The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Ship shape
Slimmed-down Carlton expecting better results
You’ve heard of the “quarantine 15,” where people have gained a few too many pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Josh Carlton went in the opposite direction, with a little help from one of his teammates.
Carlton, UConn’s senior center, has dropped 20 pounds from his frame since the abrupt end of the 2020 season in mid-March. He’s now checking in at 6-foot-11, 245 pounds, according to UConn’s team website.
“I’m just trying to get leaner, be quicker, get explosive, get off the ground quicker, be able to move and react quicker on defense,” Carlton said during a Zoom call with reporters on Monday.
It was an imperative move for Carlton, who is coming off a disappointing junior season. After averaging 8.1 points an 5.5 rebounds per game and earning AAC Co-Rookie of the Year honors as a sophomore, Carlton took a step back last season. The final numbers were similar (7.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg), but a closer look reveals how much the big man struggled.
In conference play as a sophomore, Carlton averaged 10.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. Last season, that was down to a mere 5.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in AAC play.
“Maybe I had a little bit too much weight,” Carlton reasoned. “I’m just trying to find a weight that’s comfortable for me. I think it will help me out, being in a shape I’m comfortable with.”
Teammate Isaiah Whaley played a role in Carlton’s offseason weight-loss regimen. Carlton remained on campus last spring after nearly everyone (including almost all of his teammates) were back home due to the pandemic. His process of losing weight began at that time, but it started to get a little dull on a campus with almost no one else there.
Enter Whaley, who, through one of his mentors, had access to a weight room and gym in West Virginia. He invited Carlton to
come out and work out with him, and Carlton obliged.
“I knew that Josh was planning on losing a lot of weight,” Whaley reported. “I knew for us to have a successful season next year, we really need (everyone to buy in). I hit him up, ‘You want to come up?’”
Carlton was there for a few weeks, working out three times a day, sometimes lifting at night, and taking only weekends off to rest their bodies.
“A lot of that really was trying to manage what we ate, how much he ate,” Whaley added. “I was kind of on a different program. I was trying to gain weight.”
The results can be seen in Carlton’s improved physique. “He had access to a gym and a weight room at a time when a lot of people didn’t have access to those things,” Carlton noted. “That was really beneficial.”
Now, Carlton and Whaley could be battling each other for the starting center position this season. Despite his struggles, Carlton started all 31 games last season. But there are no such guarantees this season, especially with the late-season emergence of Whaley, coupled with the arrival of freshmen Adama Sanogo, Javonte BrownFerguson and Richie Springs (who sat out last season as an academic redshirt).
Carlton appears ready to embrace the challenge.
“Having a deep frontcourt makes everybody better, increases the competition in practice,” Carlton noted. “It helps people build off of what they did last year and helps the incoming freshmen to learn things from the older players, and helps push the older players.”
RIM RATTLINGS
⏩ Tyler Polley, whose season ended in January after tearing the ACL in his left knee during practice, said that his rehab is going great and that he would be ready for the start of the season — whenever that may be.
“I’m on pace,” Polley reported. “I think if the season did start in November, I’d be ready to play, to be honest. My knee feels great. We’re just taking our time, no reason to rush me on the court right now.”
Indeed, since no one knows when the season will start — perhaps as late as January — Polley is taking it slow with his rehab right now, not pushing it.
“I’m getting there,” he promised. “It’s coming soon, trust me. It’s coming soon.”
⏩ Whaley gave a “scouting report” on UConn’s newcomers — Brown-Ferguson, Sanogo, fellow freshman Andre Jackson (who’s been slowed a bit by a knee issue) and Rhode Island transfer Tyrese Martin (who has yet to hear from the NCAA if he’ll be eligible to play this season).
“Each one of them brings their own type of playing styles,” Whaley reported. “Javonte, he’s super-long and he’s got shot-blocking capabilities. He’s got a couple things he can work on, but the shot-blocking capabilities are all there.”
“Adama is a lot more skilled than I thought he would be. For a big dude, he’s got really good footwork, he has really nice touch around the rim. For somebody that big, you wouldn’t think that.”
“Tyrese is way, way more skilled than I thought he would. He’s got to work on his jump shot so he can become a really good shooter. He’s really athletic.”
“Andre’s been working really hard, we’ve been watching him do a lot of shooting drills and stuff. He’s shooting it really well.”
“The more I see from the new guys,” Whaley added, “you can tell it’s a bright future for everybody.”
⏩ With students back on campus, Polley noted that it’s “pretty crazy” to see everyone walking around with masks on.
“It’s kind of surreal.
We’ve been on campus for so long, not seeing thamt any people around for months, it is weird. But I enjoy it. It’s a sign of things getting back to normal. It’s pretty cool.”
Asked if it will be difficult to play games in front of no fans, if that’s what ends up happening this season, Polley said: “I think it’s gonna be real difficult if we don’t play with fans, because our fans are crazy, very energetic. They give us energy. Especially this being our first year in the Big East, I know our fans are super-hyped and excited.
“It is what it is, at the end of the day. I know we’re excited to play basketball.”