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Top-ranked UConn doesn’t have a superstar on its roster, but is instead being carried by a group of NBA hopefuls who are banking on the idea that winning will do more for their draft prospects than putting up big individual numbers.
As the Huskies (23-2, 13-1 Big East) head into Saturday’s showdown against No. 4 Marquette (19-5, 10-3), all of UConn’s starters are averaging double-figures in scoring. The balanced attack is led by Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer (15.2 points per game), Tristen Newton (15) and Alex Karaban (14.9).
All five starters are considered draft prospects with freshman guard Stephon Castle (11.2 ppg) and 7-foot-2 sophomore Donovan Clingan (12.1 ppg) considered possible lottery selections.
But despite being on the No. 1 team in the nation, they have just a single Big East player of the week award among them, earned by Newton last month (though Castle has been named freshman of the week seven times).
“We’re not worried about who’s the best player on the floor, who are we trying to get the ball to, to go and score,” Clingan said. “We all trust each other. And, you know, we always look for the open man. We’re always looking for that next pass and trying to just do whatever each other can to help the team win.”
Spencer was not a nationally-known commodity in three seasons at Loyola Maryland or his one as a Scarlet Knight. He came to Connecticut after watching UConn get three players (Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson Jr. and Jordan Hawkins) into the NBA after winning the national championship in April.
“You look at guys like Andre Jackson and what he did for them,” Spencer said. “And, you know, on paper he didn’t score 20 points a game. But you know he just impacted winning. And that’s what got him to the NBA. So that’s really what it’s all about.”
Coach Dan Hurley said it starts with the type of kid UConn recruits. Yes, they must have a lot of talent, but there also has to be an extreme passion for the game and for winning, he said. If he’s at dinner with a recruit or brings one to a practice and that player looks bored or is looking at his phone, UConn will take a hard pass, no matter the talent level, Hurley said.
“We’re all about ‘we’ and winning the next game and guys, you know, fulfilling their obligation to the team in terms of the role we need them to play,” Hurley said. “When the ‘we’ season’s over, we will participate fully in the ‘me’ season with these guys in terms of draft stock and evaluating those things. But, we don’t recruit players based on promising the NBA. We recruit players based on we’ll teach you how to be a man, and, and we’re going to show you how to win and succeed. And, and with those things, the NBA, you know, will come and get you when it’s time.”
Castle’s father said that’s part of what attracted his son to Hurley’s program. He didn’t “put on a show” about how special Stephon was, and has coached him hard both on and off the court, said Stacey Castle, who played college ball at Wake Forest and Central Florida.
UConn coaches are “just giving something to the kids that not a lot of kids get today, which is somebody being honest with them from the start,” he said.
“This goal (the NBA) that most of these guys have, you have to learn that it’s really hard for a reason,” he added. “And it doesn’t all take place on, you know, your performance on the court. So how are you, off the court, how you carry yourself, how you interact with people, how you train people. It all plays a part and it’s important.”
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