Carlton hopes to continue block party
GREENVILLE, N.C. — The footwork, the classic, back-to-the-basket big man skills have always been there, though they’ve been as good as ever lately.
The basketball I.Q. has always been there, too, a product of playing at DeMatha High, as well as with good AAU programs. The rebounding has been a pleasant surprise.
But perhaps nothing illustrates Josh Carlton’s improvement as an allaround basketball player better than his improvement as a rim-protector. Or put it this way: entering Saturday’s action, the 6foot-10 sophomore ranked third in the American Athletic Conference in blocked shots (in league games), just two blocks behind UCF’s 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall and one behind Wichita State’s 6-11 junior-college transfer Jaime Echenique.
Did we mention that Fall is 7-foot-6?
“Just trying to help out inside as best as I can, block some shots every now and then,” the softspoken Carlton said on Saturday.
Carlton hopes to continue his block party on Sunday in front of about 20 friends and family members at Minges Coliseum, where UConn faces ECU in its final regular-season game (2 p.m., ESPNU). He spent most of his childhood about 10 minutes down the road in Winterville, North Carolina (“my old stomping grounds”) before heading up to Washington, D.C. to attend DeMatha.
UConn coach Dan Hurley and his staff invested heavily in Carlton after taking over the reins last March, seeing the potential — particularly on the offensive end.
“The shot-blocking, and even holding up in the low post, are areas we were really worried about ,” Hurley admitted. “The rim-protection’s been better than we thought. Because he’s got basketball I.Q., he’s a smart guy, he’s learned how to time things, play angles. He’s held up pretty well, one-on-one in the post, guarding a guy, taking multiple dribbles — and without a whole lot of length and bodyguards around him.”
Carlton has scored in double figures the past three games, including a career-high 21 in Thursday night’s loss to Temple. He leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game.
“That’s why we stuck with him when he was struggling earlier in the year,” Hurley added. “He definitely looks like a starting post, with the potential to be one of the better bigs in our league.”
“Coach Hurley had the confidence I could play well here and finish my career at UConn,” added Carlton.
UConn has desperately been searching for a big man on the recruiting trail. With 6-9 rim-protector Akok Akok already enrolled and ready to go next season and Carlton proving his value as a shot-blocker, does this change Hurley’s recruiting strategy and future roster construction at all?
Nope.
“For me, I love to play 10 guys,” he said. “So, having a deep, talented roster is essential. With Josh, it’s why we committed to him early. It’s kind of why we believed in him the whole way, because you could see he had some ability.”
RIM RATTLINGS
Sophomore guard Alterique Gilbert will be out indefinitely after suffering a concussion and injury to his right eye on Thursday night against Temple.
Gilbert took an inadvertent blow to the face by Temple’s Ernest Aflakpui with 7:36 left in the game. The Huskies led by four at the time but wound up losing 78-71. Gilbert was taken to Hartford Hospital after the injury and was treated and released on Friday morning.
“His spirits are reasonably high, considering the shot he took,” said Hurley. “He’ll be recovering, trying to heal up. He took a heck of a shot to the face, eye, nose. That was a big hand that hit him pretty hard.”
UConn typically sends about a half-dozen video clips of fouls and other calls to the AAC office after each game, and this was no exception. Hurley was a bit miffed why the hit Gilbert took wasn’t a flagrant foul, but Brendan Adams was called for a flagrant for a far less egregious foul earlier in the game.
“(Gilbert’s situation) was the right call based on wording of the rule,” said Hurley, “but it’s hard to think that Brendan committed a flagrant and Al’s wasn’t.”