James Bouknight on verge of returning for UConn men, plus takeaways from the loss to Seton Hall
The wait for James Bouknight to return to the court is just about over. The UConn men, who have been holding on to their March aspirations without their best player for more than a month, could have him back for their game at Providence on Wednesday.
“I think now he’s at the point where he’s a game-time decision moving forward here,” coach Dan Hurley said after UConn’s 80-73 loss to Seton Hall on Saturday. “That kid’s a baller. He pushed hard to play [Saturday], he put a lot of pressure on the medical staff.”
Bouknight injured his left elbow in a spill late in the first half at Marquette on Jan. 5. He tried to play in the second half of that game, but was not effective. After a week of less aggressive treatment, Bouknight had surgery to correct bone spurs in the elbow on Jan. 13. The recovery time was set at about four weeks.
He began practicing, in a limited way, this week.
“He’s recovered well” Hurley said. “He played one live segment on the gray team vs. the blue. Blue is the starters, gray the bench guys, and the gray team won. So we’ll be thrilled to get him back in there.”
Bouknight, a sophomore, was averaging 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds for UConn, with a signature game of 40 points in an overtime loss to Creighton on Dec. 20, his Big East debut. The Huskies were averaging 75.5 points in six games with Bouknight, but have averaged 67.3 points in six games without him, going 3-3.
UConn has eight games scheduled between now and the end of the regular season, and could have a makeup game against Villanova, Xavier or St. John’s squeezed in. The Huskies, No. 55 in NCAA NetRankings and 34th in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, have enough opportunities to build an NCAA Tournament resume.
And Bouknight is willing to put his NBA Draft stock on the line to get UConn there. Recent mock drafts have him in the first round, such as Yahoo! Sports, which has him going at No. 9, or NBADraft.net, which projects him at No. 17, NBCSports.com has him at No. 6.
“But he wants in,” Hurley said. “He’s not trying to sit and keep his status of where he stands for his potential future earnings. This dude wants back in, and that’s great to see. In the culture that we have in basketball today, it’s not always like that.”
There is no time frame yet for Akok Akok to return from his leg injury, but UConn got freshman Andre Jackson back for a promising 20-minute stint against Seton Hall. By Wednesday, the Huskies could be nearly whole.
Here are other takeaways from the loss to Seton Hall:
Old rivalry renewed
Once fans are allowed to return, this UConn-Seton Hall thing is going to be fun. And, yes, Pirates coach Kevin Willard is here for it.
“It’s phenomenal,” Willard told reporters on Seton Hall’s postgame Zoom call. “It’s a high intensity game. Danny’s teams are disciplined on defense and physical on defense. It’s an old school Big East game. It’s great to have them back in the league. We like having them back in the league.”
Right now, Seton Hall is the better team, big, tough, experienced and underrated in the preseason. They made a statement with road wins at Providence and UConn.
Gaffney’s break-through
Sophomore Jalen Gaffney showed some of the offensive abilities that got him to UConn, scoring 20 points, getting to the line (8-for-9) with aggressive moves to the basket. “Jalen flashed the offensive potential we’ve been hoping to see there,” Hurley said. “That was really encouraging. He played well enough offensively for us to be in the game, but defensively, like a number of guys, he played poorly enough for us to lose the game. That’s the next step for him, because you could see he has some dynamic ability, but just that gritty defensive mindset is the next step.”
Seniority
UConn’s more experienced players did not show well in this game. Isaiah Whaley had two points and two rebounds in 29 minutes, Josh Carlton played only five minutes, Tyler Polley had five points in 16 minutes. R.J. Cole had 12 and Tyrese Martin 10 with six rebounds, but they were quiet numbers. This has to change, as the games grow short and more crucial. With Bouknight and Jackson, teams will be defending differently, but the veterans have to make bigger contributions.
Rhythm
UConn has played 12 well-spaced games, and three long stops due to the pandemic have certainly marred the season. Other teams have played more, and have had a better chance to get in gear. The Huskies (8-4, 5-4 in the league) are still searching for their identity, and a rhythm, and with the most formidable of their Big East opponents still ahead, they need to find it quickly once Bouknight is back.
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com
