HARTFORD – UConn was, and still is, expected to be one of the best shooting teams in the country this season.
But so far, the Huskies aren’t close.
The struggles were glaring on Sunday as the team shot just 5-for-25 (20%) from beyond the arc to follow an 8-for-25 (32%) effort against Arizona on Wednesday. Before Monday’s slate of games, it took multiple taps on the “show more” button to find the Huskies in the national picture with their 35% team 3-point shooting mark through six games, ranking 137th in Division I.
Yet, coach Dan Hurley didn’t seem too concerned after Sunday’s win over Bryant in which two of his top shooters, Alex Karaban and Solo Ball, combined to go 2-for-13 from deep. The duo is 4-for-23 (17%) over the last two games.
“I’m actually on the flip side, I actually like when players aren’t shooting well,” Hurley said. “Not while it’s happening, but in my mind it’s like, shooters say, ‘Alright, I got this bad shooting stretch out of the way and now I’m about to go on a heater.’”
For Ball, a 41.4% shooter who made 99 3-pointers last season, his 25% start to the year (10-for-40) has been frustrating. But he subscribes to Hurley’s philosophy and expects that, eventually, the shots will fall. It should only help him when highly-touted freshman Braylon Mullins, a flamethrower in his own right, finally suits up and joins him as another perimeter threat – potentially this weekend as he nears recovery from an offseason ankle injury.
Karaban started the season a scorching 12-for-19 (63%) from beyond the arc but is down to a team-best 50% after the last two games.
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“I just think that the staff’s got to get with these guys. We’ve got to make sure we’re mechanically – not overdoing it in terms of coaching, but just building up their confidence,” Hurley said. “Because I do think they’re getting great shots and they’re two of the best shooters that the program has seen.”
The junior wing combo of Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart has been promising on lower volume from beyond the arc with Ross shooting at a 40% clip (6-for-15) and Stewart starting the year at 36.8% (7-for-19). Backup point guard Malachi Smith is at 46.2% from beyond the arc, making six of his 13 tries.
Latest on recovery for Mullins, Tarris Reed Jr.
Friday’s top-15 matchup against Illinois could be the game UConn finally reaches full strength.
Mullins, who went through pregame warmups on Sunday, had his first live day of practice the day before and was recovered well-enough to play one-on-one against graduate managers Andrew Hurley and Rich Kelly.
“With all due respect to those guys, it’s probably not simulating Illinois,” Dan Hurley said. “(But) he’s close. He’ll be in practice all week and it’ll be a game-time decision. I think Tarris (Reed Jr.) will be in that same boat. Tarris is feeling great, he’s recovering well. Both guys will be in that game-time decision for Friday.”
Hurley said it will be a gradual process for Mullins to work his way back, similar to when Stephon Castle returned from his knee injury during the 2023-24 season.
“The good thing is he’s gonna be able to come off the bench and just try to kind of help us and not have to carry this big weight. We’ll use a similar method of how we brought Steph Castle back, but I know he’s dying to get out there,” Hurley said.
A Wednesday Thanksgiving
Any Thanksgiving will be a better Thanksgiving than the UConn men had last season, when they spent Turkey Day flying back from their disastrous trip to the Maui Invitational.
The team will celebrate on Wednesday this year in order to have a day to digest before heading to Manhattan for the Black Friday showdown against Illinois.
“What’s in the turkey? What makes people sleepy?” Hurley asked, looking for the name of the amino acid, tryptophan. “We’re not going to eat the (bleeping) tryptophan on Thursday and be sluggish as (bleep) on Friday. So we’re gonna eat the tryptophan, the turkey and everything on Wednesday so that all of the tryptophan is out of our system by the time we get to MSG.”
The rant came after Hurley was asked, in holiday spirit, what he is thankful for.
“I’m thankful for all my family, thankful for my wife, my kids. I’m thankful to be the head coach of the six-time national champion UConn Huskies, to get to represent this incredible state,” he said. “I think a lot of times I get real anxious, I get real nervous the day of the game, and the one thing that kind of gets me over a lot of the anxiety and a lot of the nerves is when I start becoming grateful and thankful for the loving family I have and to be able to lead a program that means so much to so many people. Have a great Thanksgiving to everyone out there.”
