UConn’s Cole has emerged as take-charge player
STORRS — R.J. Cole has emerged as a take-charge kind of guy. Quite literally.
Cole, the graduate student point guard in his fifth college season, has challenged himself to be more of a leader this season for UConn.
“Last year I wasn’t too much of a leader,” Cole admitted after practice on Tuesday, where the 24thranked Huskies (2-0) prepared for Wednesday’s bout with Long Island University at Gampel Pavilion (6:30 p.m., FS2). “But this year, I’ve taken it upon myself to make sure I’m a leader. You can see it in my play. I feel like I’m one of the hardest workers, I’m taking charges, diving for loose balls.”
Yes, he most certainly is. On Saturday, in a 35-point romp over Coppin State, Cole drew no less than four charges. Add that to the two charges he took in the Huskies’ season-opening win over Central Connecticut State a week ago, and he might just be the nation’s leader in that unofficial statistic.
“It’s natural, instinctual, just having a good feel for where you’re at on the court, and being at the right spots,” Cole noted. “And it’s personnel, knowing what the other team likes to do, so you can take those opportunitites.”
It’s also a bit ironic. After Saturday’s game, Coppin State coach Juan Dixon,
who had coached against Cole several times when Cole was at Howard, approached the UConn coaching staff with a question.
“He never played defense,” Dixon recalled of Cole. “How did you get to get a guy like that to draw four charges?”
Taking a charge isn’t for every player. It takes a lot, not the least of which is the courage hit the floor falling backwards after drawing
contact, sometimes quite violently.
“It’s just challenging,” UConn associate coach Kimani Young noted. “He knows what the team needs, and that’s being a floor general, being a leader. (Taking charges is) one of the game goals that we set every game. He came out, he’s got good instincts, knows how to move his feet, and he’s tough. It’s a weapon for us.”
A weapon the Huskies haven’t really had since Phil Nolan, who played at UConn four seasons before graduating in 2016. But Nolan was a 6-foot-9, defensive-minded reserve forward who didn’t do a whole lot else on the floor. Cole is one of the Huskies’ linchpin players, averaging 15.5 point per game, second only to center Adama Sanogo (20.0).
Cole’s overall hardnosed play has been a staple of the Huskies’ earlyseason success, and what they’ll continue to look for entering Wednesday night’s bout. LIU (0-2) is ranked 275th in KenPom as
of Tuesday night, with a pair of losses out in California to San Francisco and Fresno State by a combined 58 points.
Still, that’s better than both CCSU and Coppin State (350th and 349th in KenPom, respectively).
“LIU’s a really good team,” Young said. “They’ve got three or four guys who can play anywhere in the country, with the transfer portal. Trust me, they have our attention. We don’t want to be on that list of high-major teams that have lost games in November. You’ll get a spirited effort from us.”
RIM RATTLINGS
Young handled media obligations after Tuesday’s practice because head coach Dan Hurley was dealing with a minor issue, believed to be medicallyrelated. Hurley is expected to be on the sidelines on Wednesday night, though it’s not definite.
Meanwhile, freshman Jordan Hawkins, who hasn’t played yet due to an ankle issue, and grad forward Isaiah Whaley, who sprained his ankle in Saturday’s win over Coppin
State, are both game time decisions for Wednesday, according to Young.
Whenever Hawkins finally takes the floor for UConn, he will provide a mix of athleticism and, most notably, shooting.
“He’s got a super power in that shooting,” said Young. “That’s been a challenge for us. That can help, especially when you’ve got a guy like Adama, where teams are gonna trap and double him. Get him healthy, get his legs under him and find his rhythm as a player and a shooter, I think he’ll do well for us.”
Cole’s father was a star star guard at LIU-Brooklyn (the school’s former name) from 1979-83, averaging 18 ppg as a junior and 18.2 as a senior. He graduated as LIU’s alltime leadeer in points, assists and steals, though those records may not still stand.
“He was a tough, hardnosed, on-the-ball defender,” R.J. said. “And he could really score the basketball.”