Hurley Wants Big Jump in 2019-2020
The Story: Dan Hurley went 16-17 in his first season and wants to make a big jump as the Huskies look to regain their standing as one of the top teams in the nation. Hurley was in his old stomping grounds on Friday at a coaches clinic in New Jersey along with John Calipari and others and vowed there will be an improvement.
HURLEY LAUDS RECRUITING CLASS: Hurley said the goal going forward is to increase the talent level on the Huskies, who lose Jalen Adams but gain two wing players in Jalen Gaffney and James Bouknight. Hurley said Gaffney and Bouknight have the talent to be as good a tandem as any in the country when they get to college. They will be on campus shortly after the pair graduate from high school in June.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “We love their talent, skills and upside but there’s a reason why most of the teams that do really, really well in college are older, so there’ll be some tough nights and some learning experiences. But positionally, in terms of their talent, I thought we got two guys who could be as good a tandem as anyone will have down the road.”
AKOK A STRETCH FOUR: Hurley also said Akok Akok is the kind of player that is necessary in this era of college basketball. Akok is a skinny but long power forward who can also stretch the defense with 3-point shots. Akok looks like he will play alongside Josh Carlton in the frontcourt and be used as a shooter to help unclog the paint for the likes of Carlton, Alterique Gilbert and Christian Vital. Akok joined the Huskies in January and did not play but was able to practice and get acclimated to school.
DANNY ON BOBBY: Hurley also mentioned how relieved he was that his brother, Bobby, put an end to speculation over him taking the St. John’s job and instead stayed at Arizona State. The presence of both Hurleys in the New York area recruiting the same players would have been something to see. It also would make the two brothers a little more competitive with each other professionally than they both would like.
HUSKIES FOCUS ON 2020: The Huskies are still hoping for one more recruit for 2019, but the big push is on for 2020. UConn is in the mix for Roselle Catholic’s 6-foot-11 big Cliff Omoruyi, who has offers from Kentucky, Auburn, and Pitt. UConn is also in on Westtown power forward Noah Collier, Oak Hill Academy wing Cam Thomas and a pair of Putnam Academy guards in Demarr Langford and Hassan Diarra.
Time Flies…
The last time @TigerWoods won a major I was fresh off running out an endzone….been a long 10 years+ folks….
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) April 14, 2019
Stewart Faces Significant Injury in Europe
The Story: Reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart appeared to pick up a significant injury to her right leg yesterday afternoon in the Euroleague title game in Hungary. According to ESPN, the extent of Stewart’s injury has not yet been determined, but High Post Hoops reported that she tore the Achilles’ tendon.
DOESN’T LOOK GOOD: Stewart, playing for Dynamo Kursk, was facing another Russia-based team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, in the finals of Europe’s most prestigious tournament when she pulled up for a shot late in the second quarter. It appeared that she landed on Brittany Griner‘s left foot and, at that point, rolled around the court in agony until being helped to the sidelines. Stewart, who was also named the Euroleague MVP this season and scored 32 points in the semifinals, did not return and Dynamo lost 91-67.
HUGE SETBACK? That Stewart was injured so close to the start of the WNBA season is terrible news not only for her, but for the Seattle Storm, who are looking to defend their first title since 2010. Training camp begins on May 5, with the first game set for May 25, and it seems unlikely Stewart will be ready for either. In fact, even though we know speculating on injuries is irresponsible, if she did tear an Achilles’ tendon, she’s almost certain to miss the entire WNBA season.
WHY IS SHE OVERSEAS ANYWAY? Blame the economics of the sport, as even the world’s best players face significantly more lucrative paydays if they play in Europe or China during the traditional winter basketball season. The maximum salary WNBA players can earn each season is $115,500, but they stand to make much, much more overseas — a point Diana Taurasi made in 2015, when she sat out the WNBA season because she wanted to be healthy enough to collect her $1.5 million paycheck during the Euroleague season.
Players have made salary negotiations the issue with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire in October, and though salaries won’t rise drastically, the hope is that they’ll improve well enough to reduce a need to travel overseas and prevent the exact situation that Stewart now faces.
Morning Reads
MOST VALUABLE DRAFT PICK: Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said she sees Napheesa Collier as “really valuable” because she can do everything on offense and defense. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
BASEBALL TAKES MEMPHIS SERIES: Christian Fedko‘s two-run single in the eighth inning lifted UConn to a 4-2 victory and a series win against Memphis. (UConnHuskies.com)
SOFTBALL SWEPT IN HOUSTON: The Huskies were swept at Houston over the weekend, which ended with a 2-1 loss against the Cougars yesterday. (UConnHuskies.com)
LACROSSE FALLS: Even though UConn matched a season high in scoring, it also allowed its most goals of the season in a 22-15 loss at Vanderbilt yesterday. (UConnHuskies.com)
HULL WINS INVITATIONAL: Golfer Drake Hull captured the first tournament victory of his college career yesterday, topping a 78-player field to win the Rutherford Intercollegiate at Penn State’s Blue Course. Hull went 5-under and shot a final-day 3-under par. (UConnHuskies.com)
