A Long-Awaited Debut
The Story: The Huskies (5-1) take on UMass-Lowell (4-4) tonight at Gampel Pavilion in what will be a final tune-up for a huge game against Arizona on Sunday and should mark the debut of transfer Sidney Wilson.
WHO IS SIDNEY WILSON? Wilson, a Bronx native, is a transfer from St. John’s, where he spent a couple of weeks in summer 2017. Wilson left shortly after being on campus and decided to come to UConn. But, because he actually stepped foot on the St. John’s campus, the draconian NCAA mandated he sit out a year. Wilson practiced all of last season with the Huskies and then was suspended for the first six games for undisclosed reasons.
IS HE A PLAYER? Yes. Wilson was a highly sought recruit for the Huskies and a top-100 talent. He is an athletic 6-foot-7 forward who is going to play a combination of SF and PF for Dan Hurley. Check out his high school YouTube video for some highlights.
HOW WILL HE FIT? Hurley likes ball pressure on defense and the strength of the Huskies is at the guard spot. UConn has five guards it wants to play, and that means that the three-guard lineup of Jalen Adams, Alterique Gilbert and Christian Vital will remain. There also need to be minutes for Tarin Smith, with Brendan Adams also in need of some time. That leaves very little minutes on the perimeter, potentially, for Wilson.
Wilson could see some time on the perimeter as a classic small forward but is more likely to play at as a stretch 4. Wilson will still use his perimeter skills and driving ability but is going to need to be more physical and have to rebound and defend on the interior for the Huskies. Does that sound like someone? Of course it does in sophomore Tyler Polley, who has played well in the early going, averaging an efficient 8.8 points per game with 3.3 rebounds per game and shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.
Wilson slots in behind Polley, but the two are different players and allows Hurley some options. Wilson can handle the ball some and could play the wing in a big lineup. He’s also a slashing player, as opposed to Polley, who is more of a jump shooter, and that adds a dimension to the lineup that the Huskies do not possess. Both should be dynamite in transition.
WILL HE PLAY? That is the big question. The Arizona game is on Sunday, and it would be nice for the Huskies to put UMass-Lowell away and get Wilson’s feet wet. The Huskies are off to a 5-1 start, scoring more than 90 points a game on three occasions, so why change things? Wilson is going to have to defend and do things that players on the floor can’t do. That means rebound, defending and getting out in transition.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “He brings some of the elements that Tyler would bring without the shooting that Tyler has, but [with] the explosiveness of some of the wings that Syracuse had. … We’ll use him similar to Tyler at that position, because we want to go fast, athletic. We want to pressure people. But he’s gonna have to earn his role now.”
WHAT DO WILSON’S TEAMMATES SAY? “I don’t think people have really seen the type of athlete Sid is. Especially now. He’s had a couple of years in college to grow his body and add to his game. I think he’s gonna be a really big piece [for] us. He’s definitely gonna help us out a lot.” — Vital after Saturday’s win over Cornell.
A FEW WORDS ON UMASS-LOWELL: Don’t lose to this hockey school.
BOTTOM LINE: Wilson’s athleticism and explosiveness are needed for the Huskies. He’s going to have to earn his time, but the Huskies don’t have this type of player around. Wilson is athletic and explosive and is a player who should thrive in this uptempo attack. He’s been off a long time, and with a good start to the season for UConn, the pressure is off. He doesn’t need to come in and star right away.
Polls: Women Stay No. 2; Still No Love For Men
The Story: The women’s basketball team remained No. 2 in the Associated Press poll on Monday, and the men’s team earned four votes, one more than last week, but is still unranked.
SUNDAY SHOWDOWN: With top-ranked Notre Dame receiving all 31 first-place votes, the Huskies will find themselves in a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 matchup in South Bend on Sunday. The Fighting Irish nearly lost to No. 9 Oregon State over the weekend but clawed back from a 14-point hole to win.
A loss would have handed the Huskies the top ranking, but now they’ll have to wait another week to reclaim it.
Morning Read
HANSON DIES AT 63: Sad news from the Brass City as Connecticut schoolboy and UConn great Tony Hanson died at 63 on Sunday. Hanson, third on UConn’s all-time scoring list, was one of the building blocks of the UConn program and one of the more popular and celebrated high school players in state history. (Hartford Courant)
UCONN IN TOP POSITION FOR AKOK: The surprising news that Putnam Academy F Akok Akok will be making a mid-year enrollment doesn’t affect the Huskies on the recruiting trail. The 6-foot-9 forward is still favored to come to Storrs as early as next month. (Rivals)
TOP PROSPECT JONES TO SIGN: The top-ranked player in the Class of 2019, guard Haley Jones, will choose between UConn, Notre Dame, Stanford, South Carolina, and Oregon on Wednesday. (Haley Jones on Twitter)
FOOTBALL LOOKAHEAD: We here at The UConn Daily need a football review detox, but for those braves souls who can’t get enough of the gridiron, the Huskies should be improved on D (you think!?) and also don’t have as tough a schedule. That’s a good thing. (Hartford Courant)
