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UConn Basketball: Who are Huskies pursuing following Tyrese Martin pickup?

By Daniel Benjamin

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 16: Tyrese Martin #4 of the Rhode Island Rams reacts after making a three point basket against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies during the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 2019 tournament at the Barclays Center on March 16, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The St. Bonaventure Bonnies defeated the Rhode Island Rams 68-51. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 16: Tyrese Martin #4 of the Rhode Island Rams reacts after making a three point basket against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies during the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 2019 tournament at the Barclays Center on March 16, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The St. Bonaventure Bonnies defeated the Rhode Island Rams 68-51. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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UConn Basketball has one scholarship remaining in 2020 after securing a commitment from Rhode Island transfer Tyrese Martin. Who else are the Huskies interested in?

UConn Basketball coach Dan Hurley didn’t have to go that far as he went to a familiar place to secure a huge piece of the Huskies’ future on April 7 when Rhode Island guard Tyrese Martin committed to the team. UConn’s campus is just 75 miles from Rhode Island’s campus in Kingston, which is, of course, where Hurley spent six years before heading to Storrs. Hurley posted a 113-82 record with the Rams and led them to two NCAA Tournament appearances.

“The history behind UConn, the relationship I have with Coach (Dan) Hurley,” Martin told the Stamford Advocate. “The Big East is always a conference I dreamed of playing in as a kid.”

Martin is a tough-nosed player who gets after it on both ends of the floor. He likes to get out in transition and is an outstanding rebounder as well as a decent three level-scorer. Becoming more of a distributor and 3-point shooting are two areas of improvement for him.

Martin, who was recruited by Hurley in high school, has two years of eligibility remaining though barring a waiver that would allow him to play immediately, the 6-6 wing will have to sit out the upcoming season. Martin made good strides in his development in year two at Rhode Island, increasing his production across the board with 12.8 points along with 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals while shooting 43.3% from the field as well as 32.1% from beyond the arc this past year.

The Allentown (PA) native also produced five double-doubles, and he scored in double-figures in 22 of his 30 appearances. His best performance came on Feb. 26 against Fordham, where he put up a career-highs in points (26) and rebounds (14).

UConn is headed back to the Big East Conference after being part of the American Athletic Conference since the old Big East disbanded following the 2012-13 campaign. The Huskies won eight of their last 10 games to finish the year at 19-12 and 10-8 in the conference.  They lost leading scorer Christian Vital to graduation, and Alterique Gilbert, as well as Sidney Wilson, have decided to transfer. On the plus side, Howard transfer RJ Cole along with Andre Jackon and Javonte Brown-Ferguson, both of whom are four-star recruits, will be available for UConn in 2020-21. The Huskies have one scholarship left to dole out in 2020 and are reportedly interested in bringing in a grad transfer.

Here are five players that the Huskies are or should pursue

Brandon Johnson, Western Michigan: Johnson has the Huskies in his final seven. The slender 6-8 forward’s game centers around scoring, rebounding, and athleticism. He averaged 15.4 points along with 8.1 rebounds and one block last year for WMU. Johnson, who is not a great shooter, collected seven double-doubles and scored in double-figures on 27 occasions which included eight 20-point outings.

 Landers Nolley II, Virginia Tech: Nolley is a talented scorer who is coming off a fantastic season and lists the Huskies among his final 11 schools.  He led the Hokies with 15.5 points per game last season and added 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. But the 6-7 shooting guard will likely have to sit out this upcoming season.

Ishmael El-Amin, Ball State: El-Amin is the son of UConn great Khalid El-Amin. Ish El-Amin has improved n each of his three years at Ball State and earned Third-Team All-MAC selection this past season after averaging 13.8 points, 2.5 3-pointers, and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 42.9% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc. He scored in double-figures in 24 of his 31 contests, topping the 20-point plateau four times. El-Amin would likely have to sit out this upcoming season.

Charles Minlend, San Francisco: Minlend is a grad transfer who is considering UConn among others. The 6-4 guard is a two-time All-WCC second-team selection, and he averaged 14.4 points along with 4.7 rebounds last season.  He also scored in double-figures in 26 of 33 games, including five games of 20 or more points. However, Minlend is not a shooter as he made just 41.6 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from long-distance.

Jalen Carey, Syracuse: Carey considered the Huskies before committing to the Orange back in 2018. The 6-3 sophomore guard appeared in only two games last year before shutting things down as a result of a thumb injury. He averages 3.3 points on 36.6% shooting from the field in 27 career games.

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So, who is the best fit?: With what UConn currently needs, it appears that Johnson is the best option for the Huskies with Minlend second and El-Amin third.