’m trying to expand my game beyond the three-point line,” he said unsurprisingly on Monday. “That’s what all the big players do nowadays – I mean look at (Nikola) Jokic, he does everything. I’m just trying to expand my game and becoming a player like Jokic is a dream for me.”
Those who made it to the Gampel Pavilion or XL Center early enough last season may have seen the Clingan jumper, with its distinctly quick and high firing. He’d only shot one three-pointer all season, but his role no longer called for anything—he was on the court to grab rebounds, pick-and-roll and get to the edge.
“I feel like a good knockout shooter,” he said. “Just aim to play two or three seconds next year, but if it’s hot that day and it’s flying, it’s still going to fly.”