Notes & Quotes: UConn Beats Morehead St. in Opener
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STORRS, Conn. – Josh Carlton went sailing into the stands under the basket in pursuit of a loose ball - the first guy there to help him up was head coach Dan Hurley.
Meet the 2018-19 UConn Huskies. They might be coming off two losing seasons, but don’t expect them to take a back seat in the intensity department. Not with Hurley in town.
A sellout crowd greeted the new men’s basketball leader, watching as the Huskies worked their way to an 80-70 opening night victory at Gampel Pavilion.
“Obviously thrilled to get the first win of the season under our belts here,” Hurley said. “It’s probably the most nerve-wrecking day. My three most nerve-wracking days as a head coach were the first one at Wagner, the first one at Rhode Island and the first one here just cause when you are coaching a new team with a lot of guys you probably didn’t recruit, you really just have no idea what they are going to do, especially with the great crowd.”
Josh Carlton led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds as the Huskies put four players in double-digits scoring: Jalen Adams with 16, Alterique Gilbert added 15 and Tarin Smith had 12. Christian Vital added eight points and eight rebounds.
Lamontray Harris had 16 points to lead Morehead State (1-1), which had five players score in double figures.
WHAT WENT WELL
A Great Place to Be: A new head coach, a new attitude and sellout crowd – the Hurley era got off to a good start even if the basketball wasn’t always a thing of beauty. It was the first packed house since March 6, 2016, and the energy level was up from the opening tip to the final whistle. Hurley helped keep that energy level up, especially when he went after Carlton.
Hurley: “They were awesome in supporting us tonight. The students were awesome, and as we are building this we need them back on Sunday just like that. We are trying to build this thing back to that elite level. This team needs that. It gives us an edge in terms of winning and getting our credibility back.”
Jalen Adams: “That was crazy (Hurley in the stands). I have never seen a coach do that. Just to see him do stuff like that just shows how in-tune to the game, how much he cares about us as his players and just about the game. That’s the right thing to do. We want fans and people on the outside to see how connected we are and that just shows when you see the head coach getting dirty and running out to the stands to help him up.”
Big Step Forward: A stacked backcourt only takes you so far, so the Huskies need someone to man the front court and Carlton (two blocks, two steals) answered that challenge in the opener. Two rebounds shy of his first collegiate double-double, Carlton looked excellent, especially early with the first two buckets off Gilbert assists.
Hurley: “He was big today – that was great to see because we need that. … He’s got real talent and he’s going to be in the deep end of the pool here this year. We need him as a sophomore, still a young player, to perform at a high level if we are going to be successful. He’s a guy that if his motor is up and his activity is up the way it was at times tonight, the majority of the game, he has a chance to be a really, really good player.”
Carlton: “(Gilbert) came over and told me I’m going to keep finding you, keep working. That just gives me confidence knowing the guards can rely on me when they throw me the ball. … I can be trusted with the ball.”
Welcome Back, Al: With Jalen Adams saddled with foul issues, someone had to step up and Gilbert was one of the leaders. He did the bulk of his damage early and finished four assists and four rebounds in his first game in 11 months. More importantly, Gilbert’s presence frees up Adams – when they play together - to play off the ball and be more productive.
Adams: “It’s so fun, I get to get off the ball. Just watch him create, he’s so crafty when he’s in those pick-n-rolls and he’s a willing passer, so it’s fun to play off of him.”
Gilbert: “I feel great. Just the opportunity to be back out there, I felt good. I thank my teammates for giving me a lot of energy and picking me up.”
WHAT NEEDS WORK
Closing it Out: The Huskies had Morehead State down in both halves, but was never able to step on its necks and finish the job. UConn led by as many as 13 points in the first half but allowed Morehead State to trial just 37-33 at the break. Same story in the second, where UConn led by 16 with 4:58 left, but only won by 10.
Hurley: “I think we lacked a little killer. You can’t go from not good to a team with a killer instinct but there were pockets in that game where we had a chance to extend it. We were playing with fire it would get to 12, it would get to 14 … and we let them back in. We just showed, I wouldn’t say immaturity, but a lack of a killer instinct where we had a chance to bury them and we let them hang around.”
Living Without Jalen: The Huskies played the final 8:51 of the first half without Jalen Adams after he picked up his second foul. After starting the second half, Adams picked up a quick third foul and returned to the bench. UConn’s depth in the backcourt was able to handle the loss, but the Huskies need their leader on the floor. A fresh-legged Adams scored 10 of his points and picked up both assists after returning with 11:40 to play.
Adams: “It gives me confidence personally … when a senior guard went down they kept playing hard, they kept the lead, and it started on the defensive end.”
Gilbert: “We just have to play together, move the ball and get stops. Rebound and run. A couple times we got beat in transition a little bit, got beat off the ball.”
NOTES
Top target for 2019, forward Akok Akok, was in the stands for the game. … Sophomore Isaiah Whaley sat out the second half with a sprained left ankle. He had two blocks and one rebounds in seven first-half minutes before the injury. … Mike Crispino made his regular-season debut as the play-by-play man for UConn radio. Crispino replaced longtime voice Joe D’Ambrosio in the off-season. … The game was one of four the Huskies will play as part of the 2K Empire Classic benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. After two home games, UConn heads next week to Madison Square Garden for games with Syracuse and Oregon/Iowa. … Redshirt freshman Sidney Wilson remains out due to suspension following a violation of university policy that took place during the 2017-18 season. … UConn won the only other meeting between the schools with a 129-61 victory on Dec. 23, 2005, at Gampel Pavilion. … UMKC opened the season Tuesday with a 102-82 victory over Kentucky Christian. … Redshirt sophomore Mamadou Diarra (knee) was also out for UConn.
UP NEXT
Sunday,vs. UMKC, at Gampel Pavilion, 5 p.m. (SNY).