UConn Target Wahab to Choose Today
The Story: UConn needs another big man for next year and is in the mix for Qudus Wahab, who will announce which school he will attend at 4 p.m. UConn, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Virginia Tech are his five finalists.
WHO IS WAHAB? A 6-foot-10 center from Flint School in Virginia, Wahab was on campus for an official visit on First Night with Akok Akok, who has since enrolled at UConn. He weighs 230 pounds and is ranked 115th in the nation by Rivals.
WHERE’S THE BEEF? The Huskies will lose Eric Cobb and Kassoum Yakwe after the season. That leaves Josh Carlton as the Huskies’ lone center for next year.
Assuming all players return, Akok and oft-injured Mamadou Diarra could both technically take time in the pivot next year, but neither is what we would call a center. Akok is more of a stretch-four while Diarra also lacks bulk, size, strength and skill.
UConn missed out on Kofi Cockburn, its top big man, after he chose Illinois and now must convince Wahab to make the leap to Storrs.
SCHOLARSHIPS FILLING UP: Again, assuming there’s no attrition, the Huskies have one scholarship left after giving one up for NCAA violations they reported under Kevin Ollie. The Huskies are also in the mix for top-20 prospect Precious Achiuwa. So, if they nab Wahab and continue to target Achiuwa, they would need some roster shuffling.
NEXT YEAR’S ROSTER: The Huskies will lose Jalen Adams, but assuming everyone else is back, would return four starters in Carlton, Christian Vital, Alterique Gilbert and Tyler Polley, with Sidney Wilson back to round out the rotation. UConn also has length, though not bulk, with Akok, Diarra and Isaiah Whaley also slated to return. The young backcourt would consist of Brendan Adams and incoming recruits James Bouknight and Jalen Gaffney.
Huskies Miss Chance at Pioneering Win
The Story: The men’s hockey team fell 2-1 last night to in-state rival Sacred Heart, missing out on a chance to jump-start a season that is increasingly slipping away with a win to start a five-game homestand.
NO PUCK LUCK: Although the Huskies (7-16-2, 2-12-2 Hockey East) struggled in the first half of the season and entered the winter break with a seven-game losing streak, there was plenty of optimism when they returned to the ice and pulled off their first win in program history against Yale.
Since then, though, they’ve won just one of seven games, beating St. Lawrence in a tournament in Las Vegas on Jan. 5. It’s not for a lack of trying: They’ve been outscored 20-7 since that victory but have taken 14 more shots than their opponents.
A DIFFICULT FINISH: In last place in the 11-team conference, UConn will wrap up its season with a killer nine-game Hockey East schedule — one in which it plays six of those games against teams currently in the top four in the standings.
The Huskies could very well miss out on the eight-team conference tournament for the first time since joining Hockey East before the 2014-15 season, and unless they win three of their final nine games, they’ll finish with their fewest overall victories since they won just seven games in 2009-10.
EVER THE OPTIMISTS: One of the reasons for UConn’s struggles this seasons is its relative youth, with 12 freshmen, tied for the most in Division I, on the 26-man roster. The freshmen have more than pulled their weight, however, as they have accounted for 57 points on 15 goals and 42 assists.
The Huskies will miss left wing Karl El-Mir, a senior who has scored 12 goals this season — including the only one against Sacred Heart last night — but should return junior right wing Alexander Payusov, the leading scorer with 13 goals, goaltenders Adam Huska and Tomas Vermacka and freshman center Jachym Kondelik, whose 19 assists are tied for third in the conference.
Morning Read
ALTERIQUE STILL IFFY: The men’s basketball team visits UCF on Thursday and we don’t know if Alterique Gilbert will be available because of a shoulder injury. (Hartford Courant)
UNDERDOG GENO? The women’s basketball team will head to Louisville with a chip on its shoulder because it appears vulnerable, and that thought doesn’t sit well with Geno Auriemma. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
OFF TO THE RACES: What pleased Geno the most in the win against UCF on Sunday was how his players pushed the tempo from the start. (Journal Inquirer)
CALIFORNIA LOVE: A tight end from the Bay Area, Dominick Mazotti, visited UConn last weekend and will make his decision next week. (This Is UConn Country)
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Former UConn linebacker Vontae Diggs will attempt to work his way back to the NFL by playing for the Atlanta Legends of the start-up Alliance of American Football, which starts in two weeks. (Atlanta Legends on Twitter)
