By Ken Davis
Dan Hurley is being scrutinized, judged and graded with every move he makes during the early stages of the UConn basketball season. Coaches understand that comes with the territory, especially in the first season of a new job.
The evaluation cranks up to another level Thursday night in New York City when the Huskies face their toughest challenge yet. UConn takes on No. 15 Syracuse, that old rival from the glory days of the Big East Conference, at Madison Square Garden in the 2K Empire Classic benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project (7 p.m., ESPN2).
There’s a new twist on this old rivalry. Syracuse (2-0) is good. Coach Jim Boeheim has a team with great potential. Hurley is already making strides after taking over the UConn program from Kevin Ollie in the spring. The Huskies opened with a win over Morehead State. After the Huskies elevated their record to 2-0 with a 94-66 victory over Missouri-Kansas City Sunday, there was one burning question that practically demanded an answer from Hurley.
Why the heck is graduate transfer guard Tarin Smith coming off the bench rather than starting?
Hurley had a good response after Smith appeared to be the new impact player for the Huskies. That’s right – impact player. In fact, one of the points of interest tonight against Syracuse will be judging Smith against the difficult task of trying to score against the publicized, historic and sometimes impossible zone defense of the Orange.
Smith has been improving. His time might not be restricted. Boeheim knows all about Smith, who came to UConn from Duquesne. The question is whether Smith can execute against one of the most difficult defenses in college basketball.
“He’s not coming off the bench by design,” Hurley said. “He’s been dealing with a quad injury that has limited him in practice for the last month. He has been on a minutes restriction. He’s in the sixth man role by design right now – just because he has not been healthy. But he has looked pretty good ‘not healthy.’
“Once he is fully healthy, obviously, he might not be so accepting of the sixth man role – especially when you play like that.”
There has been nothing restricting Smith’s production during the time he spends on the court. Consider the 19 minutes he was on the floor against UMKC. In that time, Smith scored a game-high 22 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the floor. He made 2 of 3 from 3-point range.
Smith comes into the Garden matching senior guard Jalen Adams with an average of 25 minutes per game. And they are UConn’s top scorers, Adams averaging 18.0 points on 63,6 percent shooting and Smith at 17.0 with the same percentage. Both are shooting 50 percent from 3-point range.
“The thing with Tarin is that obviously he got comfortable in that role [off the bench] last year,” said Hurley said, who has a long history with Smith and played against him while coaching Rhode Island. “When we prepared for [Dusquense] I think he was one of the two guys that were main focal points in terms of our prep for what we were trying to take away from them offensively. He puts so much pressure on the defense in transition and then in the half court because he’s so strong and athletic. He can get in that paint so easy. And when he takes good 3’s, he’s a pretty good 3-point shooter.”
Smith didn’t just score against UMKC. He demonstrated all the aspects of his game against the Kangaroos. He finished with five rebounds and two assists.
“He brings so much,” Adams said. “He’s so versatile. He can shoot the three, he can get to the rim, he so athletic. He’s unselfish. … He kind of plays similar to me. He’s crafty in the ball screens. If his jumper’s not falling, he can get to the paint. If his scoring isn’t working, he can drive and kick out for somebody else. He’s unselfish, and he has a good eye at the point guard position.”
Smith is also fulfilling the requirements of a grad transfer. That translates into leadership and advice.
“Just talking to me about the game, dropping gems about things he’s been through,” Adams said when asked how Smith has helped. “Watching him set an example. He’s in the gym every day. If I see him in the gym, I’m definitely getting in the gym. He’s just doing all the right things. I try to mimic the things he’s doing.”
Smith has been bothered by the injury for about a month. UConn doesn’t want it to get worse, and Smith says the treatment plan has made him feel better.
“I don’t think about it when I’m on the court,” Smith said.
Asked about his first game in Madison Square Garden, Smith laughed and a big smile came across his face.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m going semi-home. I’m close in [Ocean Township], New Jersey. I’ll have a lot of people there, a lot of family. Playing in the Garden is something you dream about. I probably know a lot of guys who have played in the Garden. I’ll be one of them now.”
If Smith keeps playing the way he has, a lot more people may know him and his name after the Syracuse game.
HUSKY NOTES
It was announced Thursday afternoon that UConn will play in the 2019 Charleston Classic, an in-season tournament Nov. 21, 22, and 24 at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C., the home of the College of Charleston Cougars. The remainder of the 2019 field includes Xavier, Florida, Miami (Fla.), Missouri State, Penn State, Saint Joseph’s and Towson. It will be the 12thyear of the event, but UConn’s first appearance. . . . Hurley announced Thursday that UConn has received signed national letters of intent from guards James Bouknight (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Jalen Gaffney (Columbus, N.J.). “We feel that in Jalen and James, we’ve signed a backcourt with a tremendous upside,” Hurley said. “Beyond their skills on the court, both of them are tremendous student-athletes from great families and basketball backgrounds. We are thrilled to have them join our program.” Bouknight, a 6-4 shooting guard, is a Top 100 recruit, known as a prolific scorer whose strengths include long range and mid-range jumpers as well as slashing to the rim. Gaffney, an explosive 6-2 combo guard, attends the Westtown School in West Chester, Pa. The top 100 prospect is a solid ball-handler who can score from either guard spot.
Follow Ken Davis on Twitter @Kendavis55 for more UConn and college basketball news.
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