Huskies picked to finish 6th in AAC

PHILADELPHIA — Coaches in the American Athletic Conference aren’t expecting too much from UConn in its final goround through the league.

The Huskies were picked to finish sixth in their final season in the American Athletic Conference in the preseason coaches poll released Monday morning at the league’s annual media day.

“That’s for them to predict, I’m not here for predictions,” senior guard Christian Vital said. “I’m just here to talk on behalf of the team, and to get back to Storrs and make sure the team is ready for the season.”

Vital and junior guard Alterique Gilbert were selected to the AAC’s preseason second team.

Head coach Dan Hurley wasn’t surprised to be picked in the middle of the pack in the 12team league.

“We went 612 last year in the league, we lost Jalen Adams, who was clearly our best player,” the secondyear Huskies’ coach said. “We return a number of veterans, but we had one player on the allconference team last year at season’s end, and he graduated.”

Still, Hurley isn’t overly concerned by it all.

“I don’t think any of it means anything,” he added. “Preseason awards, allconference, player of the year mean nothing.”

In fact, Hurley said he’s been “too busy recruiting, trying to get better” to worry about preseason predictions. He said he took about five minutes to fill out his own coaches’ ballot. His choice to win the league? Houston, followed by Memphis and Cincinnati (or possibly vice versa ... he couldn’t recall).

UConn has never finished higher in the final league standings than its preseason selection by the league’s coaches.

PRECIOUS MISS

Precious Achiuwa is one of Memphis’s heralded freshmen. The 6foot9 forward attended St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey, where Hurley served as head coach over a decade ago and turned it into a national powerhouse prep program.

Hurley made Achiuwa one of his most coveted recruits last year, but quickly realized it probably wasn’t going to work out

“I don’t think that we ever felt that we were in a very good position with him,” Hurley said. “Maybe early on, when we first arrived. But we felt that was going in a different direction fairly early, which is why we pivoted more towards Akok (Akok), even in the summer. Because in our opinion, they were both fourmen.”

Said Achiuwa: “They came to see me a couple of times at school, but (choosing Memphis) was a family decision.”

FLIP THE CALENDAR

Akok (foot) and fellow freshman Jalen Gaffney (ankle) are dealing with injuries right now. Hurley has flipped around his team’s practice schedule, giving the team a few days off over the next week or so and backloading the calendar with more practices later on, in an attempt to let the duo heal a little more.

GEORGIA ON THEIR MINDS

Firstyear Tulane coach Ron Hunter recruited Gilbert when Hunter was head coach at Georgia State. His assistant for one season was Sharman White, who was Gilbert’s high school coach.

“He’s a great kid, he really is,” Hunter said of Gilbert. “I remember him when he was a freshman (in high school). Terrific player. I know he’s been slowed by injury, but just a tremendous player — but a better kid. I wish him all the success, except for when he has to play that team in New Orleans.”