Husky offense will run through Sanogo
Game clock winding down to its final seconds, UConn trails by a point on the road at Villanova. Who do the Huskies turn to for a big shot?
James Bouknight’s not there to bail them out anymore, he’s a Charlotte Hornet. There’s no Kemba Walker or Shabazz Napier waiting to knock down a game-winning 3-pointer. No Ryan Boatright, Niels Giffey, DeAndre Daniels or Jalen Adams, either.
Maybe R.J. Cole is the guy. Good 3-point shooter, good scorer. Missed some key free throws in his first season at UConn, but overall a winning player who stepped up at times last year when Bouknight was injured.
Maybe you go with the hot hand, like Tyler Polley last year at Marquette. Maybe Akok Akok is ready to be that guy, or a veteran like Tyrese Martin, or even a freshman like Jordan Hawkins.
Or maybe, perhaps even most likely, the Huskies get the ball inside to Adama Sanogo. The 6-foot-10 sophomore was a revelation last season, showing great hands and a deft inside game. Whether he emerges as UConn’s “Mr. Clutch” this season remains to be seen, but one thing is certain.
“We’re gonna play through Adama,” Hurley promised. “He’s our best player.”
This will be somewhat new for Hurley, at least at the collegiate level. While coaching St. Benedict’s High in New Jersey for 10 years, Hurley often ran his offense through bigs like Samardo Samuels, Tristan