UConn Basketball: 3 key storylines heading into 2020-21 season

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 18: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies helps up Jalen Gaffney #0 during a college basketball game against the Villanova Wildcats at Wells Fargo Center on January 18, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

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CHARLESTON, SC – NOVEMBER 21: James Bouknight #2 of the Connecticut Huskies (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

2. How will UConn Basketball’s backcourt look?

Arguably, the most fascinating part of the Huskies team next season is the backcourt. As I said before, they lose senior guard and leading scorer Christian Vital, but the second and fourth highest scorers do return.

James Bouknight averaged 13 PPG in 25.8 minutes per game. The freshman guard is more of a scorer than a playmaker but does have the ability to be that go-to guy. Another guy worth mentioning is Brendan Adams, a sophomore guard who averaged 7.4 PPG off the bench. Adams struggled from beyond the arc last year at 27.8%, but he should provide a healthy dosage of scoring.

And lastly, the biggest backcourt question headed into the season comes in the form of RJ Cole. Cole sat out last year after transferring from Howard and expects to make an immediate impact. In both seasons with the Bison, Cole averaged over 20 PPG and he won the 2018-19 MEAC Player of the Year; he’s also averaged 4 RPG and 6.2 APG over his career. Even though Howard went 10-6 in conference when Cole won player of the year, the competition in the MEAC is not comparable to the Big East. So, while Cole may have accolades and great stats from his time at Howard, it’ll be interesting to see what his role is with the Huskies next season.

Dan Hurley will have to figure out how to spread the playing time of Bouknight, Cole, Adams, and possibly rising sophomore Jalen Gaffney.

Next, let’s take a look at the Huskies frontcourt, and what we might expect next season