UConn's Dan Hurley Talks Solo Ball's Growth: 'He's Got A Special Ability'
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What does Solo Ball’s future look like in a UConn Huskies uniform?
It’s fair to say that the athletic sophomore guard has exceeded expectations with his shooting this season. Entering Wednesday, Ball was shooting an eye-opening 43.6 percent from three, a figure powering his 14.5 points per game average for the Huskies through 20 games.
Ball’s emergence as a lethal 3-point sniper has many wondering about his NBA potential. Listed at six-foot-three, Ball is significantly undersized to play shooting guard at the next level, and he also hasn’t yet developed point guard skills.
Still, Ball’s ability as a shooter combined with his elite athleticism make him a guy who could have a long career in the Association. Barring a violent uptick in his already-impressive production between now and the end of the 2024-25 season, it’s mostly assumed that Ball will return to Storrs for his junior season in 2025-26.
If that comes to fruition, UConn and its head coach Dan Hurley have a lot look to look forward to, as Ball has already improved tremendously in the span of a season and a half.
Who’s to say that Ball can’t keep evolving into a complete guard and even become one of the nation’s best players next season?
On Tuesday, Hurley spoke briefly about Ball’s continued growth during a media availability session ahead of UConn’s battle with DePaul.
“With Solo, (there’s) a lot of just room for growth as a guard (and) overall guard play: handling, passing … (he’ll be even better) when he learns to play off of his shot fake and rips with a live dribble.”
“Obviously from a defensive standpoint, there’s a lot of room for growth there, but it was encouraging to see him on the glass the other day.”
“He’s got a special ability, and (we’re) excited to see how much better he’s gonna get.”
Ball tallied a career-high 11 rebounds versus Xavier on Saturday to go along with a team-high 20 points.
He hadn’t snagged more than six boards in a game this season before Xavier.
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