This season will feature many new faces for UConn — but only two freshmen. Incoming fifth-year seniors Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller have utilized (now-controversial) NCAA transfer rules to join a Husky squad that had prime openings for them.
Both Gibbs and Miller figure to join a starting lineup featuring junior guard Rodney Purvis, who transferred to UConn in 2014 following one season at NC State. The trio will practice with Terry Larrier, a transfer from VCU who will take part in team events, but will not play in games until next year.
Coach Kevin Ollie’s reliance on transfers is unique in that he’s used the system to bring in young players (Purvis and Larrier) while simultaneously filling holes in his roster with high-caliber seniors (Gibbs and Miller). The combination will make this season’s team truly one-of-a-kind in the scope of UConn history.
Before Purvis’s breakout season last year, you would have to travel back to the 1980-1981 season to find UConn’s most impactful transfer. Chuck Aleksinas, a Connecticut native, played two seasons at Kentucky before transferring to his hometown Huskies to finish his college career. As a junior, Aleksinas scored 401 points, averaging 13.8 points and seven rebounds per game. The following year, his production dipped slightly to 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds.
When Jim Calhoun took over the program a few years later, he rarely turned to transfers when building his rosters. In 2000, Johnnie Selvie arrived at UConn via Southeastern Community College in Iowa, where he was named the best junior college player in the nation.
Several years later, Georgia Tech transfer Ed Nelson joined the program after his sophomore season (and an ACC Rookie of the Year Award).
Both players contributed to talented UConn teams. Nelson was a bruiser in the post, backing up future first-round draft picks Charlie Villanueva, Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong — all while creating majestic pieces of music. Selvie averaged double-figure scoring in each year on campus. He was third on the team in scoring in 2002 (11.4 points) behind two names you may know: Caron Butler and Ben Gordon (Emeka Okafor was sixth).
Since taking the helm from Calhoun, Ollie has brought in another junior college transfer in Sam Cassell, Jr. and began his pursuit of fifth-year seniors with RJ Evans, followed by Lasan Kromah.
The program’s limited history with transfers will make this upcoming season so remarkable. Not only because of the raw numbers, but for the impact each transfer should have on the court.
Gibbs will become the team’s starting point guard. He scored over 16 points per game last season at Seton Hall while shooting 43.6 percent from three-point range. Miller averaged 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, leading his Cornell team in each category.
Combined with Purvis — who blossomed late last season, and may captain this year’s team — the trio will be more than tangential pieces used to fill the roster; they will be the backbone of the team.
With voices from inside and outside of the sport demanding changes to graduate transfer rules, this UConn team may be the last of its kind. That fact alone will probably make the team a magnet for scrutiny and critique. Still, Ollie used all the tools at his disposal to build a team capable of tournament success. It will be fascinating — and a lot of fun — to see if it works.
Did we miss any past UConn transfers? Let us know in the comments.
I think Covington Cormier was a juco transfer in the early 90s.
Also, not a transfer but a weird pursuit, Nadav Henefeld from Israel. Great player for one glorious season that Laetner ended.
Cormier was a JuCo guy, I think. There were several JuCo guys through the years that we didn’t mention — personally, I don’t think they count. But wanted to toss Selvie in the mix since he was such a big part of that roster.
F Johnnie Selvie. He got the ball stuck in the rim. F him
That was Marcus White!!
I find it interesting that the “graduate transfer rule” is considered controversial. Student athletes who have taken full advantage of the opportunity to get a college education, have stayed in school and gotten degrees should be applauded, not punished with additional restrictions. They more than earned the right of mobility. If they have remaining eligibility they should be free to exercise in manner that is in their best interests. Every year a number of coaches leave their existing positions for greener pastures, often without completing the terms of their contracts. Also, an ever growing number of student athletes are taking “one year scholarships” simply comply with NBA eligibility rules. Both of these practices warrant review before any time is wasted figuring out how to restrict individuals who have completed their undergraduate degrees.
Strong agree, Bob.