Preview: Drive to Five UConn 2022-2023 Book

The University of Connecticut Returns to Prominence with Fifth NCAA Championship

THE DRIVE TO FIVE

EDITOR Chuck Banning

WRITER Gavin Keefe

FRONT COVER: Connecticut Huskies players celebrate after defeating the San Diego State Aztecs in the national championship game of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium in Houston, April 3, 2023.

BOB DONNAN / USA TODAY SPORTS

Copyright © 2023 by The Day

All Rights Reserved • ISBN: 978-1-63846-074-9

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner or the publisher.

This book is an unofficial account of the University of Connecticut men’s basketball season and is not endorsed by the University of Connecticut or the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

CELEBRATION

LEFT: UConn players celebrate after defeating San Diego State in the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium in Houston, April 3, 2023. TROY TAORMINA / USA TODAY SPORTS

What UConn’s Hurley saw coming in 2020 came to fruition in 2023

BY CHUCK BANNING, THE DAY

UConn’s Dan Hurley was beaten but defiant during a post-game press conference at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia.

This was on Jan. 18, 2020, and his Huskies — playing their final season in the American Athletic Conference — had just battled Big East Conference leader Villanova to the wire before suffering a heartbreaking 61-55 loss.

“People better get us now, that’s all,” the head coach told the assembled media. “You better get us now, because it’s coming.”

It didn’t come that season, which ended before the postseason even began as COVID-19 brought college sports to an abrupt halt.

And although there were promising signs the following two seasons when UConn, which returned to the Big East and received at-large bids into the NCAA tournament, it didn’t come then, either.

Both ended in the first round with frustrating losses as the higher seed — first as the No. 7 seed to No. 10 Maryland in 2021, then as the No. 5 seed to No. 12 New Mexico State in 2022.

“It’s hard to sit up here after what this group has done for the program the last couple of

years,” Hurley said following the New Mexico State loss. “I think these guys have had a couple of really, really good seasons to get this program back in a really good spot, but we played poorly in the NCAA tournament.”

That would all change in 2022-23. The Huskies, who began the season unranked, reeled off 14 consecutive wins to open the season and climbed to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. They took a bit of a detour, losing five of their next six games against Big East opponents, but quickly regrouped.

UConn won eight of its final nine games in the regular season, including a convincing 8772 victory over Big East champion Marquette that prompted Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart to say, “UConn, in my opinion, played just the way they were playing when they were 14-0 and No. 2 in the country.”

The Huskies did lose to Marquette 70-68 in the Big East tournament semifinals, but that game failed to dent their confidence as watched Selection Sunday and learned they were the fourth seed in the West Region.

UConn’s NCAA journey began less than three hours away in Albany, N.Y. The Huskies

trailed No. 13 Iona 39-37 at halftime, but any lingering doubts that this was going to be another first-round disaster were immediately averted. UConn blitzed the Gaels with a quick 17-4 run to take a 54-43 lead and never looked back, outscoring Iona 50-24 in the second half to win going away, 87-63.

“The first half was just about as well as we’ve played all year, but the second half was about as poor as we’ve played,” Iona coach Rick Pitino said. “But that’s due to Connecticut’s defense and offense. They’ve got all the metrics to win a national championship.”

The Hall of Fame coach was spot on. UConn put together one of the most dominating post-season runs in NCAA tournament history, winning all six games by double figures and cutting down the nets for the fifth time in program history after beating San Diego State 76-59 in the championship game before a crowd of 72,423 at NRG Stadium in Houston.

We’re proud that veteran sports writer Gavin Keefe, who has covered all five national championships for The Day, has chronicled UConn’s run to No. 5 in this special edition. Enjoy.

OPPOSITE: UConn head coach Dan Hurley reacts to a play during the game against Villanova at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Jan. 18, 2020. KYLE ROSS / USA TODAY SPORTS

UConn delivers a masterpiece against Providence on Senior Night

BY GAVIN KEEFE, THE DAY • PUBLISHED FEB. 22, 2023

Storrs – UConn pulled out all the stops to create an electric atmosphere on Wednesday, holding a White Out and selling $2 beers on Senior Night.

The Gampel Pavilion crowd started roaring during the national anthem.

And, of course, facing No. 20 Providence, the defending Big East regular season champs that won the first meeting, also fueled the fans’ fire as well as the Huskies.

No. 18 UConn delivered a masterpiece, rolling to an impressive 87-69 victory in its regular season finale in Storrs.

“Just a great performance by the boys,” coach Dan Hurley said. “That atmosphere today from the anthem did so much to energize the group. It’s just an incredible advantage to play in here, especially against a team of Providence’s quality. They’re one of the best teams in the league. … Just a great way to close down the building for the year for everybody.”

Not even watching sophomore Jordan Hawkins limp off the court and head to the locker room after stepping on somebody’s foot

with eight and a half minutes left could slow down the Huskies, who led by as many as 22. Hawkins returned to the court after a timeout and about a minute of action later, finishing with 20 points to power a balanced attack. Adama Sanogo and Alex Karaban had 16 points apiece and Tristen Newton added 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Nahiem Alleyne chipped in nine points to lead a productive bench that contributed 19 points.

The Huskies (21-7, 10-7) are building some serious momentum, winning five of their last six games. They remain in fifth place in the Big East while the Friars (20-8, 12-5) are tied for second with Creighton and Xavier.

Both Hurley and PC coach Ed Cooley pointed to the crowd as a factor.

“That was a big-time atmosphere,” Cooley said. “That was one of Connecticut’s best games from start to finish in a long time, so you’ve got to give them a lot of credit.

Danny did a great job having his kids ready. My kids weren’t. We were soft and not connected. I think the environment had a lot to

do with that.

“So, the $2 dollar beers definitely worked. The white shirts definitely worked. That was a game they needed to win, and they played like it.”

Prior to the game, Alleyne, Newton, Joey Calcaterra, Richie Springs and student manager Nick DeMarco were honored during Senior Day festivities.

Then the Huskies put on a dominating performance, shooting 53.3 percent and controlling the boards by a whopping 40 to 20 margin. A tenacious defense limited the Friars to 41.5 percent.

“We played a great game,” Hawkins said.

Big East player of the year candidate Bryce Hopkins had 16 points after scoring 27 in PC’s 73-61 win on Jan. 4. He also had zero rebounds in 37 minutes.

Credit goes to redshirt freshman Alex Karaban who took on the tough defensive assignment.

“First game, I felt like he embarrassed me,” Karaban said. “I took full responsibility for

FEB. 22, 2023

PROVIDENCE

21-7 RECORD

OPPOSITE: UConn forward Adama Sanogo (21) drives to the basket against Providence during the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Feb. 22, 2023. GREGORY FISHER / USA TODAY SPORTS

that loss because I wasn’t able to contain him as well as I should have. … He’s a superstar in this league and he’s going to have a bright future. I was excited to come back and hold my own.

After a tug-of-war in the first half that saw UConn grab a 37-32 lead, the Huskies started to pull away.

Hawkins scored inside and then buried a

3-pointer, handing UConn its first 10-point lead (42-32) and forcing Cooley to call a timeout just 63 seconds into the second half.

Providence, which has won more than its share of close games over the last few seasons, punched back.

Devin Carter’s steal and fast-break layup cut the gap to 48-46. It was Hurley’s turn to call timeout.

Hawkins took over, scoring six straight points to keep UConn in front.

The Huskies fought to hold off the Friars, who closed to within three.

They would not be denied.

Newton’s three free throws pushed the lead to 11 and then his lob pass set up Donovan Clingan’s dunk for a 65-52 edge with nine minutes left, bringing the crowd to its feet.

RIGHT: UConn fans hold up signs during the game against Providence at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Feb. 22, 2023.

GREGORY FISHER / USA TODAY SPORTS

The Friars went without a field goal for 9:19 while the Huskies built a 19-point lead thanks to a 14-0 run.

From there, UConn cruised to the finish line. The Huskies never lost the lead after going up 34-32 on Karaban’s inside basket with 48 seconds left in the first half.

“The fans were unbelievable,” Karaban said. “They really lifted us up once Providence

came storming back in the second half. They really gave us momentum to go on that run. Two-dollar beer night was a good one, I guess.”

Only three regular season games remain for the Huskies, who will visit St. John’s on Saturday, trying to avenge an earlier defeat.

This month, UConn has beaten three teams that it lost to on the road – Marquette, Seton Hall and Providence.

“We’re on a revenge tour,” Hawkins said. “March is coming, so we’ve got to be on our `A’ game. This is the time when people start to turn up.”

LEFT: UConn guard Tristen Newton (2) dunks the ball against Providence, Feb. 22, 2023. GREGORY FISHER / USA TODAY SPORTS

UConn draws its energy from Andre Jackson Jr.

BY GAVIN KEEFE, THE DAY • PUBLISHED MARCH 29, 2023

Junior Andre Jackson listens to gospel music before games.

His favorite artist is Tasha Cobbs Leonard.

His off-the-court routine prepares him for his on-the-court performance.

“The things I do off the court are going to affect the things I do on the court,” Jackson said. “I’m just trying to keep my energy and stuff right. Talking to the right people, keeping the right people around me and constantly trying to talk to God, and listening to the right music.”

“I listen to a lot of gospel music before the game. …. I’m just trying to feed myself and my body the right things so I can be in the right mind space.”

Everything that Jackson does is geared toward helping UConn try to capture the program’s fifth national championship. The next step is a national semifinal meeting with Miami at 8:49 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Jackson has played a significant part in the Huskies reaching this elite level.

“Without Andre, I don’t think we’d be where we are right now,” freshman Donovan

Clingan said.

Jackson is the heartbeat of the Huskies and a respected team leader.

When his new teammates arrived on campus for the first summer session last year, Jackson reached out to them and made them feel at home.

He’s also not afraid to challenge them.

“He’s a great teammate, a great person,” Clingan said. “He’s hard on us, which is good. He always wants us to do better. He always wants us to be the best that we possibly can. Andre is one of my closest brothers on this team and I can’t thank him enough.”

On the court, it’s impossible to miss Jackson, a versatile, active and athletic 6-foot-6 guard, during games. He seems like he’s everywhere.

In an 82-54 demolition of Gonzaga in the West Region Elite Eight on Saturday, Jackson made winning plays that don’t show up in the box score.

He extended possessions by hustling for rebounds, set up teammates for momentumbuilding baskets and played shutdown defense He also fueled the fast break. He finished with eight points, nine rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.

His teammates feed off Jackson’s energy. “When he’s giving everything he’s got, we start to give everything that we’ve got,” redshirt freshman Alex Karaban said. “Everyone wants to play for him. He just means so much to the locker room. He just means so much as a leader. He means everything to us. He’s my favorite teammate I’ve ever played with. So what he does out there is special.”

In four NCAA tourney games, Jackson is averaging 7.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists while converting 14 of 29 from the field.

Yet, Jackson didn’t make the West Region all-tournament team, or before that any All-Big East team.

His teammates certainly appreciate Jackson.

“Andre is always going to be my MVP,” said sophomore Jordan Hawkins after being named the West Region’s most outstanding player. “He’s just a complete difference maker.”

Coach Dan Hurley regularly raves about Jackson, the player and person.

“He’s the most selfless, best leader, best captain that you’ll ever come across,” Hurley said. “Andre is probably slighted in terms of those types of awards. We’ve put him up for a lot of defensive awards. But, in the end, he’s

OPPOSITE: UConn guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) during the first half against Providence at Madison Square Garden in New York, March 9, 2023. BRAD PENNER / USA TODAY SPORTS

ABOVE: UConn head coach Dan Hurley finishes cutting down the net after the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium, April 3, 2023. ROBERT DEUTSCH / USA TODAY SPORTS

OPPOSITE: UConn players and coaches celebrate after winning the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament, April 3, 2023. BOB DONNAN / USA TODAY SPORTS

ABOVE: UConn head coach Dan Hurley cheers with the crowd as the Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team are honored with a parade through downtown Hartford, April 8, 2023. DAVID BUTLER II / USA TODAY SPORTS

Connecticut Huskies 2022–23 Roster

Player roster

Coaching staff

Support staff