:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61941625/2018_10_21TulsaGoldenHurricaneUConnHuskiesWSOC1120.0.jpeg)
Secret scrimmages are all the rage nowadays and first year UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley got in on the action this weekend. In a closed scrimmage to fans and media at Gampel Pavilion, Hurley’s Huskies took on the Harvard Crimson at noon. Information has been scarce, but various members of the horde have been able to piece some things together. Here’s what we know so far:
Jalen Adams and Sidney Wilson did not play
Adams and Wilson did not see any action against Crimson and were suspended by Hurley for a violation of team rules. According to Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant, both issues seem to be off the court issues and the length of their suspensions is not known at this time.
“We’ll let you know as we go here, whether they’re long-term suspensions or short-term,” Hurley said on a Sunday morning conference call.
Kassoum Yakwe and Mamadou Diarra also did not play for the Huskies as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.
Alterique Gilbert, Eric Cobb impress
Alterique Gilbert was the standout for the Huskies in the scrimmage, scoring 29 points and shooting 4-7 from the 3-point line. Eric Cobb, who Hurley mentioned as the best front court player against Harvard, scored 14 points. Junior guard Christian Vital added 17 points for the Huskies.
Chris Lewis, a 6-foot-9 junior forward for Harvard, caused problems for UConn all afternoon and scored 21 points for the Crimson. Lewis was a four-star recruit in 2016 and averaged 12.8 points per game last season.
Odds & Ends
According to Dave Borges of the New Haven Register, some players played in the scrimmage with five, six or even seven fouls. He also added that Hurley estimated that he was roughly 1-7 in secret scrimmages during his time at URI.
Amore mentioned that Hurley likes using these scrimmages as a teaching tool, even more than the public scrimmages against Division II/III opponents. While it’s unlikely that the exhibition games open to the public will go away any time soon, there will likely be plenty more secret scrimmages in the Hurley era going forward.