UConn preparing to host St. John's Wednesday night
After a 17-day layoff, fatigue figured to be a factor for the Huskies (10-4, 1-2 Big East), who returned to action with a 90-87 loss to Seton Hall on Saturday.
“From having not played or practiced much, guys were pretty sore,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Guys were pretty sore overall, but just in terms of injuries everybody came out well, but definitely fatigued.”
Now it’s on to a busy week, starting with St. John’s (9-4, 1-1) on Wednesday night at Gampel Pavilion and then a rematch with No. 23 Providence on Saturday on the road. It’s the first of 17 straight conference games for UConn to close out the regular season.
“Hopefully, a great home crowd will give us that added boost,” Hurley said.
The Red Storm are coming off an 83-73 loss to the Friars last Saturday and have played just twice since an 18-day Covid pause.
The Johnnies are led by 6-8 junior Julian Champagnie, who ranks second in conference scoring with 20.7 points per game.
CLOSE CALLS
The Huskies have been in some tight contests, including all four losses that were by four points or less.
Overall, the team is 4-4 in games decided by 10 points or less.
“Obviously, we were in multiple games that could have gone either way,” Hurley said.
The Huskies have been victims of different circumstances in the losses, including untimely turnovers, missed foul shots, and the inability to make the big shot or play.
The latest misstep was Tyrese Martin’s turnover in OT with roughly 2.6 seconds left that sealed the win for Seton Hall.
“We are going to be in a lot of games like this the rest of the way and we’ll get more comfortable in them,” Hurley said. “Games like this have a way of evening themselves out hopefully during the course of the year.”
NEW BLOOD
The trend continues for the Huskies with the early arrival of recruits. The latest player to join the cast is freshman Alex Karaban.
The 6-foot-8 Karaban graduated early from IMG Academy and landed last Friday in Storrs. He will sit out the rest of the season along with freshman Corey Floyd Jr., who finished high school early and joined the team last August.
Karaban is the third player to arrive early at UConn, with Akok Akok starting the trend in January 2019.
“It’s obviously situational,” Hurley said. “Some of it was kind of circumstantial with both those guys, but they get a chance to be a part of a big-time college program.”
The early entry allows them an early taste of college life and time to adjust to it before being expected to produce on the court.
“(They can find out) what practice is like, what the level of basketball is like,” Hurley added. “That first time you get into a Big East practice is certainly an eye-opener.
“For guys like Corey and Alex, guys that want to play early in your career, it gives me a chance to grab them and explain to them why some freshmen get on the court and why others don’t, and here are the things you need to do when you are eligible.
“If you want to play a lot as a freshman this is how you earn our trust,” Hurley added.
Prior to IMG, Karaban spent two years at New Hampton (N.H.) School, where he was a top-50 recruit and was named the Gatorade New Hampshire Player of the Year last season. He averaged 25.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 blocks, and shot 60.3 percent to lead New Hampton to the New England Prep School Athletic Council Class AAA tournament championship. Karaban was MVP of the title game.
FRESHMEN WAITING
Hurley also addressed the lack of playing time for freshmen Rahsool Diggins and Samson Johnson.
"There's no politics in minutes. If there's a guy that's killing it in practice it would be a mutiny on this ship if I was holding a guy back. Throughout my career as a coach, I've played freshmen, started them, played them in significant roles. ...
"Samson is a significant talent and Rahsool has the chance to be a good player... when you consistently show us you are a better option than what we are sending on the court then you go out there."