UConn’s Hawkins struggling with own high standards
Guard can learn from good and bad of Bouknight’s freshman season
If Jordan Hawkins has the chance to be “the next James Bouknight,” as Dan Hurley told him he could this summer, he would do well to learn from Bouknight’s entire career path at UConn.
It wasn’t just the 40-point game against Creighton or the highlight-reel dunks against East Carolina and Providence, or even the dynamic debut at the Charleston Classic that defined Bouknight’s two seasons as a Husky.
There were down times, too — even before he first put on a UConn uniform. On the heels of Hawkins’ rough first collegiate road game in Wednesday night’s loss at West Virginia, that’s something that Hurley will talk to the 6-foot-5 freshman about over the next few days.
“I’ll remind Jordan that Bouknight, his first couple of high-major games, road or neutral, weren’t a walk in the park, Hurley said on Wednesday night. “And Bouknight was able to recover.”
It’s the type of positive reinforcement any freshman would need after a bad night, but particularly Hawkins. The former DeMatha
High star seems to take things hard when he makes a mistake. His body language often seemed negative on Wednesday as he misfired on all seven of his shots (including a trio of 3-pointers), turned the ball over four times and struggled at times guarding WVU’s talented, experienced guards.
“We’re trying to keep Jordan’s head up,” grad forward Isaiah Whaley said after the game. “He’s really disappointed, but we keep trying to tell him he did really well. He’s a freshman, he’s still learning. He’s really down on himself, but we’re keeping him up.”
At the Battle 4 Atlantis two weeks earlier in the Bahamas, Hawkins appeared despondent in after committing an unforced turnover near the end of regulation that helped send the Huskies’ opening game against Auburn into its first overtime. UConn ultimately won in two OTs.
“He wants to be perfect, and nobody’s perfect,” Whaley said. “Whenever he does something or messes up, he shows it. We’re trying to keep him positive, keep his head up.”
Hawkins drew a charge in the first half on Wednesday, grabbed five rebounds and had a pair of steals. Ultimately, however, it was a difficult road debut in front of 12,040 Mountaineer fans and their musketfiring mascot.
“For a freshman, that’s a tough deal for him, coming in for his first college road start,” Hurley said. “He matched up with (Chris) McNeil, who’s a heck of a player, those guys are making tough shots. He had a rough night. We needed him or Tyler (Polley) to give us something from the perimeter.”
Indeed, Hawkins was hardly the only player to struggle on a night the Huskies were 3-for-21 on 3-pointers and 6-for-11 from the foul line. Polley missed all four of his 3pointers, including a key one from the corner in the final 90 seconds that seemed rushed, and scored just four points. Jalen Gaffney had a good first half but did little in the second. Akok Akok grabbed 10 rebounds, but missed a key block-out on a free throw with 21 seconds left that led to two more WVU free throws and a four-point lead, and scored just two points.
Even R.J. Cole shot just 6-for-17 overall (2-for-8 from 3) and turned the ball over five times.
Hawkins wasn’t the only frosh who struggled, either. Samson Johnson, the 6-9 forward, gave some good minutes in the first half, taking a charge and altering some shots. He also picked up a pair of fouls and a turnover, and didn’t play at all in the latter half.
Rahsool Diggins played nary a second the entire game.
Of course, Bouknight’s college career began on the bench due to a series of bad decisions during an oncampus incident and a resulting three-game suspension. He debuted in Charleston and looked great, scoring 40 points combined against Buffalo, Xavier and Miami. But the rest of his freshman season saw bumps in the road against high-level competition: scoreless in 15 minutes against Indiana; five points in 26 minutes against Villanova; 6-for-17 against Temple; 6-for-18 against Memphis.
Ultimately, things worked out pretty well for Bouknight, a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
For Jordan Hawkins, the entirety of Bouknight’s career must be his reference point — not just the dunks and high-scoring nights.
“He’s a hell of a ballplayer, he wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t,” Cole said of Hawkins. “Just keep playing, keep weathering the storm, and we’ve got his back — through anything.”