On Monday, the UConn men’s basketball team climbed to No. 5 in the AP poll, its highest ranking in over a decade. In Year 5 under head coach Dan Hurley, the Huskies have returned to a level of national recognition and excellence not seen since the Jim Calhoun days.
While the Huskies have one of the top players in the country in big man Adama Sanogo and a trendy NBA prospect in Jordan Hawkins, the heart and soul of this year’s UConn team is without a doubt junior wing Andre Jackson. Armed with world-class athleticism and maybe an even better basketball IQ, the junior has taken his game to another level to help UConn emerge early on as a legitimate Big East and Final Four contender, setting the tone offensively and defensively as a vocal leader.