5 questions for UConn
The UConn men’s basketball team kicks off its 2018- 19 schedule on Thursday at Gampel Pavilion against Morehead State. Here are 5 burgeoning questions that need answers if the Huskies are to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years:
1. Can Alterique Gilbert stay healthy — and shake off the rust? Gilbert was a McDonald’s All- American in high school, the first to commit to UConn since Alex Oriakhi in 2009. But due to multiple shoulder surgeries
( one prior to coming to UConn, one as a freshman and another last season as a sophomore), Gilbert has played in just nine games over his first two years in Storrs. Last year, UConn was 4- 0 with Gilbert, including an impressive win over Oregon in the PK80 Invitational in Portland, Oregon. Then, Gilbert reinjured his shoulder late in the first half against Michigan State and didn’t see the floor the rest of the season. The Huskies went 10- 18 without Gilbert.
Gilbert underwent surgery in January by Dr. Matthew Provencher, who used a bone graft to keep Gilbert’s shoulder in place, without restricting its motion. This time, Gilbert reports his shoulder feels as good as ever and is fully convinced he’ll remain healthy this season. Even if that’s the case, he’ll still have essentially two years of rust to shake off. That’s been apparent at times in early- season practices, according to coach Dan Hurley, though Gilbert was the best player on the floor in the Huskies’ secret scrimmage against Harvard on Oct. 27. He’ll need to continue to be one of UConn’s best players if the Huskies are to do anything this season.
2. Which big men — if any — will step up? In Gilbert, Jalen Adams, Christian Vital, Tarin Smith and Brendan Adams, UConn has one of the best backcourts in the country. It’s the frontcourt that’s the concern. The Huskies got precious little out of their young big men last season. Now, many of those players are sophomores, and Hurley is hoping they can take a step forward. Josh Carlton is the most polished offensively, but needs to get more aggressive defensively and on the boards. Eric Cobb may be the best rebounder, but he’s got to get more aggressive, as well. Isaiah Whaley does all the little things but has few offensive skills. Sidney Wilson has the most talent, but needs to add some muscle and maturity. Tyler Polley is the team’s best outside shooter but needs to help more on the glass. Kassoum Yakwe led the Big East in blocked shots as a freshman at St. John’s, but the graduate transfer hasn’t done much since then and missed most of this preseason with a foot injury. Mamadou Diarra is out until at least early December following knee surgery. Kwintin Williams isn’t expected to help a whole lot.
It’s a different college landscape nowadays without any real dominant, back- to- the- basket bigs. But you’ve still got to rebound, and if UConn’s guards are going to be aggressive on the perimeter the way Dan Hurley likes, someone needs to be able to guard the rim. The Huskies need at least two or three of their bigs to be consistent throughout the season; it could be a different group of guys almost every night.
3. Can Jalen Adams be a true star? Hurley has repeated it numerous times — he needs Adams to be the best player on the floor virtually every night. He’s got the talent; sometimes, it seems he needs the drive. A big season for Adams not only helps UConn’s chances for an NCAA tournament bid, it also improves his chances of playing in the NBA next year. If he steps up, Adams could even play himself into the NBA draft’s first round.
4. Will the Huskies buy in to Dan Hurley’s style? It seems they have so far. No one left when Hurley was hired in March, and they’ve survived some grueling, intense preseason practices and workouts. But can they survive Hurley’s intensity and his style, par- ticularly defensively, for a full season? Last year, the Huskies were forced to play zone quite a bit, due largely to depth issues and foul problems. “Zone” isn’t really in Hurley’s vocabulary, and he preaches an aggressive defensive style that, quite simply, hasn’t been seen in Storrs the past few years.
5. Can they shoot? Polley, a 6- foot- 8 forward, was the team’s best 3- point shooter last year at 41.7 percent. No other returnee was better than 32 percent, including Adams and Christian Vital. UConn needs someone to keep defenses honest and bust a zone here or there in order to make life a little easier for the big men.