If the UConn Huskies are going to pull off the first three-peat in men's college basketball since the days of John Wooden's UCLA dynasty, they will need players who had minor roles last season to step up big time in 2024-25. Sophomores Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart are probably the first two names many UConn fans would think of as players ready to make a leap, but head coach Dan Hurley has someone else in mind, too.
Hurley has watched Jayden Ross in practice during the preseason and he told Jon Rothstein on his College Hoops Today Podcast that “a switch has been flipped.”
“We saw it in our closed scrimmage when he took what he's been doing on the practice court for the last 10 days, and he took it into that scrimmage where he was our best player,” Hurley said.
Though the closed scrimmages (also called secret scrimmages) aren't publicized, Mid-Major Madness reported UConn defeated the Harvard Crimson in that game, 88-66. The Huskies also played a charity exhibition game against Rhode Island, beating Hurley's former team, 102-75. Ross played 17 minutes in that game, scoring eight points on 3-7 shooting with a pair of threes and three steals.
Ross struggled to find playing time last year on arguably the greatest team in UConn's storied history. He appeared in 23 games, averaging 4.4 minutes per contest with 0.7 points and 0.7 rebounds.
“I'm just attacking practice every day, ensuring my role and doing what's best for the team,” Ross told CT Insider's Dave Borges in June. “Same thing as last year, nothing's really changed. Same mindset. All the winning things that the players that left last year had, we'll bring it this year for us. All those winning qualities.”
The sophomores ready to step up for UConn men's basketball
All-American candidate Alex Karaban and five-star freshman Liam McNeeley may be UConn's two best players, but the success of the sophomore class will determine whether UConn is merely very good or a bona fide national title contender.
If Ross can be a reliable contributor, it would give UConn added depth — not that depth on the wing was ever a concern. Ball, meanwhile, is a likely starter. He got the nod against Rhode Island and made the most of it, scoring 18 points on 7-10 shooting.
Ball was also instrumental in the early part of the season last year while freshman Stephon Castle (now of the San Antonio Spurs) was out with an injury. His best game came on December 5 when he scored 13 and made three threes in a win over North Carolina at the Jimmy V Classic.
Stewart also showed flashes of success last year, improving as the season went on. He etched his name in the UConn history books in the 2024 Big East championship game when he hit three threes in a four-minute second-half stretch against Marquette that put momentum firmly on the Huskies' side.
UConn opens its season Wednesday night at home against in-state opponent Sacred Heart.
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