UConn Basketball: Complete Roster, Season Preview for 2014-15 Huskies

After an improbable run to capture the national title last season, UConn is looking to avoid any championship hangovers this year as it attempts to do something no program has been able to do since the 2006-07 Florida Gators: repeat. 

Most critics don’t think UConn has what it takes to accomplish the feat, however, as the Huskies are ranked No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 17 by The Associated Press Top 25 to begin the season.

The AP ranking for the Huskies is the lowest for a defending champion since the 2008-09 Kansas Jayhawks, but if last year was any indication, the Huskies probably like their chances, as they were positioned at No. 18 prior to their eventual championship season.

Head coach Kevin Ollie will have to deal with some major adjustments with this year’s team, though, as the Huskies said goodbye to four of their top five scorers from last season, most notably Shabazz Napier, who was the heart and soul of the program.

Senior guard Ryan Boatright will look to step into that role this year, but does he have enough talent around him to follow in the footsteps of Kemba Walker and Napier to lead UConn to another title? Read on to find out more about the 2014-15 Huskies.

Key Newcomers

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Rodney Purvis, Guard

The NC State transfer, whom head coach Kevin Ollie dubbed as a “Ferrari sitting in the garage” last year while talking to the media, is finally ready—or rather eligible—to be shifted into gear this season.

Purvis, a 6’4” combo guard who has a knack of slashing to the basket, can provide a more physical game to a UConn team that lacked size in the backcourt and relied on jump shots last season.

Daniel Hamilton, Forward

Arguably Ollie’s best grab on his short recruiting trail to date, the highly touted freshman has the potential to become an excellent wing player who can fill up the statsheets each time out.

Hamilton has already made quite an impression in the two exhibitions he has played for the Huskies so far, tallying 16 points (12 in the second game), 21 rebounds and 10 assists while blocking three shots.

Sam Cassell Jr., Guard

The son of the former NBA veteran, Cassell has a playing style quite similar to his father’s in the sense of creating mismatches with his 6’4”, 192-pound frame.

Cassell had a successful junior college campaign at Chipola College before joining the Huskies and has already proved to be a spark plug for them with his performances coming off the bench, scoring a total of 35 points while shooting 50 percent (7-of-14) from three-point range.

Key Returning Players

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Ryan Boatright, Guard

The senior guard has some gigantic shoes to fill after what Napier accomplished last season, but he should have no problem becoming the leader for this young team. 

Over the last three years, Boatright has stuck with the program through the highs and lows to gather enough experience to understand what it takes to be a leader and winner. 

Repeating what Napier and Walker did won’t be easy, but if there is one person who can do so, it’s Boatright.

Amida Brimah, Center

The 7-footer has been a fan favorite ever since his arrival on campus last season, and he played a key role in the title run with his defense.

He is already an established rim protector after averaging 2.3 blocks per game last year, but if he develops a respectable offensive game—which Boatright explained he has during AAC media day—he can be the difference-maker in a lot of UConn’s games this season.

Terrence Samuel, Guard

On paper, Samuel’s numbers last year (2.4 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.8 APG) don’t jump out at you, but he was a key contributor coming off the bench for the Huskies and made the big plays when he needed to.

He will provide further depth in a loaded UConn backcourt and challenge the other guards to keep pushing to give Ollie some good problems to worry about.

Roster and Projected Rotation

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The full roster of the 2014-15 Huskies is listed here, and apart from the two former walk-ons in Pat Lenehan and Nnamdi Amilo, Ollie is expected to play every other player on a consistent basis. As for the projected starting rotation, it is based off what Ollie has gone with for the two exhibition games so far.

Starting Lineup

PG: Ryan Boatright

SG: Rodney Purvis

SF: Daniel Hamilton

PF: Kentan Facey

C: Amida Brimah

Key Bench Players

Sam Cassell Jr. (guard), Phillip Nolan (forward), Terrence Samuel (guard) and Omar Calhoun (guard)

The obvious strength in this year’s UConn squad is the backcourt. With Boatright and Purvis leading the charge and the likes of Cassell and Samuel providing depth, it’s hard to find anything to pick at with the guards. 

However, the big men on the team will need to provide more than what the Huskies got last year. Rebounding was a major issue for UConn last season, and keeping Brimah and Nolan out of foul trouble was a problem as well.

Then again, that team somehow won the national title, so you never know what the perfect recipe is for success.

Biggest X-Factors

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Control the Boards, Control the Game

Last year, the 6’1” Napier was the leading rebounder for the Huskies for most of the season until DeAndre Daniels took over that category during the NCAA tournament run—and even then, Daniels finished the season averaging just 6.0 boards per game.

UConn needs more from the big men on the team when it comes to battling on the glass, especially from Brimah, who averaged just 3.0 rebounds a game last year.

Can the Huskies Get Anything out of Omar Calhoun?

The 6’5” guard struggled mightily last season, as he was trying to recover from hip surgeries and saw his scoring average drop 7.3 points from his freshman year (11.1 PPG). 

Calhoun did not make a single basket for the final three-and-a-half months of the season but decided to stick around with the Huskies for another year in hopes of putting together a bounce-back campaign.

However, Calhoun sprained his right knee during a practice on Oct. 26 and did not take action in either of UConn’s exhibition games scheduled on Nov. 4 and Nov. 9. 

If Calhoun can stay healthy and give the Huskies some shades of who he was as a freshman, that will be another weapon at Ollie’s disposal in the backcourt.

Efficient Post Play

Last year’s UConn team relied heavily on outside shooting and Napier’s playmaking abilities, but that won’t happen again this time around.

For one, the Huskies don’t have anyone with Napier’s court vision, not even Boatright. Secondly, this year’s team does not feature as many sharpshooters as last year’s squad, so getting the ball inside will be the key for the Huskies offense.

It’s up to Brimah, Facey and Nolan to show off what they all have been working on during the offseason and give UConn more dimensions when it comes to attacking the basket.

Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios

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Best-Case Scenario

Ideally speaking, UConn would run the table in the American Athletic Conference this season with Louisville now in the ACC and SMU losing its standout recruit, Emmanuel Mudiay, who opted to play overseas. 

A sweep in both conference titles should be in the books for UConn, especially with the conference tournament being held in Hartford, Connecticut.

If the Huskies fare well in their arduous nonconference schedule as well, then they can perhaps secure a top-three seed come NCAA tournament time and make another deep run next March.

Worst-Case Scenario

UConn fans may recall what happened in the 2011-12 season, the last time the Huskies were playing as defending champions, and consider that as a disappointing year.

That year’s Huskies, despite having three future NBA talents in Jeremy Lamb, Andre Drummond and Napier, barely made it to the NCAA tournament to begin with, and when they did, they were dismantled by Iowa State in the second round.

If the UConn backcourt of Boatright and Purvis cannot mesh well together and the young frontcourt doesn’t live up to its expectations, then a similar outcome may await the Huskies at season’s end.

2014-15 Prediction

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To forecast the future is tricky thing for UConn, a program that has defied one prediction after another, whether good or bad, for the past 15 years.

In this year’s case, UConn is poised to have a very successful conference campaign, but its rigorous nonconference schedule could play a major factor in the team’s confidence heading into conference play.

UConn has dates with Texas, Duke and Florida on its ledger, and how the team fares in those contests could shift the momentum in one way or the other in dramatic fashions.

The Huskies overachieved last season, and judging by the degree of difficulty of a program trying to repeat, another title is improbable for UConn this season.

When it’s all said and done, a run to the Sweet 16 or the Elite Eight is what’s most likely going to happen for this year’s Huskies. However, if last year and 2011 taught college basketball fans anything, it is to expect the unexpected and never count out UConn when it comes down to crunch time.