Alone with fellow freshman Apostolos Rummglou, Israeli native Yarin Hasson is hopefully the first step in UConn becoming a destination for international players. It may take a while for the versatile 6-9 forward to make an impact in actual games, as he faces a steep learning curve and most get significantly stronger. But Hasson, whom committed to UConn in late August, offers the offensive skills Dan Hurley has began looking more and more from his big men: quality perimeter shooting and passing.
Hasson, who only just turned 18, played his high school ball for Gimnasia Realit in Rishon Le-Zion. He is also a member of Israel’s U18 national team and played for the Maccabi rishon le Zion club team. The big is considered one of the best prospects in the country.
Hasson, who was encouraged to play in the U.S. by recruiter and countryman Yuval Shaham, committed to the University of Denver last spring. After admission issues with the school however, he chose to decommit and was recruited by a number of schools. Hurley and assistant Luke Murray discovered Hasson a few months, and were impressed by his YouTube videos and the Zoom conversations the trio had.
For Hasson, the coaches and school made an immediate impression on him.
“When I talked with Coach Hurley and Coach Murray, I really liked what they said to me,” Hasson told CT Insider. “They like to work hard, they have passion for the game. I liked that because that is my mindset, too.”
While there is little video out there of Hasson right now, the clips available immediately show why the Huskies decided to go after him as a developmental piece. Hasson showcases a good stroke from deep, quality passing ability and the ability to score inside as well. In addition, Hasson has been praised for his basketball IQ. Down the road, it’s easy to imagine that he could be a dangerous weapon on offense in multiple ways. While there is little information about Hasson’s defensive ability, he said he believes he could be an effective shot blocker.
As promising as Hasson is, he will not be a finished product for a while. Sham and the UConn coaches have said that he needs to become much stronger and adapt to the Huskies strength and conditioning program. Hasson, whom just turned 18, will also be much younger than the average freshman. As strong as his basketball IQ is, he obviously has a steep learning curb with the level of competition the Big East offers compared to the leagues he has competed in before. Hasson will be a valuable practice player this season, but I strongly doubt he won’t get any real minutes for at least another season.
Hasson quickly made a strong impression on his new teammates when he arrived in Storrs. Andre Jackson in particular has a lot of praise for him back in September. The junior singled out Hasson’s energy level and focus, and gave him kudos for his ability to adjust quickly to a new country and culture.
If Hasson is successful at UConn, the program may finally be able to consistently start getting international players to come, something that has not happened since the reign of Jim Calhoun. Hurley has made it clear he would like to bring on the occasional international player, particularly since they have the reputation of being more fundamentally sound than the average U.S. player coming out of high school.
Hasson is particularly unique because he may be able to open a pipeline to attracting Israeli players, something that UConn had great success with in the early years of Jim Calhoun’s tenure. In particular, Nadav Henfeld and Doron Sheffer were key building blocks to the Huskies becoming a preeminent program. Hasson spoke about the appeal UConn still has for Israeli players and fans.
“In Israel, UConn is really an iconic university and it’s really well-known here,” Hasson said. “Second, UConn is for real a big (basketball) school, a really high-major school, in the Big East. “I believe I can play at this level.”
Hasson is exactly the type of player UConn should be bringing to Storrs to fill out the roster and serve as a developmental piece. His work ethic and basketball IQ will make him a valuable practice player, and Hasson’s versatile offensive game will immediately be a valuable skill set. If Hasson can get stronger and adjust to the level of competition over the next two years, he should be a valuable rotation player as an upperclassman. Throw in the possibility Hasson’s success could attract quality international players, and he offers a ton of upside.
HUSKY NATION 