STORRS, Conn. — Here are the top players for the University of Connecticut Men's Basketball team playing this weekend for the NCAA Division 1 Championship in Houston.
The No. 10 UConn Huskies take on the No. 16 Miami Hurricanes in the NCAA Tournament Final Four. The teams match up Saturday for the first time this season. UConn is 13-7 against the Big East, and Miami (FL) is 15-5 against the ACC.
The Huskies have had much of their success due to the depth of their roster as key role players like point guard Tristen Newton, shooting guard Joey Calcaterra, and guard Nahiem Alleyne have stepped up when most needed.
But the five players below have been the most crucial in UConn finding their stride in March.
Donovan Clingan
The 7' 2" center Donovan Clingan hails from Bristol. He played at Bristol Central High School for Coach Tim Barrette and scored a school-record 2,268 career points, which ranks seventh all-time in state history.
Recruited by a number of schools, he's made his mark at UConn not only for his great size but for his agility, footwork, improving outside shooting touch and passing ability. UConnHuskies.com says he is an "Unselfish player dedicated to working hard on his game every day with a goal of being the top big man in the country."
Donovan wears the number 32 in honor of his late mother who passed away in 2018. She was a three-sport, all-conference athlete in basketball, swimming, and track at Bristol Central and a basketball star at the University of Maine.
Jordan Hawkins
Hawkins comes from Gaithersburg Maryland. He graduated from the powerhouse program at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland, under Coach Mike Jones He has three sisters. The sophomore had some injuries during his freshman season but has become one of the top players for the Huskies.
At 6'5" and 195 lbs., Hawkins scored 20 points and UConn blew past its fourth straight NCAA Tournament opponent, earning its first trip to the Final Four in nine years with an 82-54 blowout of Gonzaga on Saturday night.
Hawkins is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by numerous mock drafts.
Andre Jackson
Andre Jackson Jr. hails from Amsterdam New York, at the edge of the Adirondacks. He's co-captain of the 2022-23 Huskies along with Adama Sanogo. Jackson had an exemplary high school career where as a senior, he averaged 18.8 points a game.
Several times late this season, Jackson has scored at crucial times, sparking runs that lead to victory for the Huskies, like during the game in early March with Providence with Jackson's transition dunk sparked an 8-1 closing run in the first half for UConn.
“We've got a lot to prove,” said Andre Jackson Jr., who had eight points, 10 assists and nine rebounds Saturday against Gonzaga. “We still have a chip on our shoulder.”
Alex Karaban
UConn's Alex Karaban enrolled at UConn for the second semester of 2021-22 and redshirted through the second half of the 2021-22 season.
He went to high school in Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
He was interested in UConn and his first unofficial visit to the school was devoted to basketball. But his mother was concerned about academics and he went back with his mother to explore the classroom aspect of the school on an official visit.
He averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds on 71.4% shooting over his last two games.
Adama Sanogo
The 6'9" junior forward from Mali is a 2022-23 team co-captain with Andre Jackson Jr. He's also BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate, and All-American candidate.
Named BIG EAST Player of the Week twice, named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times.
He only started playing basketball nine years ago, initially playing soccer.
His family still resides in Mali and he speaks four languages – French, English, Arabic and Bambara (native language of Mali).
Doug Stewart is the Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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