Huskies in Chicago
Clingan, UConn starting lineup will be on display at NBA Draft Combine
No doubt, you’ve heard of the “Fab Five,” the highly-touted, five-man freshman class that arrived in Storrs last fall. Some of them even helped the UConn men’s basketball team win a second straight national title.
An even more highly-touted “Fab Five” will represent the Huskies in Chicago next week.
Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Alex Karaban, Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton have all been invited to the NBA Combine, which begins Sunday at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena and runs the entire week.
That’s UConn’s starting five from this past season. Remarkable, really.
The Huskies represent 15.6 percent of the 78 players invited to the combine. No other program will have five players there. The only two with as many as four will be Kentucky, which lost to Oakland (!) in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and G-League Ignite, a developmental professional team.
There will be plenty of familiar faces at the combine. Big East brethren Creighton has three players on the invite list, though 7-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner has already announced he’s returning to school for a fifth year. Marquette will have two representatives (Tyler Kolek, Oso Ighodaro). Providence (Devin Carter) will be in the house, as well.
So will Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 monster from Purdue who was vanquished by the Huskies in the national championship game despite scoring 39 points. In fact, UConn went 12-2 against programs who’ll be represented at the combine.
Perhaps Newton can ask Carter how Carter beat him out for Big East Player of the Year. Perhaps Clingan (or, for that matter, Karaban) can show Edey the bruises they incurred while guarding him in the title game.
In truth, there isn’t likely to be a whole lot of trash-talking, or fraternization of any kind. This is an important event, exclusive to the list of invitees, that draws NBA coaches, general managers and scouts. A player can move up or down on draft boards, depending on his performance at the combine.
Players will be put through various athletic, physical and shooting tests, from vertical jumps, bench press and lane agility to height (with and without shoes) and wingspan to shooting spot-up 3-pointers
from varying distances (depending on position) and shooting off the dribble.
There will be team interviews, medical checks and media interaction. There will also be scrimmage games, though participation for players is optional.
Of course, while participating in the combine will be a requirement for draft eligibility for the first time this year, players are still able to return to college if they choose. They’ll have another couple of weeks after the combine to make that decision.
Last year, Andre Jackson Jr. was in such a pickle, waiting until just about the last minute to elect to go pro. This year, Karaban is in a similar scenario.
Largely seen as a second-round draft pick, at best, Karaban has to weigh whether taking the chance at getting plucked late in the first round, or getting word from teams that they’ll take him high enough in the second and sign him to a guaranteed deal (like Jackson Jr. did), trumps returning to UConn and aiming for a three-peat — while certainly earning good name, image and likeness money along the way.
As for the rest of the new “Fab Five”: Clingan and Castle are likely lottery picks (top 15) and will find out the NBA Draft lottery order on Sunday. Spencer and Newton have exhausted their eligibility but can certainly work their way into the second round (or late first?) with strong combine showings.
The events actually begin on Saturday with the NBA G League Elite Camp, exclusive to 45 prospects to showcase their skills in front of NBA and G League scouts, coaches and executives. No UConn players, or players with any local ties, have been invited, though there will be some familiar faces (Villanova’s Mark Armstrong, Providence’s Garwey Dual) in the house.
Then, the big boys take over on Sunday, with UConn’s entire 2023-24 starting five taking part.
Remarkable, really.