UConn's Hawkins expected to be a first-round pick in NBA Draft
Jun. 21—UConn has all the signs of a flourishing men's basketball program.
A top five nationally-ranked recruiting class recently has been added to an already strong talent base.
There's a team-first, winning culture.
The program is scoring high marks in player development.
The 2023 national championship trophy resides in Storrs.
And the Huskies could potentially have three players selected in the NBA Draft in the same year for the first time since 2006.
Jordan Hawkins is basically a lock to be the 21st Husky taken in the first round on Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN, Ch. 8) while Andre Jackson is considered a potential late first/early second round pick and Adama Sanogo has a shot to go late in the second round.
All three left UConn early to pursue their professional dreams.
"The program is healthy right now," coach Dan Hurley said.
Hurley and associate head coach Kimani Young will join Hawkins and his family in the Green Room at the Barclays Center in New York.
"We're going to be in the Green Room with Jordan and depending on what Andre and Adama are planning to do, whether they're on site or not, we'll hopefully get to as many of the families as we can," Hurley said. "It's exciting. This will be like an end for us in a lot of ways. Just want this NBA thing to end the way it should end for these three players."
All three improved their draft stock with strong performances during UConn's NCAA national championship run.
Hawkins and other players projected to go in the first round met with the media in New York on Wednesday.
A 6-foot-5 guard, Hawkins built a reputation as a lethal shooter and reliable scorer in his two years at UConn. He averaged 16.2 points and converted 38.8 percent from 3-point range during his All-Big East first team sophomore season. His 3-point shooting percent climbed to 50 percent (21 for 42) in the NCAA tournament.
Hawkins met with a number of teams during the pre-draft process, including the Los Angeles Lakers, who own the No. 17 pick overall.
"A championship player, the best shooter in the draft," Hawkins said when asked what type of player a team that drafts him will get. "It's something every team needs is a shooter, a guy that can play off the ball."
Hurley believes Hawkins could be a lottery pick (top 14). If that happens, Hawkins would earn a place on the wall of the Werth practice facility along with the 14 other lottery picks. James Bouknight was the last Husky to be in that elite category, going No. 11 to Charlotte in 2021.
"Jordan, to me, has gotten undervalued in the draft process," Hurley said. "Maybe he peaked too soon, like in April when we won it. Everyone was so high on him. Maybe people have kind of gotten a little tired of him and now they're looking at other prospects that didn't go as far. But his shooting, no one shot the ball the way he shot the ball this year in college basketball.
"There's a lot of players that can make toes to the line 3-point shots like standstill, catch and shoot. But his level of shooting, it's been years since there's been a shooting prospect as good as him that's entered the NBA. And he's old-school and his family is old-school. He's about all the right things."
Hurley is more optimistic that Jackson will be drafted than Sanogo.
Jackson, an athletic 6-6 guard, can impact the game in so many ways but struggles in the shooting department. As a junior, he averaged 6.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists while sinking 43.2 percent from the field, 28.1 percent from 3-point range.
Some teams that Jackson worked out for include the Lakers, Indiana, Brooklyn, Boston and Portland.
"Whether it's Draymond Green, Bruce Brown ... there's a number of guys in the NBA right now that are being very successful on NBA teams that aren't necessarily 3-point shooters that are just all-around tremendous basketball players," Hurley said. "Andre's a playmaker, an impact player. He makes your organization better. He's a champion. He's a championship level player. ... And he may be the best athlete in the NBA from the day he steps into the NBA. I'm talking about lateral quickness, speed, above the rim athleticism and strength."
Despite being the Final Four's most valuable player and averaging a team-best 19.7 points and 9.8 rebounds during the NCAA tournament, Sanogo's size and limitations as a ball handler hurt his value.
But the 6-9 forward's relentless work ethic is undeniable. He's worked out for just about every NBA team, according to Hurley.
"His game has grown a lot," Hurley said. "As you get closer to the draft, coaches have more say than the scouts. The scouts hate him, but the coaches love him because he's a winner. He's more skilled than you think. But he's a unique competitor. He has momentum to potentially get into the second round of the draft and he should be because I think he's going to be a long-term NBA player."
Whether two or three Huskies are drafted Thursday, the night will be a success for the UConn basketball program.
Hurley, who just completed his fifth season in Storrs, previously had two players selected — Bouknight and Tyrese Martin, selected 51st by Atlanta last year. So the Huskies could have as many as five players selected in the last three years.
It's a credit to Hurley's player development skills.
"We don't have all these banners on the wall of players that came in as the No. 1 player in the country and then left as the No. 1 pick and you basically baby sat them for six months," Hurley said. "We've been able to do it now with multiple players coming in that were not considered early entry or even NBA players at all.
"So I think smart people recognize that, that you're recruiting and know that your development is a real thing."
Hawkins will be rooting for his teammates on Thursday.
He's kept in touch with Jackson and Sanogo during the pre-draft process. He has faith that his teammates will also be celebrating.
"I'm looking forward to those guys getting drafted as well," Hawkins said. "Once their name gets called, it's going to be like my name got called. It will be really cool."
