Haynes a Building Block For 2023
The Story: Jim Mora is getting a recycled gift under the Christmas Tree and couldn’t be happier as All-America guard Christian Haynes will return to the team for his final season.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Haynes, a second-team Sporting News and third-team AP All-American, could have declared for the NFL Draft or even put his name in the transfer portal and gone to a Power 5 program. Instead, he’s coming back to Storrs and will anchor the offensive line.
O-LINE IN GOOD SHAPE: Four out of five offensive linemen will return in tackles Valentin Senn and Chase Lundt and guards Haynes and Noel Ofori-Nyadu. The only hole is at center, with Jake Guidone graduating.
HOW ABOUT THE REST? The rest of the offense will have familiar names back, too. While Nate Carter is headed to Michigan State, the Huskies will have running backs Devontae Houston (578 yards, three touchdowns) and Victor Rosa (636 yards, 11 touchdowns) back and the running game won’t miss a beat.
• Wide receivers Keelan Marion, Aaron Turner, Cam Ross and Kevens Clercius are expected back and, hopefully, will remain healthy.
• The tight ends are young and productive as our favorite, Justin Joly, will return after emerging as a weapon in the passing game as a freshman. Let’s just get 20 pounds of muscle on him.
WHAT ABOUT QB? Freshman Zion Turner threw for 1,407 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Is he the answer? We don’t know, but the alternatives are also cloudy. Turner is far from a finished product and perhaps a full offseason will help him.
• Ta’Quan Roberson is slated to return, though we don’t know how long it will be until his knee is 100%.
• Cale Millen‘s shoulder and arm may never return to form as he was more of a running threat this year. Tyler Phommachanh did not take a snap this year as he recovered from knee surgery.
• UConn landed one quarterback — Massachusetts’ Tucker McDonald — in its signing class Wednesday.
• Mora is also looking for a transfer QB, and it’s a good bet the coaching staff will bring in some competition that can step in if needed.
SCHEDULE FINALIZED: The Huskies tweaked next season’s schedule and unveiled it yesterday.
• The change was swapping the dates of the N.C. State and Duke games. It now looks like:
• Sept. 2: vs. NC State
• Sept. 9: at Georgia State
• Sept. 16: vs. FIU
• Sept. 23: vs. Duke
• Sept. 30: vs. Utah State
• Oct. 7: at Rice
• Oct. 21: vs. USF
• Oct. 28: at Boston College
• Nov. 4: at Tennessee
• Nov. 11: at James Madison
• Nov. 18: Sacred Heart
• Nov. 25: vs. UMass (neutral site)
Ducharme’s Progress a Welcome Gift
The Story: For the UConn women’s basketball team, evoking a festive spirit this holiday season might be tough given the injuries the Huskies have suffered so far. From Paige Bueckers to Ice Brady to Azzi Fudd. Heck, even an ill Geno Auriemma missed a few games. For a second straight year, this war of attrition has been, unfortunately, the gift that keeps on giving.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: This often depleted version of the Huskies is ranked No. 9 heading into the Christmas break, and from a sheer basketball perspective, they can still feel blessed for one gargantuan reason: UConn has enough supreme talent among its healthy bodies to beat most of the top 25 teams in the country. Perhaps even most of the top 10 teams. And no single player embodies that belief more than Caroline Ducharme.
‘THE RIGHT DIRECTION’: Yes, we know Bueckers and Brady are out for the year, and the return of Fudd — whom ESPN just named the third-best player this season — might not come too soon. Nevertheless, the Huskies has less to fear in the interim as long as Ducharme’s progress continues trending in the ‘right direction.’
TOUGH START: Her performance in the early going would normally inspire less confidence. Coming off offseason hip surgery and then a neck injury, the sophomore guard has looked tentative for the most part, unsure and unsteady with and without the basketball, searching for her game and almost questioning her ability to make the right decisions.
• Over a three-game stretch, in which UConn lost to Notre Dame and Maryland and nearly gave one away at home against Princeton, Ducharme had almost as many turnovers (14) as points (17).
REMEMBER LAST YEAR? Anyone who’s seen Ducharme play at her best knows and appreciates her capabilities. Last season, with Bueckers out and her team in dire need of a lift, Ducharme was the lynchpin. Over a 14-game stretch, she scored in double digits 12 times, led by a season-high 28-point effort against St. John’s.
• On the road at DePaul, with her team needing someone to step up at the end, Ducharme was the one Geno entrusted to take the final shot. And she executed it to perfection. Yes, a true freshman. Not one named Bueckers. Not one named Fudd. Caroline Ducharme.
THE TALENT IS THERE: Ducharme was the No. 5-ranked recruit in the In Class of 2021 for a reason. Her talent and versatility are undeniable. And now as the first player off the bench, Ducharme can affect the game in a variety of ways. At 6-foot-2, she has the length, quickness, and savvy to defend almost every position on the floor. Offensively, she can pass, rebound, drive to the hoop, and shoot 3-pointers.
• Ducharme would be the first to say her game isn’t all there yet, but it’s coming back little by little. There were flashes of her true self as she scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds in UConn’s latest win over Seton Hall.
IT’S ALL ABOUT CONFIDENCE: Any athlete, no matter how gifted, is nothing without confidence. And with each game, as Ducharme feels more acclimated on the court, allowing her instincts to take over, UConn will reap the benefits of Ducharme’s burgeoning self-belief.
A MUCH-NEEDED GIFT: After the Christmas break, the Huskies return to action at No. 21 Creighton on Dec. 28. It’ll be one of their sternest tests in the Big East without Fudd available.
• But what the Huskies are likely to discover, as they did a year ago, is that they have exactly what they need in Ducharme — talented, healthy, aggressive, and physically and mentally ready to play with conviction. For UConn, there could be no greater gift this holiday season.
Morning Reads
• One columnist wonders why Mora continues to belittle his predecessor, Randy Edsall. (The Day)
• The men’s basketball team is indeed the best in the country, according to the Power Rankings from one national media outlet. (The Athletic)
• UConn will host a ribbon-cutting event for the opening of the Toscano Family Ice Forum, the new home of the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams, on Jan. 12. (UConnHuskies.com)
Top photo: Jim Mora coaches Jackson Mitchell, left, and Christian Haynes during the game against Fresno State. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
