Taking Stock of the Huskies After Atlantis; Jim Mora Gets To Work

Where Does Hurley Go From Here?

The Story: The men’s basketball team (6-1) faced its first test at the Battle 4 Atlantis and came through it very well, but we also had some questions once we saw the Huskies go against better competition.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies, in three straight days, showed their mettle by going 2-1 for a third-place finish in the Bahamas. They showed toughness, character and an ability to lock down on the defensive end in wins over Auburn and VCU and in a loss to Michigan State.

• On the flip side, the offense was stagnant at times, and against elite defensive teams in Michigan State and VCU, the scoring was downright nonexistent. The Huskies showed they are a top-25 team with a deep roster that can score, rebound and defend, but to get into the top 15 or higher, someone else is going to need to emerge.

WHAT WE LIKED: Outside of the toughness, we liked the Huskies’ ability to go on runs and come back against Auburn, Michigan State and VCU. We don’t like the early deficits, but shot-making and the ability to hang your hat on defense are critical strengths. Here are some other observations:

• Adama Sanogo is a gifted offensive player and he showed he can dominate in the low post. He is averaging 16.9 points per game on 57 percent shooting. He’s UConn’s best player and the anchor of the offense. His next step? He has to not become a black hole on offense. If the immediate move isn’t there, he needs to pass it out and repost. He got the message against VCU when he found Isaiah Whaley for the key 3-pointer out of the post late.

• Jordan Hawkins has to play more. The talented freshman wing has a beautiful 3-point stroke that is so quiet and quick, it’s going to make him some money. Hawkins has struggled to handle the ball, and it’s clear that isn’t a strength. All we know is he is the only one who can easily create his own offense. He needs more minutes.

• R.J. Cole is the No. 2 player. The senior has taken a critical role as the second scorer and bailed the Huskies out Friday with 24 points. He’s averaging 14.9 points per game and is shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. Dan Hurley is asking Cole to do too much, but when he can concentrate on scoring, he becomes a solid No. 2 option.

• Play fast. UConn is absolutely lethal in the open floor and finally has the depth to extend the game to 94 feet. When UConn gets in transition, it not only leads to easy baskets, but Andre Jackson and Tyrese Martin — two players who are more athletes than top-shelf skill guys — each get going.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE: The pace in last two games. It was way too slow for our liking. We get that VCU and Michigan State are terrific defensive teams, but the Huskies are too athletic and too deep to get stuck playing in rock fights. We know Hurley is a tough guy and he likes those defensive battles and tests of attrition. But do they have to choose to play like that? UConn needs to learn to win games when the offense isn’t working, but what we don’t want is for the Huskies to make games like those the default.

• Who else can play point guard? We love Cole, and he is playing very well early in the season, but he isn’t a point guard. He’s better when he is asked to shoot and score. UConn committed an ungodly number of turnovers in the Bahamas and most of it was due to its inability to handle ball pressure. The lack of quality ballhandling destroyed offensive rhythm. Jalen Gaffney was a disappointment in three games and freshman guard Rahsool Diggins has gone MIA. Can Jackson run the point? Would we even want that? Getting the pressure off Cole when he’s handling the ball is critical.

• Akok Akok has to produce. Whaley missed the Michigan State game because he fainted once the Auburn game ended. Akok started against the Spartans and pretty much did nothing. He was too much of a background player and didn’t impact any of the three games with his energy, length or defense. If he is going to play major minutes, he has to put up some numbers.

• Play hard on offense. We are ingrained to think that offense is fun and easy while defense is a result of effort and playing hard. UConn needs to play with more intensity and effort on offense. The Huskies bring it defensively. That’s their bread and butter, but they need to become just as sharp and intense on offense. What does that look like? Cut hard to the hoop, make quick decisions and crisp passes. That attention to detail on offense has to improve.

BOTTOM LINE: We are still bullish on UConn but less so on a top-15 run this season. UConn has some issues facilitating the offense and we don’t like its ballhandling. That inability to organize and calm the team down is why UConn has struggled to close games out.

The front line is loaded and Sanogo is one of the greatest post scorers in America. UConn has stud wings in Jackson and Hawkins. But who will get the ball to the right person in the right place at the right time while under pressure? That’s what will determine if the Huskies can make a Sweet 16 run or if we are throwing something at the TV on the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Cyber Monday Sale at Homefield!

The Story: Did you miss out on Friday? Homefield will be running its Cyber Monday deal all day today!

ORDER EARLY: All items will be 20 percent off for the duration of the sale and they’re subject to sell out, so order as early as possible to allow the warehouse and shipping carriers to get merchandise to your homes for the holidays.

• Some of Homefield’s long-awaited items will be back in stock, including tri-blend gray crewnecks and oatmeal hoodies.

• If you’re a fan of more than just UConn, Homefield has apparel from more than 125 other universities. You’ll easily find the perfect gift for any sports fan, but if you still can’t choose, consider purchasing a Homefield gift card.

WHAT IS HOMEFIELD? An Indianapolis-based company, Homefield has incredibly comfortable, high-quality, university-licensed apparel that includes vintage college designs.

• Do you remember the 1980s-era curvy UConn logo? How about the realistic dog head from the 1990s? Who can forget Sad Jonathan? You won’t believe some of the UConn designs they have unearthed!

• We’ve gotten quite a few compliments when we wear our UConn sweatshirt around town, so not only do we feel good, we look good, too!

Mora Gets to Work, Hires Assistants

The Story: Yesterday was the first day on the job for new football coach Jim Mora, who got right to work by hiring four assistant coaches and is closing in on hiring Maine’s head coach to be his offensive coordinator.

WHO’S ON BOARD? The Huskies hired Louisiana Tech wide receivers coach John Allen to the same position, Carolina Panthers offensive assistant E.J. Barthel as running backs coach, Middle Tennessee State linebackers coach Siriki Diabate to the same position and former Greenwich High School coach John Marinelli to coach tight ends.

• Mora is reportedly close to hiring Maine coach Nick Charlton to be his offensive coordaintor. Charlton was the youngest head coach in Division I when he was hired in December 2018 at age 30 and went 14-13 in three seasons, including 6-5 this season.

• Allen, who used to be the head coach at Lock Haven from 2011-14, will also be the passing game coordinator. Marinelli, the son of longtime New Canaan High School coach Lou Marinelli, left Greenwich after he won a Class LL state title in 2018 and was an analyst at Arizona for two seasons before serving as an analyst at Illinois this season.

• Teams can have as many as 10 assistant coaches, so Mora has six more hires to make.

A CLEAN HOUSE: Mora elected not to keep interim coach Lou Spanos or any of the Huskies’ assistants, including offensive analyst Noel Mazzone. Mora hired Mazzone and Spanos to be his coordinators in 2012, when he took over at UCLA’s coach.

• Unless Mora had a change of heart, which seems unlikely, the Mora/Spanos/Mazzone connection seems to have been a significant coincidence and not an indication that a long transition plan had been in place. That always seemed to be the case, because why would Spanos, who wanted to be UConn’s head coach, suggest Mora for the job?

THE END IS HERE: UConn wrapped up the season in the most fitting way in Saturday’s 45-17 loss to No. 19 Houston when freshman Jacob Drena, a walk-on from Southington, finished the game at quarterback.

• Steven Krajewski started and was injured in the second quarter. He gave way to Micah Leon, who played for the first time since he enrolled at UConn in 2019, before he himself was hurt on the final series. Spanos then turned to Drena, and not Jack Zergiotis, who was “not available,” according to Spanos, to close it down.

Morning Reads

• Pop in that Boyz II Men cassette as it was the end of the road for the women’s volleyball team. The Huskies lost 3-0 to Marquette in the Big East tournament semifinals on Friday, though at 21-10, they finished with their most wins since 2008. (UConnHuskies.com).

• Marc Gatcomb and Artem Shlaine each had a goal and two assists as the men’s hockey team put on a show with a 6-1 brushing of Colgate on Saturday. (The UConn Blog)

• The women’s hockey team fell 3-2 to Quinnipiac in the championship game of the Nutmeg Classic on Saturday, which is unfortunate given it trounced Sacred Heart 6-1 the day before. (UConnHuskies.com)

• It didn’t take Saylor Poffenbarger long to find a new home. The guard from Maryland, who decided to leave the women’s basketball team earlier this month, will enroll at Arkansas. And yes, that means the Razorbacks will have Poffenbarger and Jersey Wolfenbarger. How do they fit all that on a jersey? (Hartford Courant)