After UConn’s unforgettable run to the program’s fifth national championship last season, the program’s offseason and the Huskies athletic department didn’t have a fun offseason. The team lost heated recruiting battles to Duke for blue chip recruits Cooper Flagg and Patrick Ngonbga, and UConn athletics just missed out on being accepted to the Big 12 starting in 2024. These setbacks somewhat obscured all the talent men’s basketball is returning from last year. This is before you even consider an incoming freshman class that could be the best the Huskies has had in more than a decade, which will be discussed in a later post. UConn is sixth in the AP preseason Top 25 poll and has a serious chance at winning consecutive national championships.
After the departure of Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson, UConn will rely on the versatile trio of Tristen Newton, Donavon Clinigan and Alex Karaban. After playing a sidekick role in his first year in Storrs last season, Newton is expected to take on a much bigger role both offensively and as a team leader this year. The fifth-year senior guard is looking to be a much bigger offensive threat, similar to his role at East Carolina before transferring, while continuing to be one of the Huskies main facilitators. Newton averaged 10.1 points, 4.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 36.6% from three last year. Newton is specifically looking to improve his overall shooting and ball handling, work ethic and defense this season. Dan Hurley was pleased with Newton’s performance in the preseason and during UConn’s games in Europe and scrimmages. At the same time, Newton will need to be a strong leader for the team both vocally and through both his work ethic.
Clinigan made a huge impression in limited minutes as a freshman backup center last season. The 7-3 monster from Bristol averaged 6.9 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 15 minutes. He had a true shooting percentage of 63.4 and grabbed 29.4% of offensive rebounds and blocked 14.4% of shots. Clinigan, who showed much more athleticism than expected last year and was elite as a rim-runner, is seen as a lottery pick next spring by NBA scouts and has the potential to be one of the best big men in not only the Big East but the entire country. To do so, Clinigan will have to continue to be an elite rebounder and shot blocker while expanding his finishing ability at the rim and displaying a decent shooting touch outside the paint. If Clinigan does all this, the attention paid to him should provide quality scoring opportunities for his teammates.
It is also essential that Clinigan improve from the line so that opponents don’t employ the hack-a-Shaq method against him and get better at avoiding foul trouble. Ideally, Clinigan will average around 25 minutes per game. In the summer and preseason, Clinigan worked on improving his core strength and foot speed as well as shooting and was extremely effective in practice and game situations. Clinigan also worked on becoming a more vocal leader and being even more aggressive on offense. As long as Clinigan stays healthy and continues to improve, all of UConn’s opponents will struggle to contain him and the sky will be the limit for the fan favorite.
While Newton and Clinigan are a ton of fun to watch, my favorite player on the Huskies continues to be Alex Karaban. The sophomore forward was a virtual Swiss Army Knife as a freshman, averaging 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field and 40.2% from deep. Karaban’s 125.9 KenPom offensive rating in Big East play was third in the conference, while his effective field goal percentage of 57.5% was seventh. Karaban showed remarkable basketball IQ and versatility on offense from the moment he stepped in Storrs. In addition to his shooting ability, he was a consistently a strong passer and rebounder and did an excellent job of screening for teammates to provide easy scoring opportunities. Karaban improved significantly as a defender over the course of the year and particularly at guarding at the rim. He also showed impressive stamina, regularly playing for over 30 minutes. Finally, Karaban displayed a clutch gene quickly, with 3-pointers at the end of the first half becoming a signature play for him.
Karaban was praised for his work ethic and leadership skills by Hurley and others last season, both traits that made him stand out compared to most freshman. Karaban is applying that work ethic to becoming a more aggressive player on both ends this season as well as a more vocal leader. On offense, Karaban will try to attack the basket more and average double-digit in points. On defense, the team hopes he will stop players off the bounce more effectively and be even better at defending opponents at the rim. Karban had a strong preseason and is fully capable of being one of the best players in the Big East and the team’s best player overall. If Karban does so, he will put himself in position to be an NBA draft pick this season or next.
Outside of UConn’s Big Three, the bench will rely on senior transfer guard Cam Spencer, backup junior transfer guard Cam Spencer, junior backup center Samson Johnson and backup senior point guard Hassan Diarra. Spencer will likely be the only one of the three that starts at least early in the season. The transfer from Rutgers averaged 13.2 points, 3.1 assists and 2 steals in his one season with the Scarlet Knights after transferring from Loyola of Maryland. He is expected to replace the 3-point shooting skills of Jordan Hawkins and Joey Calcaterra, while adding another strong ball handler and defender to UConn’s backcourt. Spencer shot 43.4% from deep last season, good for 44th in the country, and ranked eighth in the Big Ten at 42.7%. He made 89.4% of his free throws, 23rd in the country. During his college career, Spencer has shot 40.5 percent from deep, and 50.8% on field goals overall. Spencer was an excellent defender for the Scarlet Knights, recording a steal percentage of 3.9 overall and 3.4 in conference, ranking third. Spencer decided to transfer to UConn because of the opportunity to play against talented guards in the Big East and the competitiveness of the Husky players, and especially Hurley. Spencer has been praised by the team for his versatility and ability to open up the offense.
Johnson may not be a starter like the Big Three (barring injury), but he is every bit as essential to UConn. The “6-10” junior center is an enigma, as he has played just 15 career minutes in 25 games due to injuries and ineffectiveness. Now, Johnson will be thrown into the fire as the backup to Clinigan. He was a four-star recruit out of New Jersey who grew up in Togo and was described by Hurley as having the talent and potential to be an NBA lottery pick. Johnson, who has a ‘7-5’ wingspan, has shown a lot of athleticism and speed when he’s played, and could be an effective shot blocker. However, he has looked uncertain on the court at times in games and has been prone to foul trouble. In the preseason and especially in the Huskies scrimmages, reports indicated Johnson was one of the top performers. In addition to his athleticism and speed, Hurley said Johnson is an excellent ball-screen offensive and defensive player because of his effectiveness in the lob game and ability to disrupt other big men. If Johnson lives up to expectations, he can play for15-20 minutes a game and combine with Clinigan to form a similar dominant duo like he had with Sanogo last season.
Diarra will be UConn’s main backup point guard. The ‘6-2’ senior from Queens had an up-and-down first season in Storrs, establishing himself as a high-energy defensive stopper but struggling offensively in a conference distinguished by hard-nosed defensive guards. Diarra had a stealing percentage of 3.6 last season and steven games with multiple steals. However, he averaged just 2.1 points and 1.8 assists while playing 12.1 minutes per game. Diarra shot just 30.1% overall and 18.9% from three after making 32.4% from deep as a sophomore at Texas A&M. He also was terrible from the free throw line for a guard after being solid as a sophomore, draining just 51.4 of his free throws. These offensive struggles outweighed Diarra’s value as a defender and ball handler come tournament time. In UConn’s run to the championship, he scored no points in 31 minutes.
Diarra will have the opportunity to get valuable minutes at guard as Stephen Castle acclimates to the challenges of playing at an elite program. He already is an excellent defender and will be an important leader to the young Husky guards. All reports have indicated that his shooting was improved across the board in the preseason. If Diarra can improve offensively, especially at finishing at the rim and developing a reliable jump shot, he will consistently be the first gusard off the bench and possibly push Castle for the starting job at point for at least the first portion of the season.
Sophomore Apostolos Romoglou is the one other scholarship player returning. Romoglou, the 6’8’ hybrid guard who appeared in 20 games last season playing garbage-time minutes and made two shots, has been praised for his shooting in practice and appeared to have solid ball-handling skills last season. However, don’t expect him to play any serious minutes unless he improves as a team defender.
UConn’s upperclassmen are very capable of taking UConn to a Big East title and on another Final Four run with the help of the freshman class. They have all the tools, from an elite big man and a pair of guards who are well-rounded and skilled ballhandlers and passers to the incomparable Karaban. They and a solid group of backups have good leadership abilities and a great coach to help them improve. If Castle lives up to his potential, then the Huskies will have one of the best starting five in the country. I expect everyone discussed in this article to improve and UConn to be a top 10 team for a solid portion of the season. Buckle up, everyone!
HUSKY NATION 