UConn's Dan Hurley Talks Solo Ball's Growth: 'He's Got A Special Ability'

Ball has been a consistent 3-point shooter since the start of the season
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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.

More NCAA: Ranking The 10 Most Talented Players Dan Hurley Has Coached At UConn


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Colin Keane
COLIN KEANE

Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org