With the season coming to an end over the weekend against an invincible-looking Kansas team, it’s time for Kevin Ollie to start getting ready for next season. There are questions about who is and is not departing, as well as questions about what to do with the players coming in.
There are four players we know are gone; Shonn Miller, Sterling Gibbs, Omar Calhoun, and Phil Nolan have all exhausted their eligibility. All four started games this season, with Miller and Gibbs starting all 36 games.
There are three players who are likely staying, but it’s still technically possible that they could leave: Daniel Hamilton, Amida Brimah, and Rodney Purvis. Hamilton seemed likely to be an early entrant at the beginning of the season, but a long, mid-season slump hurt his stock enough that he’ll have to return. Amida Brimah’s injury issues this season have likely done the same to him. Purvis is the only real wildcard here, as he is graduating, and is unlikely to improve his draft stock with another year in college unless he is totally dominant. For his part, Purvis has confirmed multiple times that he is returning next year, and while there is no reason to doubt his word, these things can be fluid, and he might realize that his future would be in better shape if he moved to Italy and started his professional career.
But, for now, we’ll assume the trio will return to campus. If that’s the case, they’ll all be likely lock-starters next year. With Gibbs and Nolan gone, there’s no competition in the starting lineup for Purvis and Brimah, and Hamilton has been a key player since the day he walked on campus. That’s a starting center, small forward, and shooting guard. Jalen Adams will also be back, and after starting 11 games at the point this year, would seem to have that spot locked up. So the only real question is going to be: who replaces Shonn Miller at power forward. Let’s take a look at the candidates:
- Kentan Facey – Facey will be a senior next year, and is probably the early favorite for the job. Barring an injury, he’s a safe bet to be a regular in the frontcourt rotation regardless. Facey started as a sophomore, and was actually the team’s best rebounder last season, but his offense is limited and he’s extremely foul-prone.
- Terry Larrier – Larrier sat out this season after transferring from VCU. He’s a great talent, and was a top-40 recruit coming out of high school. However, while he has the requisite height to play the 4 (6-8), he’s a little lean for the frontcourt (listed at 195 lbs. this year). That being said, Kevin Ollie has shown a preference for a more skilled power forward, using Deandre Daniels and often Daniel Hamilton there since taking over as head coach. Larrier would seem to fit that mold, and if Hamilton can continue to be a dominant rebounder, this could definitely be a combo that works. We’ve also heard reports that Larrier has looked dominant at times in practice this season.
- Juwan Durham – Depending on who you ask, Durham is either the best or second-best recruit UConn has coming in next year (with the other option being Alterique Gilbert). However, after major injuries to both knees, he’ll likely redshirt as a freshman. Let’s move past him for now.
- Mamadou Diarra – Long, strong, and athletic, Diarra loves to rebound, dunk, and block shots. He’s a bit undersized up front, but seems to have the long arms to make up for it. He is a bit raw, so it’s unlikely that he wins the starting job.
- Mystery 5th-year grad transfer – With the NCAA yet to eliminate the graduate transfer exception, it’s still a possibility that UConn could replace Miller in the same way they got him. No names have come up yet, but players will likely start announcing their intentions to move within the next month or so.
For my money, I’d like to see Ollie give Larrier a shot at the job. With Vance Jackson coming in, this wouldn’t have a significant impact on wing depth, it would keep the roster skilled, athletic, and fast, and it would get our most talented players on the floor.
Assuming the Huskies’ boast a starting lineup of Brimah, Larrier, Hamilton, Purvis, and Adams, that would give them a bench of Enoch, Facey, Diarra, Durham (maybe), Jackson, Gilbert, and Sam Cassell, Jr. For the first time in a while, the frontcourt depth looks great. Enoch made some strides this year, and hopefully at least one of the freshmen can be an impact player. The backcourt depth, on the other hand, is a little questionable. Gilbert has plenty of talent, but as the third guard, he’s going to see a lot of minutes, and as much as I love Sam Cassell, Jr., he lacks the athleticism to play the 20+ mpg he would need to provide if any of Adams/Purvis/Gilbert were hurt or otherwise unavailable. Ideally, UConn adds another guard this offseason, and here, they do have a few options.
- Christian Vital – A recent decommit from UNLV following Dave Rice’s firing, Vital has reportedly already heard from UConn. He is a fringy player for a high-major program, but his stock has risen in recent months, and he has certain high-major skills – especially 3-point shooting – that would be very helpful next season. He’s not an overwhelming athlete and has good-not-great size for a PG (listed at 6-2), but all indications are that he has the competitive drive to succeed for a top program.
- C.J. Jackson – A Junior College transfer from Eastern Florida State, Jackson was originally a George Mason commit who backed out after Paul Hewitt was let go. Jackson also appears to be an outstanding shooter, shooting 45% from 3 on nearly 7 attempts per game. Jackson is also a relatively pedestrian athlete without great size (listed at 6-1), but he has the handle and the shooting to contribute.
- Yet-to-be-determined 5th-year guy – As with the frontcourt, there will be a number of good guards graduating with eligibility left, and unless one of the two listed players commits (and maybe even if they do), it’s likely that Kevin Ollie will be looking at them. (My personal hope is for Pancake Thomas, both for his production and his 5-star nickname).
There’s still some work to be done before next season, but UConn looks well-prepared to be the top team in the AAC and a national contender next year, provided all of this talent can gel (where have we heard that before?). Whatever happens, we’ll be providing updates throughout the offseason.
