By: Spencer McCraw

What is happening in Storrs, Connecticut? Since Dan Hurley took over as the head coach of UConn five years ago, the Huskies have been steadily improving. Hurley took over a middling basketball program that was still reveling in its two championships in four years – one coming in 2011 and the second in 2014. A win improvement has come in every year for the Hurley-led Huskies. Even amongst the uncertainty of the COVID year, UConn was able to reach their first AP Top 25 ranking since the 2015-16 season. Looking to the future, UConn has the 4th highest rated recruiting class, including a top-20 five-star in Stephon Castle. But that’s next year. What’s going on this year?

The Huskies currently stand 2-0, and they have looked strong in the two contests. At the heart of this team is preseason Big East Player of the Year Adama Sanogo. The junior forward was dominant last year, averaging 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in a season in which the Huskies lost in the Big East Tournament semifinal to Villanova. In two games this year, Sanogo is averaging 23.0 points and 10.5 rebounds.

While Sanogo is a certified stud, there are some question marks surrounding the guard play for the Huskies. To begin the season, there was no answer for who was going to be the true facilitator for this offense. In game one, junior Texas A&M transfer Hassan Diarra came off the bench with a willingness to pass the ball. Coach Hurley was impressed enough to thrust Diarra into the starting role for game two. Over the Huskies’ first two games, he has averaged 8.5 points and 6.5 assists. 

Some more concerts for the squad are the absence of several key players. First, Sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins begins the season in concussion protocol after taking a scary fall in their opener against Stonehill. “I think he’s a fringe first-rounder. I think his ceiling is the second-best NBA prospect in the league behind Cam Whitmore,” says one NBA scout about Hawkins. Coming into last season with a tremendous amount of preseason hype, Hawkins wasn’t able to live up to his potential, suffering from several concussions throughout his freshman campaign. Scouts are looking for Hawkins to take a monumental leap this season in his production, barring any injuries. Upon his return to play, Hawkins will be able to take much of the scoring pressure of Sanogo. 

Another key injury to a promising player is the broken finger to junior guard Andre Jackson. Much like Hawkins, Jackson is slated to make a major jump to star-level status this season. When he returns, Jackson should provide the answer to the Huskies point guard question. Jackson has pure passing instincts and will be able to distribute the ball to Sanogo and Hawkins. Jackson is also being looked at as potentially NBA-ready at the end of the year, even going as high as the mid to late first round. 

With two first round talents sidelined for the Huskies, there are other players that need to step up. One of those such players is freshman and hometown hero Donovan Clingan. The 7’2 center from Bristol, Connecticut has been a crowd favorite, averaging 9.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. Clingan comes to UConn fresh off of winning back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Years in Connecticut, so the fans naturally gave him a standing ovation every time he checked into their first game. Clingan is able to not only block shots, but also alter them with ease, causing some of the defensive pressure to be taken off Sanogo. Like Diarra, Clingan has stepped up in the absence of the Huskies’ star players, and Coach Hurley has rewarded them both by plugging them into the starting lineup. 

So let’s say Clingan and Diarra can continue to be impactful while Coach Hurley waits for his players to be healthy. When Jackson and Hawkins come back, and if they live up to their hype – and that is a big if – UConn could be a serious problem not only in the Big East, but also in the tournament. This seems like the type of team that could catch fire come March. If all the pieces come together, I believe this UConn team could compete with the best of ‘em. With all that said, I would put their floor at a loss in the Big East Championship, and their ceiling at an Elite Eight run.