By ADAM ZAGORIA
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — During Dan Hurley’s tenure as the head coach at UConn, the Huskies have already produced one NBA players in James Bouknight of the Charlotte Hornets.
Now Hurley believes more could be on the way.
Hurley thinks junior guard Andre Jackson and sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins both “have a chance to play themselves into the first round this year.”
“Yeah, they look great right now, two guys that are coming into their prime potentially for us on the wing, so [it’s exciting],” Hurley told ZAGSBLOG at the New York Basketball Coaches Clinic at Archbishop Stepinac High School.
Jordan Hawkins with the first steal and assist of his UConn career on this Andre Jackson dunk! #ThisIsUConn | #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/eC9UxmnAHZ
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) November 18, 2021
Hurley said NBA scouts are high on both the 6-foot-6 Jackson, a high-flying wing who averaged 6.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season, and the 6-5 Hawkins, who averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds.
“There’s a lot [of scouts] coming, probably the most since I’ve been here,” Hurley said.
Junior big man Adama Sanogo is also attracting attention. He could also be the Big East Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds last season. Hurley called him “the best big man in the league.”
“There’s multiple guys in the program beyond those three guys,” Hurley said. “We’ve got some great young players in [Donovan] Clingan, Samson [Johnson] and [Alex] Karaban.”
.@UConnMBB coach @dhurley15 at the NY Coaches Clinic at @step_basketball
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) September 15, 2022
He and @CoachKimani are also getting some recruiting in locally for 2024s @tahaadpettiford and @BoogieFland pic.twitter.com/AIpL4p6vIy
The 7-foot-2 Clingan, a local star from Bristol (CT) High School, “looks great” after losing 40 pounds, Hurley said. “He’s moving really well and he’s going to give us a 1-2 punch [with Sanogo] that hopefully will be the separator for us.”
The Huskies were a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament a year ago but were upset by No. 12 New Mexico State in the first round. Hurley, who has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game at UConn, said the goal is to get back to March Madness and make a run.
“Just to continue to be better,” he said. “A couple years ago, we really turned around a bad trend of missing the NCAA tournament for years, so we returned to the tournament with a 7 seed and last year we were a 5 seed. But we didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked, so we want to continue to build on what we’ve done, have a better year than last year and then have my team more ready for March than we’ve been.”
UCONN TO PAY KEVIN OLLIE ANOTHER $3.9 MILLION OVER FIRING
(AP) – UConn announced Thursday it has agreed to pay former men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie another $3.9 million to settle discrimination claims surrounding his 2018 firing.
The money is in addition to the more than $11.1 million in back salary Ollie has already been paid after an arbitrator ruled in January that he was improperly fired under the school’s agreement with its professor’s union.
“I am grateful that we were able to reach agreement,” Ollie said in a statement Thursday. “My time at UConn as a student-athlete and coach is something I will always cherish. I am pleased that this matter is now fully and finally resolved.”
Ollie, a former UConn point guard who guided the Huskies to a 127-79 record and the 2014 national championship in six seasons as head coach, was let go after two losing seasons. UConn also stopped paying him under his contract, citing numerous NCAA violations in terminating the deal.
UCONN ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL
Hurley and associate head coach Kimani Young have hit the recruiting trail hard in recent days. On Wednesday they saw Class of 2024 Hudson (NJ) Catholic point guard Tahaad Pettiford, who takes an official to Auburn this weekend.
On Wednesday, Hurley and Young met with Class of 2024 Stepinac point guard Boogie Fland, the No. 12 prospect in his class per 247Sports.com. Coaches from Oregon, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova were also on hand Wednesday for Fland, who is in the process of setting up visits.
Boogie Fland at the UA Next Elite 24! @BoogieFland @UANextBHoops pic.twitter.com/QwAaSDJ9hF
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) August 16, 2022
Hurley and Young then went to see Class of 2023 7-footer Youssouf Singare of Our Saviour Lutheran, who took an unofficial visit last weekend, and Class of 2023 commit Jayden Ross of Long Island Lutheran.
Ross and Singare were both on campus last weekend along with uncommitted 4-star wing Jaylin Stewart and commits Stephon Castle and Solo Ball. Hurley and UConn assistant Luke Murray also saw Ball on Wednesday.
Asked his message to Stewart and Singare, Castle told ZAGSBLOG, “To complete our class, build a brotherhood and bring UConn back.”
.@UConnMBB this weekend hosted
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) September 13, 2022
Uncommitted Class of 2023 @youssoufSingar1 and @Jaylinstewart6
Committed @StephonCastle @solo_ball5 and @Jayden_Ross3 pic.twitter.com/QJJPjkXmQP
BOB HURLEY SR. TO BE HONORED
Bob Hurley Sr. will be honored Nov 19 at Fordham University as the first recipient of the Tom Konchalski “Values of the Game Award.” The Hurley family was very close with Tom, who passed on Feb. 8, 2021 from prostate cancer after half a century as a legendary New York-area scout.
Save this date: Sat. Nov. 19, 2022
— Tom Konchalski Foundation (@KonchalskiFdn) September 15, 2022
The Tom Konchalski Foundation presents a "Celebration of Basketball"
Fordham University
Great Hall – McShane Center 5 PM.
Featuring: Coach Bob Hurley, as the 1st annual Tom Konchalski:
"Values of the Game Award"https://t.co/3VX0xkVfP0 pic.twitter.com/0vSWVWceVu
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