Dan Hurley and the UW men's basketball team have plenty of players to replace next season as they aim for a three-peat since Bill Walton put on a UCLA uniform.
The Huskies began building their roster for next season by acquiring Taris Reed Jr., an athletic big man from Michigan State.
Next on the list of needs is the departure of Cam Spencer and possibly Alex Karaban, and the addition of at least another 3-point shooter. UW is a candidate for Dayton guard Coby Blair, the nation's top 3-point shooter last season, who entered his name into the transfer portal last week.
Blair's list of future schools includes five bluebloods: Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke and Connecticut. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard was highly sought after last season after shooting an impressive 49.8 percent from 3-point range and converting 6.1 three-pointers per game. It's not that he didn't shoot a lot from deep. Threes per game ranked 26th in all of Division I, just outside the top 15 (Creighton's Baylor Scheierman was tied for 15th nationally with 3.1 shots per game). . .
Blair averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, and although he came off the bench for most of the season, he was a starter and averaged 29.1 points per game. He scored 15 points and knocked down 5-of-8 3-pointers in the Flyers' first-round NCAA Tournament win over Nevada, scoring 63 points as Dayton stormed back from a 17-point deficit with just over seven minutes left. was recorded. -60 to win.
Coby Blair is Mr. Blueblood👀
Here are the top 5 most loaded things I've seen 😭 pic.twitter.com/su8OuZSfSU
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) April 22, 2024
He seems to have his pick of any school, but UW could have an advantage in the race to land Blair simply because of his hometown. The Washington Heights, N.Y., native played high school basketball at Monsignor Scanlan, a private school in the Bronx, and had a large fan base in the Atlantic 10, according to Dayton Daily News men's basketball writer David Jablonski. He said he followed him to a road game in the United States.
“If he had to choose one of those five schools, all else being equal, he would choose UConn,” Jablonski told the Courant on Tuesday. “His family and friends made extensive trips to his many games on the East Coast. Large crowds gathered at the Fordham at La Salle, and no one could go anywhere to watch Coby play. I'm sure a lot of people will support him if he gets into college.”
Jablonski said Blair was a very consistent Flyers player and rarely had an off night. His season high was 22 points against SMU on November 29, and he had 15 and 14 points in Dayton's two NCAA Tournament games, the second of which was a loss to second-seeded Arizona.
Blair accomplished all this despite undergoing surgery last April to have metal rods inserted in both legs to address stress fractures sustained during his playing days.
“God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/11ivdgYDya— Koby Brea (@kobybrea) April 16, 2024
He'll primarily add 3-point shooting — Jablonski said he didn't bring it to the basket much because why not, even though he's making 50 percent of his 3-point shots — However, he probably won't take any shots except on offense.
“He was very selective with his shots,” Jablonski said. “There were times when his teammates told him he needed to take more shots and take control of the game.”
Dayton fans were disappointed that Blair decided to enter the transfer portal after four years at the school, but it's clear that they can't afford to miss out on his NIL opportunity.
ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported Tuesday that Blair: We held a Zoom meeting with the final candidates I'm still deciding which school to visit.
UW is also in the running to acquire five-star wing Liam McNeely, a fellow 3-point specialist who played high school basketball alongside Cooper Flagg at Montverde Academy in Florida last season. Mr. McNeely's official visit to Mr. Storrs began on Monday.