UConn Sophomore Dominates In Closed Scrimmage: 'He Was Our Best Player'

The Huskies sophomore has reportedly joined Solo Ball in taking a leap
Tyler Schank / NCAA Photos via Getty Images
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The UConn Huskies have a sophomore class exploding with talent.

Solo Ball and Jayden Ross, in particular, didn’t get huge opportunities last season due to the national champion Huskies being loaded. Expect both Ball and Ross to join elite two-way wing Jaylin Stewart in making a much more profound impact this season.

Ball’s emergence has been well-documented in the past month or so, but it’s also now surfacing that Ross’s improvement has been immense.

On Monday, FanDuel’s Jon Rothstein shared some exciting insight on Ross straight from Huskies head coach Dan Hurley.

“UConn coach Dan Hurley has publicly stated multiple times during the preseason that sophomore guard Solomon Ball is primed to take a major step forward for UConn during the 2024-25 season,” Rothstein said.

“Recently, another member of the Huskies' sophomore class has also showed signs of a breakthrough. Enter Jayden Ross.”

"A switch has been flipped," Hurley said of the 6-7 Ross on this week's episode of the College Hoops Today Podcast (per Rothstein). "We saw it in our closed scrimmage when he took what he's been doing on the practice court for the last 10 days, and he took it into that scrimmage where he was our best player."

“The 6-7 Ross averaged just 0.7 points and 0.7 rebounds last season as a freshman but was also playing behind several proud veterans who were a part of a team that finished 37-3 and won the national title in dominant fashion.”

UConn hosts Sacred Heart to open the season on Wednesday night.

More NCAA: UConn's Alex Karaban Named Nation's No. 7 Player To Watch In New Report


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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