Tag: Alex Karaban

UConn Shows Full Recovery in Week With Signature Win

In my last article for this site, I expressed frustration after UConn’s loss at Kansas and said the team would have to address essential issues to defeat North Carolina and ultimately end its nonconference schedule with momentum. Immediately the Husky players shut me up and then some. They were impressive in a double-digit win against UNC and for a majority of Saturday’s blowout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. UConn is now 9-1 and remains in the top five of the national polls, and can earn a final signature win in Seattle against Gonzaga on Friday night.

UConn was impressive in their 87-76 win against North Carolina, particularly offensively, and led nearly the entire game. After struggling at times against Kansas’s switch-heavy defense a few days before, the Huskies burned the Tar Heels defense consistently on switches for layups and open perimeter shots. They averaged 1.23 points per possession and made nearly 69% of their 2-pointers. Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban, who were hobbled against Kansas and had poor performances, bounced back and scored a combined 41 points while shooting 16-31 (I discuss the importance of the pair’s performances last week more below). Tristen Newton had a typically well-rounded performance, recording 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and freshman Solomon Ball had a breakout performance, scoring 13 and draining three 3-pointers. Ultimately, UConn had 25 assists against just 8 turnovers.

North Carolina scored effectively against the defense, with R.J. Davis (26 points) and Harrison Ingram (20) burning Husky defenders consistently in the first half and early in the second. The defense struggled to help and close out on the perimeter at times, but the Huskies upped their pressure and intensity as the game wore on.  After the Tar Heels cut the deficit to 65-60 with 11 minutes remaining, UConn went on a 18-6 run. During this stretch, the defense consistently forced UNC into tough shots and forced multiple turnovers and blocks. Newton, Diarra, and Clinigan and Johnson played strong defense up top and in the paint to shut UNC down, and Stephen Castle played excellent D in his first game back from energy.

While UConn slept walk through the first few minutes of Saturday’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the offense woke up in a big way. With 3:54 left in the first half, the Huskies led the Golden Eagles just 31-29. After that point, they outscored Arkansas-Pine Bluff 70-34. After his 3-point shot had deserted him for a few games, Karaban had much better touch, draining six threes and finishing with a career-high 26 points and 7 assists. Newton had 16 points and 6 assists, and Spencer hit five treys and earned 4 assists. Clinigan was very effective on both ends, putting up 11 and 7 and blocking three shots in just 21 minutes. Finally, Castle looked very good in his second game back, scoring 7 points and recording 4 blocks and rebounds. UConn shot 56% and went 13-28 from deep, and got to the free throw line 31 times, making 22. It had 21 assists and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 42-28. On defense, the Huskies blocked nine shots and stole the ball five times. They held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 35.6% shooting overall and 31% inside the arc.

UConn is now 9-1, and these two wins solidified its place as one of the best teams in the country and at the top of the Big East pecking order, along with Creighton and Marquette. Defeating Gonzaga in Seattle Friday will further demonstrate to observers that UConn can win against elite nonconference opponents in hostile environments. Below, I further discuss my thoughts on the UNC and Arkansas-Pine Bluff wins and the positives and negatives I drew from them.

Karaban and Spencer Come Back to Life

Against Kansas, it looked like injuries were heavily limiting Karaban and Spencer on both ends. Karaban’s shot was ineffective against the Jayhawks due to a finger injury, as he was just 2-7 from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Spencer had hurt toes on both of his feet, making it difficult for him to get good lift on his shots and move effectively on both ends. Spencer scored just 6 points while shooting 2-12, and both he and Karaban struggled to keep up on the defensive end. Prior to the North Carolina game, both men were a game time decision, and it was thought they would have minutes restriction. Because of this, it was easy to understand the skepticism myself and others shared about UConn being able to beat UNC at less than full strength.

Among the pair, Spencer was the first one to break out offensively against the Tar Heels. The senior scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half of the win, getting on the board via a series of layups, free throws, and 3-pointers. Spencer did not look stiff or slow in any shape or form. Rather, he showed off his ability to find open shots from anywhere on the floor, while still creating scoring opportunities for others. Against Kansas, Spencer had looked frustrated and angry at himself throughout. Against North Carolina, he played with that same intensity but instead fed off of it and showed their players he wouldn’t back down, even earning a technical after a little too much trash talking. While a lot of players had solid games against UNC, Spencer, who also earned 7 rebounds and 6 assists, was their MVP. After again playing well against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, my worries about Spencer have subsided.  

Karaban found ways to contribute against UNC around the basket and by moving the ball. He ultimately shot 6-8 inside the arc (mostly on cuts to the basket and on putbacks) to finish with 18 points, and had 9 rebounds and 5 assists. As discussed somewhat earlier however, the win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was the first time Karaban’s shot has looked 100 percent for a while. Karaban was 6-9 from deep and did an excellent job of moving without the ball and off screens to get open 3-point attempts in the corner. He was also successful again at getting to the rim for baskets and rebounded and passed the ball well, finishing with 3 assists. Finally, while the competition wasn’t high level, Karaban was strong on the defensive end against the Golden Eagles. It will be important to see if Karaban can keep his offense going against another strong defense in Gonzaga. What Karaban needs to remember is to not fall into a pattern of just taking3-pointers against the Bulldogs if his outside shots aren’t falling, and to be aggressive going to the basket when appropriate to create plays for himself and others.

Freshman Continue to Contribute the More They Play

After difficulty acclimating to the speed of the college game or just finding minutes at all in such a talented rotation, Ball and fellow frosh Jaylin Stewart made a big case for themselves against UNC and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. With Castle making valuable contributions in both wins in limited movements, it seems like UConn and Dan Hurley is getting closer to deciding that Castle, Ball and Stewart will get the large majority of minutes played among the freshman, barring more injury.

Ball averaged 11 points between the two wins, shooting 7-15 overall and 4-11 from deep. The shooting guard is showing a strong ability to finish around the rim using his athleticism and has demonstrated a nice touch on floaters. While Ball’s shooting from deep is inconsistent and he has a tendency to rush 3-pointers, I’ll give him praise for not being afraid of the big shot and forcing defenders to challenge him beyond the arc. Ball certainly came up big against North Carolina from there, making a trio of 3-pointers that gave UConn momentum at essential times. He also has done a good job of handling the ball well and playing with high energy on both ends during his starting stint with Castle injured and then on minute restrictions. Hopefully, Ball’s improvement during this stretch increased his confidence and will allow him to make an immediate impact off the bench when Castle moves back to the starting guard spot in the next game or two.

Prior to the game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jaylin Stewart had played intermittently this season. Against the Golden Eagles however, the forward was aggressive on the offensive end and rewarded with a season-high 15 minutes. Stewart scored 7 points, making all three of his 2-pointers, and had 2 rebounds and an assist. Stewart also got to the line for three shots, though he only made one. He demonstrated the ability to beat defenders off the dribble and shoot over them, as well as strong athleticism. Stewart will have to keep his defensive effort up and shoot better at the charity stripe to consistently get more playing time, but I believe that he can be a solid member of the rotation by the second half of the season.

While I can’t imagine being worried about Castle’s ability to contribute either way, he demonstrated that he could make an impact in multiple ways in limited minutes against the Tar Heels and Golden Eagles. The acclaimed freshman had 3 points, 4 rebounds, and both an assist and steal in just 11 minutes against UNC, and then put up 7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 18 minutes in the second win. It’s clear that Castle can beat defenders in the paint and create offense even when not fully healthy. His strength and reflexes allowed him to rebound well in the wins, and his passing was solid. What was most impressive against the two teams was Castle’s defense. His ability and length can allow him to hassle defenders and create turnovers. As long as he gets fully healthy, I expect Castle to start having a few breakout games in the next few weeks and show why he is one of the best freshmen in the country.   

UConn’s Ball Movement and Rebounding is Elite

The Huskies ability to share the ball and get assists, which helps create the team’s depth, and it’s rebounding were big areas of strength last year, and have remained so throughout this nonconference schedule. UConn is running an intricate offense that is great at confusing defenses and finding players for high-percentage shots. Through 10 games, the Huskies percentage of assists on made field goals is 60.8%, which ranks 29th in the country. They recorded 24 assists on 35 field goals against North Carolina, and 33 assists on 69 field goals against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. UConn’s passing is a thing of beauty, and it has helped lead to the balance the team has throughout its lineup. Four players (Newton, Spencer, Karaban and Clinigan) are averaging double figures, led by Newton’s 17 points per game. Castle is just under that at 9.8 points in less than 20 minutes of play.

Rebounding, especially on the offensive end, has been a huge emphasis of all of Hurley’s teams, and it unsurprisingly a huge strength again this season. UConn has consistently outrebounded its opponents, usually significantly so, and is grabbing roughly 42 per game. It is grabbing 38.9% of its offensive rebounds, which ranks seventh in the country. The biggest difference this season is that the Huskies guards are some of its best rebounders, with Newton grabbing 7.2 per game.

UConn Needs to Improve Significantly at Guarding Teams From Deep

The Huskies still have a very strong defense despite losing important talent and athleticism from last year’s roster. Opponents are making just 47% of their 2-point shots, which ranks sixth in the country, and the team is blocking a bunch of shots again. However, their opponents have been getting hot on 3-pointers, making 37% .4% of them, which is one of the highest percentages allowed by any team. While that mark may be a little inflated due to a few opponents shooting significantly better than their normal rates beyond the arc, the UConn players have consistently allowed guys to get free for wide-open 3-pointers, and been burned as a result. There could be a few reasons for this, including miscommunication by defenders, poor decision making, and the Huskies deliberately leaving a lesser perimeter shooter open to guard the paint. I know Hurley puts an emphasis on guarding the rim, but if opponents can stay in games by getting hot from three UConn will be susceptible to upsets, especially in March. Hurley has been emphasizing the need for the team to stop allowing so many 3-pointers, and hopefully they will have made changes to defending from there in practice during this long break that will pay off in games.   

Donavon Clinigan Still a Question Mark

Even with the injury issues to his foot and having to play his way back into shape because of a lack of live practice in the preseason, Clinigan has still been an excellent defender. He is constantly altering or blocking shots and limiting opposing big men’s freedom of movement. The sophomore slowed down Bacot against North Carolina and shut down the Arkansas-Pine Bluff bigs, and no opposing center has been completely successful against Clinigan so far this season. On offense however, it is clear Clinigan is more limited than expected. His ability to finish around the rim is inconsistent, partially due to a lack of lift caused by the foot injury. This is also holding Clinigan back from showing the same explosiveness he had as a rookie. In addition, Clinigan’s foul shooting has still not improved, as he is making just over half of his shots there. I am holding out hope that the Bristol native will start living up to preseason expectations in a month or so. The current version of Clinigan, however, is holding back UConn from reaching its full potential as a team.

UConn Huskies Season Preview: The Returnees

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!

Starter Grades With a Month Left in the Regular Season

I wrote this article ranking the performance of the bench players on No. 21 UConn prior to the Marquette win last week, with an explanation of why I chose the grade. Now, I am publishing the article I wrote but did not publish last week assigning grades to the Huskies five main starters. I will provide updated grades/evaluations on the individual starters performance against Creighton shortly. This was a lot of work, but I enjoyed much of it. I look forward to seeing your feedback!

Jordan Hawkins: B+

Hawkins got a ton of press prior to the season for the improvement in his perimeter shooting and overall offensive game, and was named to the preseason All-Big East Second Team. It was evident that the sophomore would be UConn’s go-to scorer along with Sanogo if he played up to his potential. So far, Hawkins has mostly lived up to the hype offensively, and has been playing his best all-around basketball recently even if the team has been inconsistent overall. The season still has a long way to go, but Hawkins is making a case to be seen as one of the best shooters in UConn program history.

In 23 games (he missed three due to a concussion), Hawkins is averaging 16.4 points on 42.1% shooting overall and 40.1% on 3-pointers, while also making over 86% of his foul shots. These are all a huge leap from Hawkins freshman season, when the freshman showed a lot of potential but also delt with injury trouble and confidence issues and shot just 35.3% on 5.8 points per game.

Hawkins has been on fire in the last seven games, dating back to the loss to St. John’s on Jan. 15th. In that stretch , he has averaged 21.1 points and shot 50% on 88 attempts, while also draining 44.2% of 3-pointers and 92.5% of foul shots. Hawkins has had four 20-point games during this run, including 26 at DePaul in a win, and 31 in the heartbreaking loss to Seton Hall. For the season, Hawkins has scored 20 or more in nine games and in single digits just three times.

Hawkins has been a dangerous scorer all season, but he has flipped a switch in the last month. His movement without the ball, confidence and quick and fluid shooting form has allowed Hawkins to be lethal on 3-pointers coming off of screens. He has benefited greatly from UConn recently improving its screening on the perimeter, as it has given Hawkins open looks from beyond the arc. Earlier in the season and especially during the first month of conference play, Hawkins had struggled to get open looks at times because defenders were keying in on him and being as physical with Hawkins as possible without earning fouls. He also has shown the ability to go on individual runs and carry the Huskies for multiple minutes at a time and make clutch shots against tough opponents. Hawkins nearly led UConn back from a 15-point halftime deficit against Xavier, and his multiple treys early against Marquette gave the team momentum and put it in control for the remainder of the game.

As great as his 3-point shooting has been, what has especially impressed recently is Hawkins newfound focus on attacking the basket. Earlier in the season, he frequently focused on just shooting from deep and thus could disappear from games if defenders stuck on Hawkins . Since the beginning of January however, Hawkins has regularly used his athleticism and size to attack the basket for quality layup attempts, while also pulling up for quality midrange jumpers. Hawkins has recognized that the threat of his 3-point shot allows him to effectively fake out defenders and then drive for open looks, particularly in the paint. Hawkins has improved at finishing at the rim over the course of the season, and he is outstanding at forcing contact (including behind the 3-point line) to earn free throws, where he is money. Hawkins has made 55.6% of his shots inside the arc during this aforementioned hot streak.

Hawkins has also improved his offensive game as a sophomore in other areas. Hawkins is averaging 4 rebounds per game, double his average from last season, and has especially improved on the defensive boards. Hawkins has grabbed at least 5 rebounds seven times since the start of the New Year. He reacts quickly when in good position to grab rebounds, and his athleticism allows him to beat other guards to loose balls off the boards. While Hawkins ball handling still leaves a lot to be desired, he has improved his dribbling and passing this season and cut down on turnovers. Hawkins has committed more than three turnovers in a game just once. Meanwhile, Hawkins had dished out multiple assists in seven games.

On defense, I believe Hawkins has improved the most from one season to the next that I can remember by a UConn guard in recent program history. As a freshman, Hawkins lacked the strength to effectively guard bigger guards, and his footwork wasn’t efficient enough to stay in front of his man at times. This resulted in cheap fouls when Hawkins tried to force steals to make up for being beat off the dribble. While Hawkins upper-body strength will need to improve for him to be successful in the NBA, the strength training he did in the offseason has allowed Hawkins to better body up defenders. At the same time, he has improved his footwork and ability to force turnovers without fouling. Hawkins is averaging nearly one steal per game, and has earned multiple steals in six games. Hawkins size and agility has helped him develop the ability to block shots after not showing that skill as a freshman. He has blocked 15 shots and has four games with 2 blocks.

Hawkins can still continue to improve the remainder of the season in multiple areas. While it can be difficult for him to get quality perimeter shots in a game because of how much opponents focus on containing him, Hawkins needs to do a better job of being effective over 40 minutes. He has a tendency to explode on offense for a short amount of time and then disappear. Depending on when this occurs, Hawkins doing so can make it much more difficult for UConn to win, especially if his teammates are inconsistent. Hawkins can also fall into a tendency of focusing on taking 3-pointers at the expense of everything else, even if he is cold. Slowly but surely, Hawkins has developed more variety in his offensive game, but he can still run hot and cold like many shooters. I don’t know if Hawkins can do much to improve his ball-handling in season, but he still needs to strengthen his handle if he enters the NBA draft in the offseason. On defense, Hawkins can still be more disciplined and avoid either biting on fakes or reaching for the ball and picking up silly fouls that limit his playing time. Like seemingly all of the Husky guards, Hawkins sometimes fails to provide help defense or communicating on that end with teammates, allowing for easy drives to the basket for opponents.

As frustrating as this season has been for UConn as a whole, they have gotten nearly everything they could ask from Hawkins. He is developing into a great all-around player and not just a shooter, and has even displayed vocal leadership skills during games, a far cry from his lack of confidence as a freshman. Hawkins is one of the best players in the Big East, and has supplanted Sanogo as the Huskies best player. Hopefully, Hawkins will decide to return to Storrs for a junior season even if he has projected as a first-round pick. Either way, however he is capable of leading UConn on tournament runs and creating a memorable legacy.

Adama Sanogo: B+

Sanogo was selected as the preseason Player of the Year in the Big East and was also put on the Wooden Award watch list. While Sanogo’s season has probably not gone as smoothly as expected, he still has frequently been dominant offensively and a centerpiece for UConn alongside Jordan Hawkins.

Sanogo is averaging 17.2 points in 25 games, 2.4 more than last season. He has also been much more efficient offensively and is shooting more than 58% from the field, a significant improvement from last season. Sanogo has shown even better touch in the paint this year, while still bullying opposing bigs. Fans heard that Sanogo was working on his midrange and perimeter shooting during the offseason, and he has showed great form on 3-pointers while making over 39% on 33 attempts. Finally, Sanogo is shooting 75.9% on free throws, an excellent percentage for a big man. This efficiency has resulted in Sanogo having double-digit scoring performances in every game but two, eight 20-point games, and four double-doubles.

As great as Sanogo is offensively, he has been a black hole at times, especially during UConn’s January struggles. The offense has had a bad habit of feeding the ball to the junior at the expense of getting other players involved and creating good scoring opportunities for the entire lineup. Sanogo’s teammates have also failed to move without the ball towards Sanogo in these situations so that he has open passing lanes when guarded. At the same time, Sanogo has continued his habit of taking way too long to take shots in the paint, and not passing the ball out and repositioning when well-guarded. As a result, teams have easily been able to double-team Sanogo consistently and either force him into difficult shots or turnovers.

After UConn’s loss to Seton Hall, Hurley and the team made a few important adjustments offensively that has allowed Sanogo to still be effective, but within the normal flow of the offense. Hurley has positioned Sanogo at the top of the key and had him set screens for the guards regularly, allowing the Huskies and particularly Newton and Hawkins to get around defenders and attack the basket effectively. Instead of attempting all his shots in the paint or beyond the arc, Sanogo has attacked the basket from the top of the key a few times a game on layup attempts. Because of Sanogo’s strength and agility, this has been a very high-percentage play. Finally, Sanogo has finally started to pass the ball out of the paint more and shown better accuracy when doing so. He has averaged 2 assists over the last five games while committing just four turnovers. Sanogo’s growth as a player bodes well for the Huskies success during the remainder of the season.

While Sanogo’s scoring has continued to be elite, his rebounding and defense hasn’t lived up to the expectations he set last season. His rebounding has dropped from an average of 8.8 last season to 7.2, as have the percentage of both defensive and offensive rebounds he has grabbed. I would be very surprised if Sanogo reached last season’s mark of 10 games with double-digit rebounds unless UConn goes on a tournament run. Although part of Sanogo’s rebounding numbers going down is the result of having strong rebounding guards in Hawkins and Newton and the addition of Clinigan (even if they rarely play together) and Hurley having him defend on the perimeter, I believe that Sanogo has also demonstrated less effort on rebound opportunities and when boxing out. There could be a few reasons for this in theory, including Sanogo wanting to focus more on scoring or trying to avoid foul trouble, but it is disappointing to see Sanogo giving less effort on the boards at times. I hope that as UConn hits tournament play, Sanogo ramps up his effort on theboards andbecomes the elite rebounder he was last season.

Sanogo’s defense has also left something to be desired at times. With his strong footwork, Sanogo continues to be an effective one-on-one defender against most bigs. However, his help defense has been very inconsistent. Sanogo has been late on cutting off drives, and while he still does a solid job of altering shots he has ceased to be a shot-blocking threat. Sanogo has blocked just 16 shots this season and had multiple blocks in a game just three times, after averaging 1.9 per game last season. It is understandable that Sanogo wants to avoid defensive fouls considering how much responsibility he has on offense, and UConn’s system of having Sanogo consistently run high-hedge defense makes it difficult for him to get back and help teammates defend the paint. Still, Sanogo needs to stop getting caught watching the ball or half-heartedly blocking out defensively. UConn needs him to be a skilled two-way player to capture their remaining must-win games and tournament victories.

Tristen Newton: B

Newton’s season has been a bit of a roller coaster as well. The highly touted senior guard transfer had a tough time adjusting to UConn’s early on in nonconference play, but eventually appeared to be learning how to run its offense and be a complimentary scorer by the time of the Phil Knight Invitational. However, Newton’s scoring began to drop off a cliff at the end of the nonconference schedule, and through the first half of conference play in December until the middle of January. Newton wasn’t picking up the slack enough elsewhere on offense or defense to mitigate his disappearance, leading heavily to UConn’s struggles after starting 3-0 in the Big East. Since an ugly loss to St. John’s however, Newton has had a resurgence and flashed all the talent Huskies fans have heard about, and the team has subsequently fled off his versatility and energy. UConn needs a quality point guard, and Newton is finally filling the role.

Newton is averaging 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He is averaging 4.4 assists, but has committed 2.3 turnovers per game. Newton ‘s shooting percentage inside the arc has dropped significantly due to his struggles, but he has continued to improve his 3-point shooting from last season and is now up to 34.9%. Newton continues to be money from the foul line, making 80.7 of hid free throws. He has scored in double figures 12 times and 20 or more points on four occasions. Newton earns a lot of his assists at his best, and has five games of at least six dimes. Finally, he has gotten to the 4-rebound mark 12 times. Newton has earned multiple steals in seven games.

Newton has been on a tear since the St. John’s loss on Jan. 18th. Since, he has averaged just under 15 points in six games, including 20-point performances at DePaul and against Xavier, while shooting 46.6% overall ,38.1% from deep and over 80% at the line on 38 attempts. Before this stretch, Newton had scored in double figures just twice in Big East play. He has done a little bit of everything else as well, averaging just over six assists and under five rebounds while grabbing two steals. Newton’s most impressive performance came in the signature win against Marquette, as he recorded 12 points and assists and grabbed 10 rebounds in 35 minutes. It was Newton’s second triple-double already this season, with Shabazz Napier being the only other Husky to accomplish this feat.

After an All-AAC Conference junior season at East Carolina in which he averaged roughly 17 points and 5 assists, expectations may have been too high for Newton. Yes, he was a versatile guard with size and strength and a nose for the basket, but the level of competition was a big step up for a player who is not a natural point guard, especially after the conference has had more depth than preseason reports indicated. It was always going to take him a while to create chemistry with players in regular season competition, and that only became harder when Andre Jackson returned to the starting lineup and the two had difficulty co-existing on the floor while Jackson tried to take on a point guard role that he unfortunately wasn’t well suited for.

After being generally effective on offense the first month-plus of the season and relying on his ability to get to the line to rack up points, Newton steadily faded to the background for a while. He stopped being aggressive offensively and rarely attacked the basket when the team desperately needed him to (From the first Xavier loss to the St. John’s game, Newton took jut 9 free throws and made 5). Newton looked reluctant to shoot a significant amount of the time, making difficult passes in the paint instead of attacking the basket for layup opportunities. Newton’s disengagement with the rest of the team offensively and relative defensive struggles was a direct reason why the Huskies became a one-trick pony on offense and suffered their 2-6 stretch in January.

Since that team, Newton has looked completely different. It appears that Dan Hurley talked to him and urged Newton to attack the basket more and initiate the offense quicker, and Newton embraced the challenge. He is now consistently driving the ball and playing more quickly, while also moving without the ball on the perimeter and getting better 3-point looks. Newton has also been highly effectively in the zone defenses UConn has employed and especially at pressuring ball handlers in the full court with his size and strength. He has consistently seemed to be having fun, and appears to be taking on a bigger leadership role during timeouts and other game situations. The UConn offense flows much better when Newton has the ball frequently, especially during significant moments. He is the lynchpin and floor general right now that UConn fans were looking for. A team needs a reliable point guard to have postseason success, and this version of Newton can finally bring it to the UConn program.

Andre Jackson: B-Jackson has been up-and-down as a player since the moment he arrived in Storrs, but his junior career has been a special case. When the junior is at the peak of his powers, he is extremely versatile, a team leader, and an absolute joy to watch. But when Jackson has played his worst, he has played out of control on both ends and been a black hole on offense, where his confidence has been shaken.

Jackson is averaging 5.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 22 games, while shooting 36.4%. The point forward ‘s PPG and field goal averaging have gone down compared to his sophomore season, although Jackson’s assist-to-turnover ratio has improved significantly. He has four double-digit games for both points and rebounds, although he hasn’t scored in double digits in the new year. Jackson has dished out six or more assists in seven games, and come up with multiple steals in a significant number of games. Even if Johnson doesn’t score a lot of points in a game, at his best he’s a stat stuffer.

Jackson’s worst tendencies have slowly emerged however, with the New Year’s Eve loss at Xavier being the jumping off point for these struggles. In the 11 games since, Jackson has seen his scoring average and shooting percentage go slightly down. While he is averaging nearly the same assists, Jackson has Bommited multiple turnovers seven times. Even if Jackson’s raw stats have only gone down a little bit, he has made multiple mistakes on offense during crucial moments in each loss, while playing with a lack of intelligence on defense.

Jackson had had two distinct stages this season, with the last two wins against Georgetown and Marquette possibly signifying the start of a third stage. Starting with the Phil Knight Invitational Thanksgiving week until the end of December, Jackson contributed heavily on both ends and was the team’s sparkplug. The junior was doing a great job running the offense alongside Tristen Newton and finding scoring opportunities for teammates, while also grabbing offensive boards. Jackson was doing just enough to score via floaters, baskets at the rim and the occasional three, and with his teammates scoring so efficiently Jackson’s scoring wasn’t really needed. Most importantly, Jackson was playing exquisite defense, pressuring his man constantly and forcing turnovers and poor shots.

As the calendar flipped to the new year however, Jackson’s quality of play plummeted on both ends along with the team’s as a whole. He lost all confidence shooting the ball, and frequently had poor selection when doing so. Jackson frequently refused to attack the basket and occasionally turned the ball over when doing so. His floater (Jackson’s go-to-shot) deserted him, and he began to be bated into taking risky 3-pointers when defenders stay off of Jackson. This led to ugly shooting lines on threes like a 4-12 performance at Xavier and 0-3 marks against both Providence and the Musketeers. While Jackson continued to rebound well, he began to play out of control when running the offense and making risky passes that either led to turnovers or teammates not being in the right position to score.

What was more frustrating then Jackson’s struggles on offense was his disappearance on the defensive end. After living up to his accolades as a defender early Jackson declined heavily in the first half of the Big East schedule. Jackson become overaggressive on defense, committing silly fouls and having to be removed by Dan Hurley as a result, and repeatedly tried to block his man’s shots from behind instead of working harder to stay in front of players. Combine all of this with Jackson’s shaky help defense, and he was the player most responsible for the Huskies defensive decline when they lost six of eight games. Jackson’s defensive struggles carried over to the offensive end and caused the junior to become disengaged at times while not fulfilling his status as UConn’s leader.

After the Huskies second loss to Xavier and Jackson’s 2-point performance against DePaul, he and Hurley said that the coaches and Jackson were working to tighten up his defense and putting him in situations on offense where he could make plays more efficiently. In the wins since against Georgetown and Marquette, Jackson has demonstrated this hard work paid off. Jackson’s defense has continued to be aggressive while also more disciplined and focused. He held Hoyas star Primo Spears scoreless, and was et defending multiple Creighton players while helping to force poor shots and defenders. Jackson’s rebounding and passing was solid in multiple games, especially against Georgetown. Instead of taking jumpers and 3-pointers, Jackson focused on getting open for scoring opportunities around the basket on layups and putbacks and dunks, resulting in a combined 12 points on 5-12 shooting. It has been great to see Jackson not just more effective, but having a lot more fun on the court in these wins. When he is playing loose and with energy, all the other Huskies feed off of it.

The remaining regular season and tournament games will be huge for Andre Jackson’s legacy at UConn. Can he prove that he and the team have truly righted the ship? Can Jackson show improvement on offense while playing up to his potential in other phases of the game? And maybe most importantly, can Jackson truly be the leader of the next Huskies team that goes on a tournament run? Jackson is capable of answering all these questions with a triumphant yes. Now it’s just time for him to be a great player, and not just a great athlete.

Alex Karaban: B+

If Dan Hurley wanted to create a freshman big who is well-rounded offensively in a lab, he probably couldn’t do any better than Alex Karaban. The freshman power/small forward from Massachusetts’s has already demonstrated that he can score from nearly anywhere on the floor, particularly in the paint and behind the arc. When you combine that scoring ability with quality passing, solid rebounding and quickly-improving defense, and you have a Husky who is qualified to be the Big East Freshman of the Year.

Karaban, whom UConn has relied on heavily at forward with Samson Johnson out nearly the entire season, is averaging 9.8 PPG, 4.1 RPB, and 1.8 APG in 28.7 minutes. He is shooting 46.9% on field goals , 39.7% on 3-pointers and 82.1% at the free throw line. Karaban’s offensive metrics on KenPom and elsewhere are off the charts, especially for a freshman. He has scored in double figures 15 times, and has hit his season high of three 3-pointers in eight games, most recently in the last two wins. Karaban has scored in double figures five of the past eight games, with a high of 17 in the first matchup with Marquette. While Karaban doesn’t have any games with a huge amount of assists, he has dished out multiple ones in 12 games. Karaban was named the conference Freshman of the Week for the week of Jan. 29th after averaging 7.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4 rebounds, which was the fifth time this season he has received the honor.

Karaban ‘s best offensive skill right now is shooting 3-pointers. He is excellent at moving without the ball, has quality form and does not hesitate no matter the moment, has evidenced by his 3-pointer late at Georgetown that gave UConn a 63-61 lead it never relinquished. Karaban has already established a solid post game and can score effectively on both layups and post-ups. As Karaban works on getting stronger in the offseason, it could allow him to score more effectively in the post while also stretching defenders out beyond the 3-point line. In addition to scoring Karaban’s court awareness and basketball IQ has allowed him to be a quality screener in the pick-and-roll and an excellent passer, especially compared to the average freshman. Adama Sanogo and Donavon Clinigan have particularly benefited from Karaban’s passing skills.

On defense, Karaban has also consistently gotten better. While he needs to add a lot of upper-body strength and doesn’t have the athleticism a lot of the power forwards he’s facing in the Big East (a conference with excellent big men), Karaban has learned how to challenge shots and go after rebounds inside without fouling, and how he can position himself to challenge shots. Karaban’s recent improvement at avoiding foul trouble has allowed him to make a more consistent impact on offense, particularly from beyond the arc.

Alex Karaban quickly proved himself to be an indispensable player for the Huskies. Currently, I would argue he is their third-most reliable player beyond Jordan Hawkins and Sanogo. If Karaban is this developed as a freshman, I cannot imagine how good he will be as a junior or senior. Slowly but surely Karaban is building a legacy in Storrs, one that may lead to a tournament run in March.

Freshman Evaluation: Alex Karaban set to Bring Diverse Offensive Game to Team

Karaban, a Massachusetts native, played two seasons at the New Hampton School, earning the New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the year for the 2021-22 season. After committing to play at UConn last August, Karaban played part of a post-grad year at IMG Academy in Florida before joining UConn during the spring semester. Karaban got the opportunity to work out, compete in practice and watch his older teammates from the bench during games.

During his senior season at New Hampton, Karaban averaged 25.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 blocks per game while connecting on 60.3% of his field-goal attempts. He led the school to the NEPSAC Class AAA tournament championship, being names the MVP of the title game. As a member of the AAU team Expressions Elite, he averaged 18.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocks and earned selection to the All-Peach Jam Second Team. At the time of his commitment, Karaban was ranked 42nd in his class by ESPN.

Karaban is a 6-8 forward and entered UConn weighing 230 but had since lost 15 pounds as of the middle of August. He is a high-quality midrange and outside shooter but can also use his bulk to beat defenders at the rim. Karaban is also considered a solid passer and is an outstanding free throw shooter. He should develop into a strong rebounder for the Huskies, and multiple writers have particularly singled out Karaban’s work on the offensive glass.

Karaban will be a work-in-progress on defense at the start of his career. He was considered a solid defender in high school, particularly when playing team defense. Karaban will likely most have to work on developing more speed and improving footwork. His basketball IQ, which was signaled out for praise by Dan Hurley when Karaban committed, should help in this area and allow Karaban to adjust to different defensive schemes. It will be interesting to see if Karaban becomes an effective shot blocker over the course of his UConn career.

Karaban’s stock has only risen since the team has returned to consistently practicing over the last two months. Much of the information coming out of practice has indicated that Karaban has consistently impressed the team with his shooting, rebounding and overall effort and basketball IQ. Hurley admitted a few days ago that Karaban had a solid chance to start at forward. Although I believe Samson Johnson will be the nominal starter at the four to start the year, I’m very confident the pair will split starter’s minutes while Andre Jackson is out with injury the first two weeks of the season.

While Karaban may not be the most acclaimed recruit Hurley has recruited to Storrs during his tenure, he may be the one I am most excited to watch. The ability Karaban could have to stretch the floor makes him stand out from any other freshman big man. When you add on Karaban’s ability to score and rebound around the rim as well and basketball IQ, he could quickly become something special. If Karaban is successful, it will only help UConn’s ability to attract top recruits in the Northeast and more versatile bigs. Now just become more refined on defense, Alex.