Boatright Questionable As Huskies Prepare for Arizona State
Photo credit: Ian Bethune – SOX & DAWGS
After a dramatic weekend that ended in disappointment, the UConn men’s basketball team is back in action tonight in the first round of the NIT at Gampel Pavilion against Arizona State. Senior co-captain Ryan Boatright may have played his last game in a UConn uniform on Sunday, as he is questionable due to the injury he suffered to his shoulder against SMU.
While today is the beginning of a tournament that no one wanted to be a part of, it is still postseason play, something this program was not even allowed to be qualified for, just two short years ago. It is not the big one, but it is still a chance for all to gain valuable postseason experience. Don’t ask Kevin Ollie if his players won’t be ready.
“Why, you’re putting on a UConn jersey,” the Huskies head coach emphatically said after Sunday’s loss. “If you can’t get geared up, then I don’t want you on my team. You put on a UConn jersey, it’s important when you put that on. That’s my message.”
What value can his players get out of it?
“You lose, you go home,” he said matter-of-factly. “That’s what you get out of it. It’s experience. As a man, you grow up, you have experiences and your momma woop you, you go back, you learn from it, just like everything in life. You have postseason, there’s no play the next day. So these guys will learn from it, whether it’s the NIT or the NCAA, they’re going to come back better from it. I’m still coaching the way I’m coaching and they’re still going to play the way they play.”
Another player who did not practice yesterday was Daniel Hamilton, who was in California for his grandmother’s funeral yesterday. After the win against Tulsa on Saturday, he shared how much he appreciates those around him.
“My teammates have been really big,” he said inside the Huskies locker room. “They’ve been helping me and pulling me through these tough times. They are like family as well, for them to help me and just being there.”
Tonight’s game tips at 7PM and will be broadcast by ESPN2.
by 
