Hurley’s Huskies Off To A Running Start
Welcome to the first issue of The UConn Daily! We hope you are as excited to read this as we are in writing it.
As far as where to start, we can’t help but get ahead of ourselves about how the UConn men looked Friday night. Sure, it was sloppy in a 96-64 win over Southern Connecticut State, but what we saw was a sight for sore eyes.
FASTBREAK BASKETBALL IS BACK! Say it again: The Huskies are going to run. One of the great mysteries of the Kevin Ollie era was the lack of running, off-ball movement and the overall pace of play. The Huskies’ biggest advantage was their athleticism and they never used it. There was no energy on offense, and it became an unwatchable brand of basketball. UConn, for the last several years, was content to walk the ball up and settle for a late-in-the-shot-clock high pick-and-roll. When the Huskies had Shabazz Napier, they rode his marvelous creative play to a national championship. There is only one Napier (he should be a college basketball Hall of Famer). On Sunday, the Huskies scored 45 points on the fastbreak. That only happens if all five players are on the floor committing to run.
How Will This Help The Huskies?
The defending national champion, Villanova, led the nation in scoring last year at 86.6 points per game. UConn? The four-time national champions averaged 68.2 PPG and were ranked 300th in the nation in scoring. It was style, not talent, as the Huskies have an abundance of playmakers and athletes led by Jalen Adams. The Huskies also shot the 3 well. UConn was 268th in the nation in made 3-pointers a game, and in modern basketball, that isn’t going to cut it. UConn was 8 of 18 from 3-point range. UConn took 63 shots and 39 free throws. That is pushing the pace, something they should do this season at every opportunity.
Who Impressed?
Brendan Adams had 17 points and it was nice to see Alterique Gilbert, with two years lost due to injury, showcasing his talent with 12 points and four steals. Jalen Adams had 16 points and, apparently, is off suspension.
No Word On Wilson
Sidney Wilson, a heralded transfer who sat out last season, didn’t play, and there is no public knowledge when he will return. UConn gave a cryptic statement last week that he was indefinitely suspended for a violation that occurred last season. The good news is he is suspended from game action only and that he is still in school. How long is he out? That remains unknown.
A Hot Start Even By Geno’s Standards
The UConn women weren’t going to lose on Sunday against Vanguard in an exhibition game. It wasn’t going to happen. So, the final score wasn’t what was important about Sunday’s 96-30 destruction. What was important? How the Huskies decimated Vanguard.
What Was So Impressive?
The Huskies jumped out to a 25-0 lead and showed no chemistry issues despite the insertion of Megan Walker and Christyn Williams into the starting lineup. Walker had 11 points and Williams added 10. The Huskies held Vanguard to 10 of 66 from the field and 5 of 33 from 3-point range. That opening-game run was a thing of beauty. Even head coach Geno Auriemma, several days after saying the No. 2 ranking in the preseason was on reputation, not merit, was impressed.
What Did Geno Have To Say?
“Every exhibition game is the same. You’re going to play a team you’re going to beat by a lot, so you can’t go by the final score, so you try to go by ‘How did it look? What was the feel of it?’ and those first five, six, seven minutes — considering it was the first time out — a lot of good stuff was happening.”
No Worries About Collier
Naphesa Collier had no issues stepping into a starring role with 26 points in 19 minutes on 10 of 13 shooting. Katie Lou Samuelson also had 26 points.
A Real Test Next
A big test will come on Sunday when the Huskies play Ohio State on Sunday at Gampel Pavilion.
Edsall: Program Has Lost Its Toughness, Heart
It’s never good when you have to clarify whether wins and losses matter and question the commitment of your players, but that’s what the UConn football team has devolved into down the stretch. Coach Randy Edsall explained following a 49-19 loss to Tulsa this weekend that for some players, the game is “not important enough.”
Per the Hartford Courant, Edsall also set the record straight about his comments saying he doesn’t care about wins or losses. He does care, but right now, it is about the process, not results. He also brought up again the damage done by the two previous coaches, Paul Pasqualoni and then Bob Diaco.
Our Take: The football program has lost its way on the field, and it would seem it is trying to figure it off the field as well. The best thing that can happen for football is one more win to feel good going into the offseason and pray for very good basketball teams to get everyone’s mind off what is turning into a massive rebuild. UConn has lost six of its games by 30 or more points, a staggering lack of competitiveness that has no answer on the young roster and has to be rectified on the recruiting trail. This is going to take a long time.
Morning Reading
FIELD HOCKEY WINS 7TH STRAIGHT BIG EAST TITLE: Kudos go out to one of the more dominant programs in any sport in the nation, the UConn field hockey team under the direction of Nancy Stevens. The Huskies — ranked No. 4 in the nation — defeated Liberty 5-3 to win the Big East title on Sunday. (UConnHuskies.com)
HURLEY HAS A LOT TO LIVE UP TO: Not only does hoops coach Dan Hurley have Jim Calhoun‘s shadow looming, but he is also following in the footsteps of a legendary high school coach in his father, Bob Hurley Sr. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
IT’S NOW OR NEVER FOR ADAMS: As a senior, now is the time for Jalen Adams to show leadership and bring the team back to the NCAA tournament (Hartford Courant)
