University of Connecticut Athletics
Tough Identity, Young Talent Keep MBB On The Rise
3/24/2020 5:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / March 24, 2020
STORRS – If there were two major components behind the stark improvement of the UConn men's basketball program in 2019-20, they were the strong appearance of a team identity and an infusion of solid, young talent.
It's a recipe for success that UConn Coach Dan Hurley would like to see continue.
By the last 10 games of the 2019-20 season, UConn had developed into the kind of tough-minded, determined team that no opponent was eager to face. And the impact of freshmen James Bouknight, Akok Akok and Jalen Gaffney – each of whom earned a starting spot – was obvious.
"Year Two was about developing an identity and taking an important step forward with the program, and I felt like we were able, to do that" Hurley said. "The identity was one of having a together team and being a team that displayed toughness on a nightly basis, on the practice court and away from the court ... being one of the hardest-playing teams in the country. And then, developing that identity of being about winning above all things."
The Huskies jumped from 16-17 overall and 6-12 in the conference in 2018-19 to 19-12 and 10-8 last year. When the season abruptly stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Huskies were on a five-game winning streak and ready to take their best shot in the American Athletic Conference Championship and perhaps beyond.
"At the end of the day, we were NIT-bound, which was an important step forward," Hurley said, "with the possibility – if we could have gotten to Sunday at the conference tournament – that might have been enough to get us to Dayton (NCAA First Four). We were just a couple of games away from being at NCAA team. We took an important step forward that way. There are Husky fans all across the country and you could feel the revitalization of the fan base."
That fan base was especially excited by the young talent that emerged during the season. Before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon that forced him to miss the last six games of the season, Akok was a defensive force and one of the leading shot-blockers in the country. Bouknight, who finished as the team's second-leading scorer, was an all-conference and all-freshman team pick. Gaffney took over as the starting point guard for the last 12 games and led the team to a 9-3 finish, including the last five wins in a row.
Hurley is expecting the talent level to continue to rise next season as transfer rising junior guard RJ Cole and redshirt freshman forward Richie Springs join the team as eligible players after sitting out, but practicing with the team, this past season, along with incoming freshmen Andre Jackson and Javonte Brown-Ferguson.
"RJ is a tremendous offensive player," Hurley said. "I compare him to a quarterback who gets the ball out on time. A tremendous pick-and-roll, ball-screen player, tremendous court vision. Just a very efficient offensive player that I think has the ability to make everyone around him better. He's going to have to step up at the defensive end of the court, but he played for Bob Hurley Sr. (at St. Anthony HS), so that shouldn't be that big of an adjustment once the lights come on. He will make us better at the offensive end because he's a pretty complete point guard that way.
"Richie gives us a guy who can play four or five. He's a live body and one of the better offensive rebounders that I've been around. He did have a full year with us and we just think he's got a great future as he matures.
"Javonte has a big, big upside. He's 6-10, a young big that we can really develop and invest in that's got the potential to be a tremendous player for us. He gives us a guy who gives us a back-to-the-basket skill set offensively, a very good offensive feel as a passer and a pick and roll player. He's something that we've longed for since we got here, a big that we can develop.
"And we expect Andre to have a similar impact to what James (Bouknight) had for us this year. It might not always be as a pure scorer, but as a player, as a playmaker, as a guy who's in passing lanes, who's making big-time blocks, big-time plays in transition. I think he's an underrated player with the ball, as a passer, and a guy who can get in the paint and make players for himself and others.
"We think we're going to get a big infusion of talent with those four guys and we're going to continue to look like UConn should look in uniform."
With Alterique Gilbert's entrance into the transfer portal, there is also a scholarship open for next season.
"Because of where we're at, I think we have the flexibility to look for qualities we think are missing, whether that's toughness, shooting, playmaking," Hurley said. "The way the season ended, we are returning four starters, but Christian (Vital) leaves a big void. We're looking for people who are excited about joining a team that's potentially ready to really win, that's returning to the Big East, and that will be one of the most watched programs in college basketball next year."
