UConn Sophomore Scores Career-High 14 Points In Plus-34 Performance Versus UNH
The UConn Huskies improved to 2-0 with a 92-53 victory over New Hampshire at the XL Center on Saturday, and Huskies sophomore Jayden Ross impressed in his season debut.
Ross missed UConn’s first game of the season versus Sacred Heart due to an ankle injury, but he didn’t look injured on Saturday versus UNH.
Ross finished with a career-high 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field (2-for-5 from three) in 23 minutes.
He looked like the fastest player on the floor, using a superior first step to blow by New Hampshire defenders in transition and also in the half court offense.
Ross is one of UConn’s sophomores — along with Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart — whom head coach Dan Hurley has said are about to “take off like rocket ships,” and Ross looked the part on Saturday.
Ross finished more than one smooth reverse layup in addition to a head-turning lefty finish in the second half in which he hung in the air forever and switched the ball from right to left mid-flight before scooping the ball off the glass.
Ross looks scary when he gets going downhill with the basketball, and he’s the kind of athlete who doesn’t need a running start to immediately put pressure on a defense with his penetration. He was a game-high plus-34.
Hurley said in a recent interview that Ross looked like UConn’s best player during a closed scrimmage in October, which is no longer hard to imagine after seeing Ross’s performance on Saturday.
Ross, Liam McNeeley, and Alex Karaban figure to be the best wing corps in all of college basketball this year. Solo Ball can be thrown into that discussion, as well, although he’s looked like more of a combo guard than a pure wing for this Huskies team thus far.
If one of either Aidan Mahaney or Hassan Diarra starts playing better, look for Ball to play more possessions off the ball where he can take advantage of his athleticism much like Ross did versus New Hampshire.
More NCAA: Former UConn Star To Miss '1-2 Weeks' With Back Injury After Hot Start
-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