STORRS – Jayden Ross popped into UConn’s practice gym on Tuesday afternoon and grabbed a basketball so he could get some shots up on the open women’s court while local media gathered for a season wrap-up with coach Dan Hurley.
As of Tuesday evening, Ross and point guard Silas Demary Jr., whose decision came to light on Tuesday night, are the only two players confirmed to be returning to the Huskies’ roster for the 2026-27 season.
But, Hurley said, there are a few more who he expects to get back and more announcements could come at any time.
“If somebody else brought five people, we could play them. I’m confident that we could play somebody in a game right now,” he said, suggesting that there are around five players he expects to stay with the program. “But also, for the most part we don’t have people that are running into the portal. There’s people that have to make really hard decisions, there’s a financial piece for every player. Our season ended later than most, so there’s players that haven’t even come in yet and had a conversation about whether they want to go in the portal or not.”
“We’ve got a great culture here where a majority of the roster is like, if they don’t want to go, they love this place; they can’t imagine putting on another jersey,” he said. “But in the end, as we get to Monday of next week, people are going to have to make hard decisions. Both us as a basketball organization, and the players. But we would love everyone to be back.”
The window for players to enter the transfer portal closes on Tuesday, April 21, but they can commit to their new program long after that date.
The deadline for early entry into the NBA Draft, which allows players to maintain their college eligibility, is April 24. Those players, Braylon Mullins potentially being one, have until June 13 to withdraw from the draft and return to college.
In the meantime, Storrs will be a busy place.
The Werth Center was set up for visitors on Tuesday, with Seton Hall center Najai Hines reportedly on campus. It has been reported that he will also visit St. John’s, and that the Huskies could potentially host Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman on Friday. That will not be the end of it.
Most of UConn’s turnover will happen in the front court, where it has to replace centers Tarris Reed Jr. (eligibility) and Eric Reibe (transfer portal), along with Alex Karaban (eligibility). Front court players tend to command the highest NIL figure because there are only so many out there. The Huskies also need a replacement for backup point guard Malachi Smith (eligibility) and have to manage needs based on the decisions that come within the next week in terms of who stays and who may go.
“We’re gonna be busy. We’ve been busy. A lot of what we’re trying to do is, internally, figure out who wants to be here. And then once we have a sense of who wants to be here versus our vision of what being here would be like for them in terms of role, beyond the center part, it’s trickier because some of who we bring in is going to be based on decisions that those people make, whether it’s testing for the NBA (or coming back or transferring). Not everything is under our control,” Hurley said. “People that have played in this program have earned the right to have the time they need to make a great decision. We’re not rushing people.”
News of Ross’ decision came over the weekend. Demary announced he was staying shortly after Hurley’s media scrum. The other players who could make the same choice are: Mullins, Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart, Jacob Furphy, Uros Paunovic and Jacob Ross.
“I actually like the fact that the players have to recommit to wanting to be a UConn Husky and really have to look deep inside their soul,” Hurley said. “Obviously there’s a business component to it, too, but I like the fact that players now have to, on a yearly basis, decide whether they want to be a Husky or not. I’m embracing that right now – at least that’s what I’m telling myself.”
In addition to building his roster, Hurley is taking his time in hiring a replacement for assistant Luke Murray, who has his own roster construction process going as the new head coach at Boston College. The Huskies posted the job opening on Monday and will be looking for an experienced coach who is obsessed and willing to take on the demand of working for Hurley.
But most of the focus now is on finding a new starting center.
“You need the center. You need the starting center,” Hurley said. “We knew, no matter how the year was gonna shake out, that we were gonna need some help at center, just based on the level that Tarris played at and the level that the top programs in the country, the levels that their front courts played at. I mean, just seeing what Duke brought to the table in that front court, what Michigan State brought to the table with their front court, Illinois, Michigan, obviously. We knew we were gonna have work to do in the front court.”
It will be the first time since 2020-21 – Adama Sanogo’s freshman season – that UConn will have a No. 1 option at center who was not already on the roster for at least a year.
“It’s definitely a challenge. We’ve been in a situation where you felt like you had that person groomed to take over,” Hurley said. “Now we’re in a different spot. But it’s the nature of it.”
