UConn Sophomore Emerging As Bench Star Huskies Need: 'Figured It Out'
The UConn Huskies may have just discovered that they have another candidate for the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award.
Huskies guard Hassan Diarra won the award last season, and he may ultimately pass the trophy along to one of UConn’s stud sophomores before season’s end.
UConn and Dan Hurley have recently arrived at a starting lineup that looks like it’s here to stay: Diarra, Solo Ball, Liam McNeeley, Alex Karaban, and one of either Samson Johnson or Tarris Reed Jr. (depending on the matchup and/or injuries).
It’s a lineup that excelled against one of the best teams in the nation under the brightest light (Gonzaga, Madison Square Garden), which is a good sign that it’ll be the go-to starting five moving forward.
The next step for Hurley and his staff is to identify the bench players who are going to give UConn the best chance to win big in March, and that search may actually be closer to finished than expected.
Aidan Mahaney — initially a starter — has now been redefined as a valuable bench shooter. And while Mahaney will come up huge in important moments this year off the bench (Baylor), his lack of size and athleticism on defense prevents him from being an every-night, go-to sixth man kind of guy, merely due to the immense physicality of the Big East Conference.
And while many UConn fans (not to mention people within the Huskies locker room) are waiting for Jayden Ross to break through and break out, it hasn’t happened yet.
That’s okay, though, because the Huskies have seemingly found their bench stud in sophomore Jaylin Stewart, a native of Seattle, Washington.
Stewart was both clutch and efficient versus Gonzaga on Saturday, going 4-for-5 from the floor (2-for-2 from three) and tallying three boards and a block in 19 minutes.
Among the analysts who noticed Stewart’s vital impact was FOX Sports’ John Fanta, who discussed Stewart during a new episode of The DTF Podcast presented by The Field of 68.
“UConn can defy the odds (and three-peat) because they're still getting better,” Fanta said.
“(Jaylin) Stewart has figured it out and now is ready to be a double figure off the bench scorer.”
Stewart finished with 10 points against the Zags and just two weeks prior scored 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds in a win over Maryland-Eastern Shore.
His 6.2 points per game average might seem small, but he’s producing with more efficiency this season. Stewart is averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per 40 minutes this season (11 games), as compared with his averages of 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists last season per 40.
His field goal percentage is 55.6 percent this season compared to 47.4 percent last season.
Stewart’s timely threes against Gonzaga were colossal shots for the Huskies and even more impressive when you consider Stewart hit them off the bench.
He’s the bench star UConn needs, and though he might be disqualified from the Sixth Man Award because he’s technically UConn’s seventh man, he’s looking like a guy who will deserve that renown by year’s end.
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "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