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Huskies Next-Gen: Dan Hurley set to attack season with 10 new faces, seven of them underclassmen
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- Huskies Next-Gen: Dan Hurley set to attack season with 10 new faces, seven of them underclassmen
Dan Hurley had no interest in going to any court this offseason unless there was a basketball bouncing on it.
He was in communication with UConn's compliance office as he constructed the 2026-27 roster, getting updated on the landscape as it changed and learning who would be eligible and who wouldn't, according to the NCAA rules.
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Before the five-in-five rule was passed in late June after the NBA Draft, granting five years of eligibility beginning with the 2023 high school class, UConn was seriously considering adding one player who was 23 years old, married with a child. He was ultimately going to be ineligible by NCAA rule, and Hurley wasn't going down the path other coaches did in challenging the sport's governing body.
This was just one of the tricky turns Hurley and his staff had to navigate as they put together a roster designed to contend for another championship without straying too far from the core principles.
"Dan's got very specific ideas about how he wants to build the team," said four-time national champion assistant and former UConn general manager, Tom Moore, who retired at the end of August with the roster complete. "He's got a great sense of that. And part of that for him is, how are you going to fit from an X and O standpoint? From a roster construction standpoint? In the locker room, in the dorm with teammates? How are your parents going to fit?
"He takes everything under consideration. So he's at a point where there'll be certain guys that'll be 23 years old that he's just not going to feel comfortable with being in amongst a lot of 18- and 19-year-olds."
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So UConn ended up putting a roster together in good conscience, filling 10 open spots with three true freshmen, four sophomore transfers and three upperclassmen out of the portal who will be near the bottom of the rotation, if at all.
For as many new pieces that the Huskies had to add in order to replenish almost 60% of the scoring production from last year's national runner-up, Hurley still managed to make it fit within the blueprint that's proven successful.
Known commodities
The best news UConn could've received this offseason came on April 18 when Braylon Mullins decided to put off the NBA Draft for another year, even though he could've been a one-and-done, first-round pick. It instantly gave the Huskies a backcourt as good as any program in the country with point guard Silas Demary Jr. announcing he wasn't going anywhere four days earlier.
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Meanwhile, Jayden Ross, the ultimate glue guy, apparently never left the building.
Initially understanding that Solo Ball would take a medical redshirt and miss the year, the new "Big Three" was now trusted to guide the ship, and UConn's staff was already out looking to build their crew.
"A lot of our success has been built around returning a big three or a core of three guys," Hurley said at Big East Media Day, where the Huskies topped the coaches' poll and swept the preseason awards. "We bring in some high-level freshmen we believe in, and then we pick our spots on the board. So we have a formula that's worked and we're just working it, working the formula."
The formula involves Demary making a leap like Tristen Newton did in his second year in Storrs, when he became an All-American and constantly stuffed the stat sheet with points, rebounds and assists. Demary will be afforded more flexibility to play off-script at times and look for his own opportunities after shooting 38.5% on only 2.3 attempts per game from 3-point range last year.
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Mullins will be the main focal point of the Huskies' offense as he looks to expand beyond his reputation as a sharpshooter and establish himself as a potential lottery prospect in a more natural shooting guard position.
Meanwhile Ross is finally getting his time to shine after he was at his best late last season, finding consistency as an energizer off the bench. He is one of the team's better perimeter defenders, a high-flyer in transition and a 39.1% 3-point shooter who understands his role and the Huskies' system as well as anyone.
Enter the blue chips
After a strong summer and a standout preseason, Colben Landrew emerged as UConn's next high-impact freshman wing with his physical defense and a knack for getting to the rim.
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The Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year, Landrew led the Huskies with 15 points in their final preseason exhibition against Purdue. It wouldn't be a total surprise if he earned his way into the starting lineup by the end of the year, but if not, he could very well end up a candidate for the league's sixth man of the year award.
Ultimately, with all of the returning pieces and highly-touted freshmen coming in, UConn's season outlook hinged on how it would be able to replace Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr.
And there couldn't have been two more obvious fits than sophomores Nik Khamenia and Na'jai Hines.
Khamenia, a former top-15 recruit who didn't find the right fit at Duke, has had a smooth transition into the Huskies' system and will be featured in many of the same ways Karaban was offensively. Like his predecessor, he was described by his high school coach, David Rebibo, as a high-IQ basketball junkie who cares about nothing other than winning.
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UConn fans got a preview of Hines in two games against Seton Hall last season, where his strength and paint presence was on display at both ends of the court as he challenged the Huskies with a combined 21 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks, coming off the bench in both games. As long as he can manage a propensity for fouling, Hines could be next in the line of dominant UConn bigs.
Time will tell
There aren't many freshmen who could be trusted to play point guard right away for Dan Hurley.
Time will tell how it goes with Junior County, another highly touted freshman who brings size and physicality. A top-30 recruit, his potential was evident in three preseason games, showing glimpses of his 3-point shot and playmaking ability, but most notably his length as a perimeter defender, where he can help alleviate the drop-off in non-Demary minutes.
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The "two-headed monster" at center has been a staple of UConn's recent success, beginning with Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan in 2023, then Clingan and Samson Johnson, Johnson and Reed, and Reed and Eric Reibe, who left for USC after his freshman season. So UConn went into the offseason having to completely replenish the position.
Hines was priority No. 1, but he needed a complimentary backup and the Huskies liked what they saw from Oskar Giltay in a limited role as a freshman at Stanford. A more mobile option with a sturdy frame, he's struggled with foul trouble, but was impressive in the final exhibition against Purdue, scoring 12 points with four rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes.
Nils Machowski shot 38.2% on 238 attempts from 3-point range last year as a junior at Wofford and will serve as a sharpshooter off the bench, somewhat similar to what Joey Calcaterra provided in 2023. It isn't quite clear what role Egor Amosov, an 18-year-old freshman wing from Russia, will find once he gets comfortable, but he could potentially push Hurley's rotation to 10 players.
Time will also tell with Solo Ball, now that the medical redshirt no longer exists with the five-in-five rule in effect. An All-Big East-caliber player, he has been progressing from his wrist surgery since May, and could be a significant midseason addition that puts the Huskies over the top once he's healthy now that it won't impact his eligibility to play a fifth year.
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In case of emergency, break glass
The UConn staff has played Jacob Ross in a third, emergency center role, similar to how Dwayne Koroma was used last season. It could be his most likely path to the court if he can add some weight to hold up down low in a small-ball lineup. It was telling when he was the option in the preseason over Arkansas transfer Elmir Dzafic.
A 7-foot sophomore from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dzafic is still raw and only played a total of four minutes in two exhibition appearances.
Minutes will also be sparse for Jaye Nash, a junior guard from Jacksonville State who'll make most of his impact as a practice player and in the locker room. And Isaiah Shaw, nephew of Scott and Bryce Drew, head coaches at Baylor and Grand Canyon, will serve mostly as a veteran leader for the young group at the end of the bench, in practice and in the locker room.
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Early returns
There were some doubts about how fast UConn's 10 new players would come together, and they'll be tested right away with the most challenging nonconference schedule the program's ever put together. But the first impressions in three decisive preseason victories over power conference opponents – one in a true road environment at preseason No. 6 Michigan State – have been promising.
And if anyone can develop a deep group of young players into a real championship contender, it's Hurley with his formula.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone better than him at figuring out how to make all the pieces fit," Moore said.
