Dan Hurley wants to build a program from scratch, largely through recruiting high school talent. His UConn men’s basketball staff generally feel the same way.
Of course, take a dip in the transfer pool to fill a need here and there. Look no further than RJ Cole and Tyrese Martin.
But Hurley turned both a dying Rhode Island program and a culturally lost UConn program into two-time NCAA Tournament qualifiers, primarily by recruiting and developing talent.
Unfortunately for Hurley, that’s just not the way to do it anymore. Not with more than 1,100 players on the NCAA’s transfer portal and teams wanting to get older and better right away without having to take a year or two to develop young players.
That’s how Providence went from a .500 team to the Big East championship in the regular season and Sweet 16. That’s how Iowa State went from 2-22 to Sweet 16. That’s how Arkansas seems to do it every year, including this year’s trip to Elite Eight.
That’s how Kansas won a national championship.
That’s how it should be for UConn, especially now that six players from last season’s team are advancing, including three starters, and the team is currently without a real point guard.
UConn has been refining about a dozen different players currently on the portal, breaking down movies about them and having daily discussions. That number will grow in the coming weeks as more players enter the portal and others commit to different programs.
It is a difficult process. On the one hand, it makes sense to let things unfold a bit before resetting on a player. On the flip side, the program may not be too late to show interest. How good is he at playing? How easy is he? Again a difficult process.
The Huskies currently have four open scholarships for next season. It seems unlikely that others will open up. Will UConn fill all four seats? Will the huskies fill two or three and carry one or two over the summer, even leaving them empty?
One thing is for sure: UConn’s staff is looking for the best perimeter players they can find – point guard, shooting guard, small forward, big wing. Huskies will definitely have a point that can start right away. Jalen Gaffney and Rahsool Diggins might not have been transferred if Hurley had not been honest with them about what the Huskies were looking for in the portal.
Shooters must search. Right now, UConn’s guards Jordan Hawkins, Corey Floyd Jr. and Andre Jackson. Jackson is a dynamic athlete who can fit and defend, but shooting is not his specialty. Sure, he shot a respectable 36.1 percent from 3 (in just 61 attempts) last season. But ideally, Jackson would be surrounded by better shooting games.
Size? That matters as the Huskies want to be able to switch effectively on defense. But if UConn can get a really special player, size will be a minor issue.
Hurley said he does not rule out bringing a class from the 2022 player. The junior-college route is not a very likely option. At all. And Stephon Castle, a 6-foot-6 Class of 2023 point guard recruit, is unlikely to reclassify at this point.
‘He is an elite-level goal scorer’
As for the transfer portal, here are players UConn has been publicly linked to:
Tristen Newton, 6-5 G, East Carolina, 17.7 ppg, 33.3 3-pt pct .: In a game otherwise only remembered for James Bouknight’s incredible, one-handed alley-oop dunk, Newton lost 25 points to the Huskies as a rookie two years ago. Hurley certainly remembers; Newton is a high priority for the Huskies.
The junior even has a (remote) UConn connection: Former Husky assistant coach Raphael Chillious was an assistant at ECU when Newton was a beginner.
“Super, super smart, quiet boy,” Chillious said. “His game I would consider unorthodox because you see his shot, it does not look like the perfect form. But it goes in. He has always had an ability to score. “
Chillious added that Newton is the perfect scoring guard that UConn aspires to, though he can also play the ball away.
“He’s an elite-level goal scorer, an elite-level person, and I think he wants to be a high-level elite player,” added Steve Demeo, an ECU assistant last season.
Defending and sharing the ball (151 assists, 104 turnovers) are areas where Newton needs to improve.
Newton told Hearst Connecticut Media that he has not narrowed down his choices yet, but that he is currently discussing his options with his family and may soon arrange some official visits.
Devin Carter, 6-3 G, South Carolina, 9.0 ppg, 27.6 3-pt pct .: Sophomore announced Thursday that UConn was one of his last six schools along with Arkansas, Providence, Oregon, LSU and UNLV.
Courtney Ramey, 6-3 G, Texas: 9.4 ppg, 36.5 3-pt pct .: According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothsteinthe senior guard has interest from UConn along with Kentucky, Missouri, Marquette, Villanova, DePaul, Gonzaga, Maryland, West Virginia, Wisconsin and several others.
Will Richard, 6-5 G, Belmont, 12.1 ppg, 32.6 3-pt. pct: Belmont’s third leading goal scorer as a rookie last season was due to pay an official visit to Florida on Thursday, according to Jake Weingarten of stockrisers.com. UConn, Arizona among other schools showing interest.
Andre Curbelo, 6-1, 7.5 ppg, 17.6 3-pt. pct: After a strong first-year season in Illinois, where he averaged 9.1 points and 4.2 assists, he had a dismal second-year campaign this past winter, perhaps in part due to a concussion that was inflicted early in the season. A career with 16.9 percent 3-point shooting, UConn’s interest is a bit of a surprise, but his talent could trump everyone. The New York City child is believed to be a St. John’s lean.
Jahmir Young, 6-1 G, Charlotte, 19.6 ppg, 34.1 3-pt. pct .: According to ESPN’s Jeff BorzelloConference USA’s second leading goal scorer has heard from the Huskies, along with Kansas, Xavier, Maryland, Florida, Miami, Georgetown and several others.
Terrance Shannon, 6-6 G / F, Texas Tech, 10.4 ppg, 35.1 3-pt. pct: Second leading goal scorer on an excellent Texas Tech team, junior got early interest from UConn. However, the competition looks close, with Kentucky, Michigan and Illinois reportedly also taking part in him.
UConn will be linked to other players in the coming weeks, and some official visits should begin soon. Al-Amir Dawes, a 6-2 junior guard from Clemson that Hurley recruited a few years ago, recently stepped into the portal and seems to fit in well, though there is no indication that the Huskies have asked yet.
And if the Huskies end up looking for a 6-9 striker who can shoot a little bit (32.4 3-pt per cent) and who would love to come home to Storrs, Jaiden Delaire could be available. Delaire, who has just finished his senior season at Stanford, has written his name into the NBA Draft but has not hired an agent. The North Granby product would love to come to UConn, according to his father, but so far the interest is largely one-sided.
david.borges@hearstmediact.com