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UConn Basketball: Huskies add intriguing high volume scorer RJ Cole

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Christian Vital #1 of the Connecticut Huskies reacts in the finals moments of the second half of the game against Syracuse Orange during the 2k Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2018 in New York City. The Huskies won 83-76. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Christian Vital #1 of the Connecticut Huskies reacts in the finals moments of the second half of the game against Syracuse Orange during the 2k Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2018 in New York City. The Huskies won 83-76. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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Dan Hurley and UConn Basketball acquired themselves a scorer in transfer guard RJ Cole. How big of an impact will he make in the AAC?

After finishing under .500 overall this past season, UConn Basketball has been adding talent to get back up in the AAC. Besides a top-25 incoming recruiting class, the Huskies were able to land RJ Cole, a transfer guard from Howard University.

He was one of the best scorers in the country ever since he arrived to college, winning MEAC Freshman of the Year after putting up 23.7 ppg and 6.1 apg. Cole‘s scoring dipped slightly as a sophomore this past season (21.4 ppg) but improved in every aspect of his game and shot the ball much more efficiently. The 6’1 guard was awarded with the 2019 MEAC Player of the Year.

He elected to enter the transfer portal in hopes of playing for a bigger program. And it was UConn who offered the best situation, including a future starting point guard role for the 2020-21 season after sitting out this upcoming campaign. The Huskies will lose star guard Jalen Adams to graduation and will eventually not have Christian Vital after next season either.

That leaves Alterique Gilbert, a quality playmaker in his own right but has been injured for nearly two whole seasons since arriving at UConn. There’s a decent chance he’ll go pro after next year as well, making the Cole addition all the more important to solidify the roster.

Dan Hurley and UConn hopes that Cole will have a biggest effect than the last high scoring transfer guard from Howard did. James Daniels averaged 27.1 ppg in 2016 before joining Tennessee as a grad transfer. He only scored just 5.1 ppg the following season, as the jump proved to be too much him. The big difference between Daniels and Cole is the passing, as that tends to translate better against tougher competition. An improved supporting cast could be beneficial for Cole also with several top-100 recruits coming in as well.

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After an up and down first season, Coach Hurley is now brining in his own guys to turn the Huskie program around. If Cole can have anywhere near the impact once eligible to play as he did at Howard, UConn can go back to being a national relevant program.