Best is still to come
Huskies were better, but Big East will be much tougher
Back in October, Dan Hurley had this to say about his UConn men’s basketball team at the onset of the 2019-20 season:
“I think we’ll be better. I think we’ll be a tougherminded team. We’ll win more of those close games, we’ll be better defensively. We’ll look more like an organized program. I think we’ll be a better team than we were (in 2018-19). It’ll look cleaner.”
“You’ll be able to see what’s coming down the line,” he continued. “There will be young players out on the court flashing talent that will someday turn into great success.”
He went on to add that the Huskies would have “high-end moments,” coupled with some “excruciating losses” as a result of relying on young players.
Dan Hurley, The Carpenter? How about Dan Hurley, The Soothsayer?
Much of what Hurley predicted back in October came to fruition this season. The Huskies were better, finishing 19-12 overall and 10-8 in their final season in the American
Athletic Conference, breaking a string of three straight losing seasons. They were picked to finish sixth in the league and wound up with the fifth seed in the (canceled) AAC tournament. It’s the only time in UConn’s seven-year AAC history that it’s exceeded its preseason prediction.
The Huskies certainly won more close games — a one-point overtime win over Cincinnati, three-point wins over Florida and Memphis, a six-point win over No. 23 Houston. They were much better defen
sively, finishing 59th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per kenpom.com, after flirting with the top 50 all season. They finished fourth in the nation with 6.0 blocked shots per game, thanks largely to freshman Akok Akok, who finished 12th in the country despite missing the final seven games due to a torn Achilles.
“You’ll be able to see what’s coming down the line?” Check. Akok was the likely AAC Defensive Player of the Year before his injury. Jalen Gaffney took over the starting point guard role midway through the league season, and the Huskies won nine of their final 12 games. And James Bouknight. Ah, James Bouknight. He was the program’s most dynamic freshman in years, earning AAC All-Freshman and third-team All-Conference honors, as well as the attention of virtually every NBA team.
There were the high-end moments — the home wins over Florida and Houston were highlights — and a long list of excruciating losses. Nine of UConn’s 12 losses were by seven points or fewer, including three (!) in double overtime, capped by a Feb. 20 loss at Temple.
The Huskies didn’t lose another game the rest of the season.
Hurley, of course, couldn’t have predicted the season-ending injuries to Akok and Tyler Polley. But, in part because of those injuries, he believes the team actually surpassed the expectations he had for Year 2 of a rebuild.
“From the standpoint of building program character, determination and a will to stay in the fight, I feel like we’re further ahead,” Hurley admitted, “in terms of building that character of a program that’s part of a culture.”
Whether that blueprint is altered for Year 3 will be interesting to see. The Huskies move back to the Big East, which has been a better conference than the AAC the past seven seasons — and perhaps never more so this season.
Here’s how we break down Hurley and his players’ performances this season.
DAN HURLEY
2019-20: Year 2, Game 2 couldn’t have been a worse disaster — a 96-87 home loss to St. Joseph’s. St. Joe’s would win just five more games the rest of the season. Hurley later called it a loss that would haunt him the rest of his life, but the Huskies were on the verge of rendering it moot with their strong play over the final month of the season. UConn won its final five games and had more than a puncher’s chance of winning the AAC tournament before it was canceled. In all, a terrific job by Hurley, who overcame a 10-man roster to start the season and an eight-man roster by the end. He mixed and matched with his short rotation brilliantly, riding the hot hand and adapting to playing smaller lineups, zone defense, etc. — and all the while, connecting with his players like few coaches do. He literally willed his team to wins, a la his predecessor (once removed), Jim Calhoun. In other years, Hurley would have been a candidate for league Coach of the Year, but Tulsa’s Frank Haith was the deserving winner.
Looking ahead: Hurley is as Big East as it gets, and there’s no question he was itching to get out of the American. He’ll face better teams on a more consistent basis now, and his coaching chops will have to keep up with the competition.
CHRISTIAN VITAL
2019-20: Through no fault of his own, Vital’s UConn career will end without a postseason appearance. The Huskies almost certainly would have been at least an NIT team — and possibly an NCAA tourney team — had the season not been canceled. Instead, Vital is the first four-year player at UConn to miss the postseason since Gerry Besselink & Co. (1983-87). Yet, after a senior season in which he was the league’s best player for the past month — averaging 23.8 points over UConn’s last seven games and earning his first career AAC Player of the Week honors in the final two weeks of his career — Vital will still go down as one of the most popular all-time Huskies. Sort of UConn’s version of Don Mattingly.
Looking ahead: Vital could get an NBA camp invite, or play overseas. Don’t bet against him.
ALTERIQUE GILBERT
2019-20: Finally healthy for a full season for the first time in his four years, Gilbert struggled mightily at times and, ultimately, took a onegame respite from the team and returned as a back-up. With some of the pressure off, Gilbert seemed to play better in a reduced role off the bench. Whether he liked it or not, Gilbert, a former McDonald’s All-American, accepted it and emerged as a true leader and one of the most respected players on the team.
Looking ahead: Gilbert participated in Senior Night festivities and will graduate this spring, but has left open the option to return for one more season. It seems unlikely that he will, however, and will more likely leave for another school as a grad transfer or turn pro.
ISAIAH WHALEY
2019-20: Whaley didn’t even play in a Jan. 15 loss at Villanova. Within a few weeks, he was by far the team’s best frontcourt player, notching five double-doubles overall and three in the final three weeks of the season. His energy, shot-blocking (3.0 per game over the final seven games) and relentlessness off the offensive glass helped make up for the loss of Akok Akok. Whaley played just 82 minutes the season before, and it’s fair to say Hurley didn’t know exactly what he had in the 6-foot-8 forward.
Looking ahead: Whaley’s lateseason play may make him the frontrunner for the team’s starting center next season, or certainly power forward if Akok isn’t ready.
JOSH CARLTON
2019-20: After earning AAC Most Improved Player honors last season, Carlton bulked up over the summer and took a step back. His low-post mobility and touch around the rim seemed lost, and the 6-11 junior wound up averaging just 7.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Looking ahead: Assuming he returns for his senior season — and there is no indication he won’t — Carlton could be in for a battle with Whaley, or even redshirt sophomore Richie Springs or incoming freshman Javonte Brown-Ferguson, for starting center.
TYLER POLLEY
2019-20: The team’s best 3-point shooter (41.7 percent) had his ups and downs, but turned in the best performance of his career with a doubledouble (19 points, 11 rebounds) in a Jan. 8 win over Tulane. Two days later, Polley tore the ACL in his left knee in practice and was done for the season.
Looking ahead: Polley should be good to go at or near the start of the season, and if he’s able to get over the mental hurdle of a torn ACL, could be one of the better long-distance shooters in the Big East.
SIDNEY WILSON
2019-20: Benched in late-December, Wilson had perhaps the best game of his career in a Jan. 12, doubleovertime loss to Wichita State. He hit a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left that sent the game to overtime, and had one of the best dunk/blocked shot sequences in recent UConn history earlier in the game. Then he got hurt again, then found himself in Hurley’s doghouse — even getting suspended for a game for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
Looking ahead: It’s clear he and Hurley just don’t jibe. At different points over the past month, Hurley has called Wilson “unplayable” and “half a player” and, of course, suspended him. Wilson wasn’t very productive over the final six weeks when he did play, though to be fair, it was only in limited minutes, and he was often yanked after one or two mistakes, never to see the court again. Hurley has yet to run a player off his team at UConn, but it seems the writing’s on the wall for Wilson. Hard to see him getting much run next season if he returns.
BRENDAN ADAMS
2019-20: Made a big jump from his freshman season, when he was clearly overmatched. The big guard seems like a solid, four-year rotation player.
Looking ahead: Adams, Hurley’s first UConn recruit, will be in the hunt for minutes, but will face a serious challenge from incoming freshman Andre Jackson and, perhaps, a JUCO or grad transfer Hurley brings in.
AKOK AKOK
2019-20: Akok’s boundless energy and youthful enthusiasm has already made him one of the most popular Huskies in years. That’s what made his Achilles injury all the more crushing. Almost certainly would have been the league’s Defensive Player of the Year if not for the injury, and though the Huskies won six of their seven games without Akok, the schedule was a lot easier down the stretch.
Looking ahead: While there has been some talk that Akok could be back within six months of the injury (mid-August), the more likely timetable is 9-10 months. That would still make him available around December, but the young kid with NBA dreams may want to take a medical redshirt and ensure he’s 100-percent ready to go for 2021-22.
JAMES BOUKNIGHT
2019-20: Bouknight made an appearance in court before even hitting the court. His string of terrible decisions one September night got him arrested, as well as benched for UConn’s first three games. He arrived at the Charleston Classic and immediately showed flashes of greatness. There was a lull after that, but by the time Polley and Akok went down and Bouknight’s role increased, he was among the best players in the league and most dynamic players in the country. A potential future NBA lottery pick — maybe even in 2021.
Looking ahead: Bouknight is on every NBA team’s radar, but almost certainly won’t be a first-round pick. It’s a virtual certainty he returns for his sophomore season at UConn, where he’ll be among the best players in the Big East.
JALEN GAFFNEY
2019-20: After playing tentative and not exhibiting the dynamic athleticism he had shown at Westtown School, Gaffney took over as starting point guard midway through the season, and the Huskies went 9-3 the rest of the way. He lent more of a steadying hand, limiting his turnovers and establishing an impressive, oncourt rapport with Bouknight.
Looking ahead: Could be in a battle for point guard minutes with R.J. Cole, who sat out this season as a Howard transfer, and perhaps even a transfer. But Gaffney will get plenty of run, even if it’s off the ball.
THE FUTURE
Cole will be an integral addition to next year’s team. Springs may be a bit more of a project, but certainly will add frontcourt depth. Jackson, who boasts rare athleticism and talent, should make an immediate impact. Brown-Ferguson, a 7-footer from Canada, appears a bit raw but obviously adds size upfront.
UConn currently has no scholarships open for next season, but that is expected to change. There will likely be one or two openings, whether it’s via Gilbert’s departure or another player or two transferring. The Huskies could fill those spots with a Class of 2020 player, but more likely a transfer. There is at least one potential grad transfer from a (now former) AAC opponent that UConn would consider, along with Quinnipiac’s Kevin Marfo, the nation’s leading rebounder.
Don’t count on Yale’s Jordan Bruner, however. The 6-9 forward announced his intention to go pro on Friday.