Dan Hurley ready for new season as star guard announces return to UConn squad

UConn coach Dan Hurley was visibly excited, as Jayden Ross announced his return to the Storrs on Tuesday. The young guard will return to UConn for his junior year, intending to make a mark.

Following Ross' announcement on Instagram, Hurley couldn't control his excitement and reposted a video of Ross from November last year with the caption:

"We are very excited about this! It's going to happen for him this winter."

Jayden Ross is desperate to do well, as he's returning for his third year in Storrs. He will hope to perform better than in his previous two campaigns and become a starter at UConn in the upcoming season.

"Home is where the heart is. ... cant' wait for yr 3 in Storrs," Ross captioned in his announcement post.

It will be a big challenge for Ross returning to UConn, as he didn't have the best of sophomore years and also didn't get much game-time.

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Dan Hurley sees Jayden Ross as a defensive stopper and could give him more minutes this season

Jayden Ross had a tough time during his sophomore season, as his gametime dwindled as the year progressed. He managed only 11.4 minutes per game for UConn last season, averaging 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds.

Hurley revealed his plan of playing Ross as a defensive stopper, but for that, the 6-foot-7 will need to become a 20-minute player. Ross had only two double-digit scores last season, with a season-high of 14 points coming against New Hampshire.

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Hurley had earlier said that Ross needs to work on his offense, which will allow him to play more minutes. He likes the guard's athleticism and physicality but his offensive game needs improvement for him to be a key piece for UConn.

“We need his offense to come along a little bit … But he’s part of the reason why we were able to guard the (3-point) line a lot better (vs. DePaul), his length," Dan Hurley said about Ross last season after UConn's win over DePaul on New Year's Day.

Jayden Ross joined UConn in 2023 as a four-star recruit. In his freshman year, he only got 4.4 minutes on average, managing 0.7 points and 0.7 rebounds. His numbers improved in his sophomore season, finishing with 2.4ppg, 1.5rpg and 0.8apg as a sophomore.

It will be interesting to see if Ross can improve on his offense and become a crucial player off the bench for Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies next season.