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This UConn men’s transfer bringing family pedigree and veteran leadership for 2026-27
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- This UConn men’s transfer bringing family pedigree and veteran leadership for 2026-27
STORRS — The larger rosters for college basketball have given UConn men's coach Dan Hurley an opportunity to add veteran players to simply set a good example, and he and his staff have looked for what might be called "character guys," or "culture fits."
Well aware that minutes would be hard to come by, players like Alec Millender and Dwayne Koroma made their contributions behind the scenes last season. Now there is a new group, and Isaiah Shaw understands the role and fits it to a 'T'.
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Just listen: "These summer workouts are extremely important," Shaw said last week. "We've been emphasizing for almost eight weeks and there hasn't been any let up, been competitive every single day, everybody has been working their butts off every single day and that's what it takes to win championships. It's my job to make sure I keep these younger guys motivated."
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Shaw has basketball running through every artery. His grandfather, Homer Drew, was a legendary coach at Valparaiso. His father, Casey Shaw , and his mother, Dana Drew , were basketball standouts at Toledo. Isaiah was born in Rome while his father was playing pro ball in Europe.
In the states, Isaiah began his college career playing for his uncle, Bryce Drew, at Grand Canyon University , where his father was an assistant, then transferred to Valpo. Baylor coach Scott Drew is also Isaiah's uncle.
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Got all that? There's so much basketball there that Hurley, maybe jokingly, maybe not, asked Isiah if he was spying for his uncles when he came to UConn to visit.
"Isaiah comes from a great basketball family and he fits our culture," Hurley said. "On the court, he can space the floor with his perimeter shooting and has tremendous versatility. He's a veteran whose experience, work ethic and basketball knowledge will be an invaluable asset for the program."
With such pedigree, expanding his experiences, knowledge and network at UConn can only help prepare Shaw for a lifelong career in the game, but playing for UConn wasn't something on Isaiah Shaw 's radar for long, despite one significant common thread.
"At the time (during the NCAA Tournament), I hadn't even gone into the portal yet when (Braylon) Mullins hit that shot," Shaw said. "I remember watching (the UConn-Duke Elite Eight game) on the couch, sitting with my brothers, we watched the whole game and they were down almost 20 at halftime. I told my brother, 'maybe there's a chance they could come back and win this thing.' But at the time, there was no connection with UConn, the only connection, I played for coach (Tim) Russo, who was here at UConn, and a couple of months later, I'm here."
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Russo, former grad assistant at UConn, is an assistant coach at Northern Arizona, where Shaw was playing last year. They worked closely on shooting mechanics during the season, and Shaw, 6 feet 7, ended up starting 22 games, hitting 46.4 percent on 3-pointers. Then he was off for school No. 4 for a different experience and role, to graft branches of Shaw-Drew basketball tree onto the sturdy trunk Hurley has firmly rooted at UConn.
"Coach (Bryce) Drew was amazing to play for," Shaw said. "I played three years (at Grand Canyon), went to NCAA Tournament two of those years, won a game in the tournament my last year, so I've been a part of winning teams, obviously not winning to this level, but I do have a decent amount of experience in the tournament and I understand what it takes to get there."
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"The biggest similarity is that teams have to be so together, every single player top to bottom has to be bought in. There has to be a camaraderie and love in the locker room, on the court, off the court. There has to be a different kind of vibe with a championship team and UConn, from the moment I stepped on the campus on my visit I immediately felt that."
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Across Shaw's career, he has played in 101 college games, though he didn't see action in 12th-seed GCU's first-round upset of No.5 seed St. Mary's in 2024. He has averaged 12.7. minutes, 5.0 points, 1.5 rebounds. Last year at UNA, his scoring (8.1) and 3-point shooting were career highs. He's at UConn to set examples, more than setting or coming off screens.
"Our role as players, especially my role as a veteran guy on this team is to uphold that culture every single day," Shaw said. "Just make sure guys are working hard, guys are staying together, the locker room is staying together. The goal is winning and when we win its good for everybody."
From such a long line of players and coaches, Isaiah Shaw can now do a little of both at UConn. He sounded more like one of his uncles than a player when he reviewed the Huskies' eight weeks of summer practices, culminating with the open practice for donors July 31.
"From where we started in the summer, even the way we run offense, it's so fast paced," Shaw said. "Coach Hurley throws a lot at us at once, just seeing the growth and progression over these eight weeks, it's been amazing. Even in the weight room, guys gaining wait, getting stronger, or even guys losing weight, amazing improvements in that area. Our bodies look good, we're ready to roll. That's important going into September, the foundation you've laid already.
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"… We have so much talent on this team, our younger guys are really talented. I'm going to have to set an example, show them how to play for a coach like Coach Hurley and accept coaching constructively, and in a positive way. When we understand that and bring it every day, the sky's the limit for this team. March will be here before you know it."
(Lori Riley contributed to this story.)
