UConn Basketball won their fifth National Championship in school history this past season but with Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo off to the NBA, things will look a lot different in their rotation in 2023-24.
Head coach Dan Hurley looks to reload his roster and make another run out of the Big East in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies bring back five players from last year’s National Championship squad headlined by the trio of Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan.
UConn welcomes eight newcomers to the rotation heading into a new year, but just one of those is an addition out of the transfer portal. Cam Spencer (Rutgers) headlines as one of the key additions to keep an eye on as he joins the Big East ranks after spending this past season in the Big Ten.
With an inside-out attack, the Huskies will look to Karaban and Clingan to build off last year’s national title run by increasing their production heading into their sophomore campaigns. Look for both to play heavy minutes while the backcourt and wing positions should see some new faces emerge.
Freshman Stephon Castle is one young name UConn fans should get to know. He’s shown early signs of his readiness to step up and play an instant impact role in the early going following their foreign tour in August. On the reserve front, Jayden Ross is another freshman name who should crack the rotation and see early minutes. Take a look at the projected starting lineup and depth chart for the UConn Huskies for 2023-24.
Point Guard
Starter – Tristen Newton (28 mpg)
Tristen Newton returns for his final year of college basketball with the UConn Huskies. Newton fared well in his debut season in the Big East which culminated in winning a ring. He put up 10.1 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.5 rpg and 1.1 spg on 36.6 percent shooting from deep this past season. He’s a veteran presence who should hold down the playmaking and ball-handling responsibilities for the backcourt. He led the Huskies in assists (185) this past season.
He’s an underrated defender who should emerge for the Huskies as they look to make noise out of the conference once again. He’s got an opportunity to be quite the tone-setter and leader for the Huskies in his final season.
Bench – Hassan Diarra, Solomon Ball
The Huskies will have Hassan Diarra and Solomon Ball at the point guard role to choose from off the bench. Ball and Diarra should both compete for backup minutes in the early going. Diarra returns with experience but he’ll need to prove he can keep Ball and his ability to make plays off his heels for the backup job. Diarra produced 2.2 ppg and 1.8 apg across 12.7 mpg across 36 appearances for the Huskies in 2022-23.
Shooting Guard
Starter – Cam Spencer (32 mpg)
Cam Spencer joins the Huskies looking to be a two-way presence at the shooting guard role in 2023-24. Spencer has climbed up the college basketball ranks since his career began in the Patriot League with Loyola (MD) back in 2019-20. He’s a playmaking sharpshooter who should boost the perimeter attack and then some for the Huskies this year.
He’s also quite the defensive stalwart who could prove to be quite the tandem alongside Tristen Newton. He averaged 13.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.1 apg and 2.0 spg on 43.4 percent shooting from deep with Rutgers in the Big Ten in 2022-23. He knows how to be a presence in more ways than one given his size and frame at 6-foot-4 and 207 pounds. He’ll look to make a splash in another power conference in his final season.
Bench – Jayden Ross (8 mpg)
Jayden Ross is a freshman name who should see minutes off the bench in his debut season. Much like Donovan Clingan in the frontcourt, he’ll be looked upon to play a similar role in the backcourt. He’s proven in the early going he can be a presence on the rebounding front and playmaking front. He’ll have a ton of opportunities to prove himself at both the backup shooting guard role and small forward/wing role with his length at 6-foot-7.
Small Forward/Wing
Starter – Stephon Castle (28 mpg)
Stephon Castle will look to fill the void left by Jordan Hawkins and he’s got the skill set for it. The 6-foot-6 point-forward holds the potential to be quite the presence for the Huskies with veteran players around him. He produced 20.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 4.8 apg, 3.0 spg and 2.0 bpg as a high school senior and helped lead Team USA to the FIBA U18 Americas Championship this past summer.
He’s shown early signs of his talent following their foreign tour after posting 16.7 ppg (team-high), 4.0 rpg, 2.3 spg and 1.7 apg on 42.9 percent shooting from deep and 60 percent shooting from the floor this past August. Look for him to emerge as an early candidate for Big East Rookie of the Year with his play in his debut season.
Bench – Jayden Ross (12 mpg), Apostolos Roumoglou
Jayden Ross is a lengthy 6-foot-7 presence who can move over the small forward/wing backup role. He showed early signs he could make an impact in their foreign tour back in August, posting 6.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 1.3 spg on 41.2 percent shooting from the floor. He’s an active presence on both ends who should make a case for the All-Freshmen team in the Big East this year.
If the Huskies have to go 3-deep, Apostolos Roumoglou is another name who could see some minutes off the bench at the small forward/wing role. He’s a Greek native who can take up space with his length at 6-foot-8.
Power Forward
Starter – Alex Karaban (30 mpg)
Alex Karaban is due to make a tremendous impact at the power forward spot after overtaking the starting job in his freshman season. He shot 42.1 percent from deep in his debut season, averaging 9.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 1.8 apg across 28.6 mpg in 2022-23. He recorded double-figures scoring in 21 appearances this past season.
As a bigger focal point in the offense in Year 2, look for his production to grow in a big way as a matchup nightmare at the stretch-forward spot. He should be quite the frontcourt presence alongside Donovan Clingan as he looks to emerge in the starting lineup at the center spot.
Bench – Samson Johnson (10 mpg)
Samson Johnson is an athletic big man who’s turned heads since their foreign tour with his ability to back up the 4 and 5 spots. He’s a 6-foot-10 forward with a 7-foot-5 wingspan at his disposal that allows him to alter shots and snag rebounds in the painted area. He should turn heads in the Huskies’ frontcourt this season with his energy and efforts on the floor. A foot injury limited his playing time to just 12 games in 2022-23, but with a healthy season ahead of him, he should make an impact in the Huskies frontcourt.
Center
Starter – Donovan Clingan (25 mpg)
Donovan Clingan was quite the impact big man off the bench with Adama Sanogo in the fold in 2022-23. He should emerge in his own right as a two-way impact big man in the Huskies frontcourt in his second season. He put up 6.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 1.9 bpg on 66 percent shooting from the field in his debut season on the interior.
The 7-foot-2 big man should put on quite the efficient display with the starting center role all but his. He’s got the potential to take home this year’s Big East Most Improved Player award and could even take home the Big East Player of the Year award as well this season.
Bench – Samson Johnson (15 mpg), Youssouf Singare
Samson Johnson is the first name who should see minutes at the backup center role, though fans should also see 6-foot-10 freshman Youssouf Singare in spurts. Johnson’s length, strength and veteran savvy should come in handy on the interior for UConn.
He’s shown he can be a presence around the rim, battle for rebounds on both ends and draw contact on the interior and keep others in foul trouble. Singare should play the third center role if the Huskies need him. He should play sparingly as he adjusts to the college game.