Redshirt junior guard Sam Cassell, Jr. has informed the UConn coaching staff that, upon his graduation in May, he will be moving on to another school.
Cassell saw limited action this year, appearing for only 117 minutes across 18 games, and will likely be looking for a situation where he can make more of an impact. It’s never fun when a player transfers, especially when the player in question is a great kid, which Cassell is, by all accounts. That being said, this does free the staff up to try to shore up the backcourt depth a bit.
We’ve talked in this space already about Christian Vital, a UNLV decommit who has drawn interest from a number of schools, including UConn, Louisville, and West Virginia. Vital appears to have the ball-handling and shooting necessary to contribute to a high-major program, but isn’t projected as a star player.
Other players who may gather some interest from Kevin Ollie’s staff:
- Justin Simon – Simon was a teammate of Jalen Adams at Brewster Academy, and was the #34 recruit in the country (247 composite). A combo guard with size, the 6-5 Simon would have to sit out next season, but he would be a huge asset on the team, and would represent an ideal replacement for Rodney Purvis.
- Akeem Springs – immediately eligible following his graduation from Milwaukee, Springs averaged 13.2 points on 49% shooting for the Panthers last year. He’s not a knockdown guy from outside, but shot a respectable 35.1 percent from three. He wouldn’t be a game-changer, but he should be solid enough to handle some minutes as the fourth guard.
- Canyon Barry – We’ve discussed Barry before as well, but he’d make a better fit now that the team has some more space. Barry averaged nearly 20 points-per-game last year in an injury-shortened season (only played 13 games), but he’s a volume shooter who is probably looking for a school where he could start or at least be a regular.
There will be more players announcing their plans to transfer as the offseason gets going, so keep checking back for more info.
