Gilbert’s Status Remains Iffy
The Story: Guard Alterique Gilbert’s status for tomorrow’s game against SMU remains unknown as he continues to battle soreness in his surgically repaired left shoulder.
WHAT’S THE ISSUE? We don’t exactly know, but he took a hit on a screen in a game against Wichita State on Jan. 28 and has not returned. Gilbert let out a scream during the collision and his shoulder has hurt ever since. Gilbert, of course, missed two years because of the shoulder, which was first injured in high school.
NO COMMENT ON GILBERT’S RETURN: Dan Hurley said on Monday in his weekly coach’s show that without Jalen Adams, having an injured Gilbert on the court could still be a liability. “If Al plays, he won’t be at his best,” Hurley said. “We will be missing a player and a half even if Al is in. He won’t be full strength.”
Hurley isn’t commenting on the extent of the injury but did say that Gilbert is feeling better and looks better in practice. No decisions will be announced on his return, but he hasn’t been ruled out for tomorrow.
TARIN SMITH, LIFESAVER: The Huskies have pushed Tarin Smith into the starting point guard role and the senior continues to play well. He had 10 points and seven assists against Houston, and while he is more of a combo guard than a pure ballhandler, he has kept the Huskies afloat. The alternative to not having Smith as a grad transfer is pushing in Brendan Adams into a starting role, which Hurley said would be “messy.”
Smith hasn’t played as much or scored as much as expected, but has stabilized the guard play with Gilbert and Adams out.
CHANGING OFFENSE: Hurley also spoke about the changing style of offense without Adams and Gilbert. The two are effective using ball screens, while Christian Vital and Smith are better off-ball coming off screens. The Huskies are also missing breakdown one-on-one players who can create offense and have to execute better in the halfcourt.
THE PRESS IS COMING, BUT NOT THIS YEAR: Hurley wants to play a full-court pressure defense but has had to bring the reins back this year. The lack of depth for the Huskies and their pedestrian athleticism makes such a defense something that will be tabled until at least next year.
BOTTOM LINE: The Huskies remain shorthanded on the current roster. UConn has three players on the shelf with an injury in Adams, Gilbert and Kassoum Yakwe, and though Mamadou Diarra may be available to play, he is still slowed by significant injuries. What we are going to see in the future for the Huskies won’t look like what we see on the floor for the rest of this season.
Huskies Begin Easy End to Season
The Story: Most women’s basketball teams begin their seasons with exhibition games, but UConn will end its season with what will practically be a series of them. Up first for the No. 3-ranked Huskies is Memphis (10-15, 5-7), which will be the final team they face this season at the XL Center (7 p.m., SNY).
TIGER BALM: For years, Geno Auriemma has preferred a smaller rotation, letting his stars do the work while giving them the occasional breather. This season, though, he hasn’t had that luxury. Each of his starters is averaging more than 30 minutes per game, which is the first time since his second season, 1986-87, when minutes were first kept, that the starters have had such a heavy workload, according to the Waterbury Republican-American.
Geno said he has likes the Thursday-Saturday aspect of the conference schedule at times this year because it imitates what will happen in the NCAA tournament. Those games, though, matter. These last five regular-season games, plus at least one in the AAC tournament, should provide him with enough opportunity to give the starters a breather and the reserves a chance.
WINDING DOWN: As we mentioned last week, UConn (23-2, 11-0) will face two of the AAC’s five worst teams over its final five regular-season games. Memphis, ranked No. 211 in the RPI as of yesterday afternoon, had lost five of its previous six games before a stunning win over Tulane on Saturday. Strangely, though, the Tigers have one of the better defenses in the league, holding teams to 27.1 percent from 3-point range — the best in the conference and good for 14th in the nation.
DIFFERENT KIND OF TOUGH: After Katie Lou Samuelson was beaten up by UCF in the Huskies’ 78-41 win on Sunday, Geno pointed out there’s a difference between physicality and toughness. True toughness comes from grabbing a rebound when it’s desperately needed or making a shot with the game on the line, and that’s what Samuelson exhibits. The senior, who failed to make a shot for the first time since early in her freshman season, will try to bounce back from that performance tonight against the Tigers.
Morning Reads
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Several former UConn men’s basketball players have thrived since their departure from Storrs, including Louisville’s Steven Enoch, who has added a 3-point shot. (Hartford Courant)
BIG MAN ON RADAR: Dan Hurley has offered a scholarship to Iowa Western CC’s Emmanuel Ugboh, a 6-foot-11 center originally from Nigeria by way of North Carolina. (JucoRecruiting on Twitter)
HOOKED ‘EM: The women’s basketball team finalized a home-and-home series with Texas that will begin in Connecticut in 2020-21. (UConnHuskies.com)
BIG SURPRISE: The baseball team made a statement over the weekend with the program-defining series win against Louisville. (Baseball America)
FEOLE’S FOCUS: Junior left-hander Mason Feole believes that being the best person he can be has translated to being the best player he can be, which is a significant boost for the Huskies. (The Daily Campus)
#POW6R RANKINGS: It’s become pretty clear that the ACC is the top conference in men’s basketball, but where does the AAC rank — and for that matter, how about the Big East? (ESPN)
CALHOUN EFFECT: No. 7 seed Saint Joseph knocked off No. 2 seed Suffolk last night in the quarterfinals of the GNAC tournament, meaning Jim Calhoun will continue his quest for a conference title in his first season. (USJBlueJays.com)
SUMMERS HONORED: Former UConn cornerback Jamar Summers was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance during the Birmingham Iron’s win in Week 2 of the AAF. (AAF on Twitter)
