{"id":89244,"date":"2025-08-17T09:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T09:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/89244\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T09:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T09:59:08","slug":"attacking-the-offseason-more-than-ever-jaylin-stewart-is-determined-to-break-through-for-uconn-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/89244\/","title":{"rendered":"Attacking the offseason more than ever, Jaylin Stewart is determined to break through for UConn men"},"content":{"rendered":"

STORRS \u2013 Dan Hurley<\/a> is determined to never have a team play defense like UConn did last season again.<\/p>\n

By KenPom ratings<\/a>, last year\u2019s team was 75th in the nation in defensive efficiency \u2013 worst since Hurley took over the Huskies in 2018-19. This year, with a roster build<\/a> similar to the 2022-23 national title team, defense will be what decides who stays on the court.<\/p>\n

And Jaylin Stewart<\/a>, determined to break through this offseason, hasn\u2019t taken that lightly.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-7 junior, seemingly in competition with freshman Braylon Mullins<\/a> for a starting spot on the wing, has been in the gym once or twice a day, following a schedule similar to captain Alex Karaban\u2019s. He\u2019s added 15 pounds of muscle and showed off his improvement on both ends of the court in the team\u2019s second open practice this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cJaylin put down the headset and the controller and screen-sucking his phone and he\u2019s in the gym at the rate that you need to be in the gym at. Instead of being a gamer or an influencer, he wants to be a baller and he\u2019s in the gym like Alex,\u201d Hurley said. \u201cHe\u2019s got a different maturity. He\u2019s ready to take the next step in his career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stewart couldn\u2019t quite crack the rotation as a freshman on UConn\u2019s loaded 2024 championship team, though he made a name for himself with some big moments in the Big East Tournament. Last year his minutes went from 8.9 to 17.8 per game and he showed flashes, but he still wasn\u2019t consistent enough on both ends of the floor to be the player Hurley and the team needed.<\/p>\n

Rather than run for more playing time in a system that might better fit his skillset, Stewart says he never considered leaving.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t a week after UConn\u2019s NCAA Tournament loss to Florida before the Seattle native reaffirmed his commitment with an Instagram post<\/a> captioned: \u201cLet\u2019s run it back!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ConnecticutConnecticut Huskies forward Jaylin Stewart (3) shoots a jumper between Seton Hall Pirates forward Prince Aligbe (4) and Seton Hall Pirates guard Garwey Dual (33) in the second half of a Big East matchup at Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Conn., March 8, 2025. UConn won, 81-50. Photo by Cloe Poisson\/Special to the Courant<\/p>\n

\u201cRight after we lost I had the urge to get right back to where we started,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a no-brainer for me. I even told my family, don\u2019t even tell me who\u2019s trying to offer me money and all that, I don\u2019t want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of stuff swirls around the kids here, but he\u2019s just a UConn guy through and through,\u201d Hurley said. \u201cI say this a lot about our players \u2013 he\u2019s one of the best guys, human beings, you\u2019ll ever be around. A total loyalty guy. There was no hard-line negotiating. He loves UConn, he loves the program, he loves Connecticut, he loves Storrs, he loves being a Husky. And I think he\u2019s got self-awareness, like he knows that it wasn\u2019t necessarily us holding him back, but more things that he needed to do, which he\u2019s addressed and now he looks like a different guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

After one of his best games last season, the gut-wrenching loss at Villanova when he had to guard big Eric Dixon, the nation\u2019s leading scorer at the time, Stewart said he felt like himself. As one of the only Huskies who could score in the first half, he had freedom with the ball and played like the skilled offensive player he was known to be as a four-star high school recruit.<\/p>\n

Hurley has spoken about allowing players to have more off-script opportunities within UConn\u2019s offense this year, which plays right to Stewart\u2019s strengths.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy play-style is kind of off-script,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cShooting a lot of shots that people usually don\u2019t take, honestly. So I think I\u2019ve gotten a little more comfortable just taking my shots and playing within the offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a versatile piece,\u201d Hurley added. \u201cYou could start him anywhere on the two or three spots on the perimeter with the right handler, basketball has become pretty positionless. He just gives you a lot of options. Offensively he\u2019s taken the next step because his game is sharp, but if we just get him now to make a similar defensive commitment, it\u2019s gonna be hard to keep a guy with his size and athleticism and offensive talent off the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

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