UConn men's basketball offseason in review

It has been a very eventful offseason since April 4, the day after the UConn Huskies claimed the program’s fifth national championship. 

In an interview at last month’s Big East Media Day, head coach Dan Hurley described that first week after the title as “chaotic” in large part because “there’s a lot of celebrating that goes on,” but also because they had to immediately begin working for next season.

After updating the Exit 68 sign, parading in Hartford, and ringing the NYSE Bell, we began hearing about roster changes. Jordan Hawkins started it off by announcing that he’d be leaving for the NBA Draft.

Then came the announcement that guard Nahiem Alleyne would be transferring. He ended up at St. John’s. Then Adama Sanogo announced that he’d be going pro. Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban were basically the only known returning players at this point.

Hawkins, Sanogo, Andre Jackson, and Tristen Newton participated in the NBA Combine. Just a few days later they were at the White House being feted by the President of the United States. A few days after that, Newton announced he’d be returning to UConn, though Jackson remained in the draft.

The only experienced addition to the roster came when UConn landed Rutgers transfer guard Cam Spencer, one of the top shooters available in the portal. Read more here on what he brings to the team.

Then all eyes shifted to the NBA Draft. Jordan Hawkins was selected 14th overall by the New Orleans Pelicans. Andre Jackson Jr. was selected in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 36th overall pick. Adama Sanogo went undrafted but signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls.

With all their respective teams, the Husky rookies excelled in the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League and showcased their NBA potential. We also interviewed Adama Sanogo from Vegas.

Amidst all the draft news, Hurley received a new 6-year contract extension. He and his staff also added some new commits for their 2024 recruiting class in July, four-star wing Isaiah Abraham and Ahmad Nowell, a point guard ranked 36th in the class.

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Once this year’s squad got to campus for the summer, it became clear that everyone has a new role this season. We also realized how much is riding on the readiness of multiple freshmen who are expected to be key contributors.

The team had the opportunity to play, learn, and bond with their teammates on their European Trip which included three matchups against three top professional opponents.

After that, we waited for the schedule release and First Night, the unofficial start of basketball season, where the highlight was Alex Karaban hitting 7 of his final 8 shots to win the three-point contest and Cam Spencer, ever the competitor, being mad about it for days (reportedly). The team held multiple open practices as well so fans could get an early look at this squad.

Around that time, we also learned about Donovan Clingan’s foot injury, which had him sidelined for a few weeks and in a boot at Big East Media Day. Clingan has since returned to practice and appears to be ready to go.

To get you ready for the season, we previewed the Big East contenders, middle of the pack, and the basement and also looked at five key questions facing this team on The UConn Blog. We also made some preseason predictions. The Huskies were picked to finish third in the Big East preseason poll, with freshman Stephon Castle earning preseason Freshman of the Year honors.

We’re excited for another season of coverage and analysis across The UConn Blog and this newsletter! Be sure to follow and tell a friend!