For the second straight year, UConn men’s basketball’s devoted fans had a chance to play a round of golf at the Greenwich Country Club and meet players and assistant coaches on the current squad to get a preview of what to expect in the upcoming season. Monday’s Legends Golf Outing lived up to its name, with the likes of Emeka Okafor, Scott Burrell, Oliver Macklin, Jake Voshkul, Rudy Gay, and Jeremy Lamb present on the links along with recent alumni like Donovan Clingan and Joey Calcaterra.
After the round, ESPN analyst and former college basketball coach Seth Greenberg, who is also a mentor to head coach Dan Hurley, led a spirited auction before a silent auction that combined to raise well into the six figures for the program along with the tournament itself. Clingan competed for the longest drive award with a boomer going 345 yards. Burrell, reportedly a regular on the links at that club, performed the best among the players.
During a surf and turf buffet where attendees enjoyed custom flavors of bourbon created for Storrs Central and hand-rolled cigars, assistant coaches Luke Murray and Kimani Young shared some updates on the players’ progress this offseason, as did Tom Moore from his newly minted role as general manager.
Silas Demary Jr. “will be the guy that we lean on quite a bit for developing our tempo, offensively, defensively, being a point person on the ball,” Moore said, adding that the junior from Georgia is expected to be a team leader as well. He was in attendance in Greenwich on Monday along with Alex Karaban, Malachi Smith, Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins.
“I don’t think there’s a better pair of assistants right now in the country than we have right now here at UConn,” Moore said. “Luke Murray could run almost any program in the country right now. We are extremely blessed to have him.”
Murray took the mic from Moore and quickly roasted his senior staffmate for his shorts and a joke that didn’t land. Murray then mentioned that the roster construction of this year’s team is “really reminiscent of our first championship team in 2023, so we’re excited about the direction that it’s heading in.”
In a discussion of the big men, Murray stated that Reed Jr. “has had an unbelievable summer.”
“We really think he’s going to be one of the premier frontcourt players in the country, excited to see him take a big jump.”
On Alex Karaban, Murray said the senior “is as focused as ever” and “excited to lead us into this next year.”
Jaylin Stewart has gained 19 pounds since last year, up to 227 pounds, with Murray saying the junior will be stronger and more confident this season. “I’d expect a big year from Jaylin,” Murray said.
Jayden Ross has also built up his strength and shown improvement over the summer Murray said, adding that his younger brother Jacob is a more developmental prospect but still a “very good athlete, very good defender.”
Murray also mentioned two guys who will play at center, including freshman Eric Reibe, who he described as “seven-foot, left-handed, really skilled, can step away from the basket, handle a pass and shoot, has to get a little bit better defensively in terms of rim protection and rebounding, but he’s going to be really good for us.”
Murray also mentioned Dwayne Koroma from LeMoyne as a small-college player who will be helpful for depth, with more of that to come.
“In the next couple of weeks we’ll make some other additions to the front court as well just to shore up our depth,” Murray said at the end of his remarks.
Kimani Young spoke after Murray, also opening his remarks with a joke or two at Moore’s expense.
“People say we always pick on Tom Moore, I promise you guys, he deserves it, he’s always giving Luke and I a hard time,” Young said. He thanked the fans and program legends in attendance for their support of the program. “That’s what makes this place special.”
The New York native went on to preview the guards for this year’s team, admitting that the position group was a bit of an Achilles heel last season.
“I’m extremely excited about our guard room this year,” Young said.
He started with the newest additions.
“Really excited about Silas and what he brings in terms of his size, his toughness, his experience, defensive versatility. I think over the last six weeks he’s learning what it means to be at UConn.
Young went on to share that he’s known Malachi Smith since the player was in middle school, and noted his thriving career at Dayton, a team that beat UConn in the Maui Invitational last year.
For five-star recruit Braylon Mullins, Moore noted that the Indiana native is the pride of his hometown and Mr. Basketball in a state that’s crazy about the sport.
“He is the real deal,” Young said. “All the expectations that he’s come with are well deserved, he’s got size, he’s got shooting, he’s got playmaking. The big thing with him is getting him stronger every day and his conditioning, but we’re extremely excited.”
Transfer guard Alec Millender, from IUPUI, adds toughness, experience, and depth, Young said, adding that he “plays with a certain energy that you gotta have playing at a place like UConn. I think he embodies that.”
For junior Solo Ball, Young projects another breakout year.
“He’s playing at a super, super high level. He’s gotten stronger. He’s playing with a swagger,” Young said. “He’s playing like he’s ready to have a breakout year, which is hard to do after the season he had last year.”
