No. 2 UConn men’s basketball host Georgetown, Akok Akok in Big East home opener

STORRS — Players returning to their old homes is a common thing in professional sports. 

Tom Brady returning to Foxboro. Johnny Damon’s return to Fenway. Ben Simmons’ return to Philly (OK, they don’t always go very well).

It’s not as common in college sports, even in this new world of the transfer portal. Terrence Samuel returned to Gampel Pavilion with South Florida a few years ago, but that wasn’t exactly an overly emotional moment.

When Akok Akok is introduced in Georgetown’s starting lineup on Tuesday, when the Hoyas face No. 2 UConn at Gampel (6:30 p.m., FS1), there will no doubt be a loud ovation, perhaps even a few tears flowing in the crowd.

Akok emerged as one of the more beloved figures in recent Husky history over the prior three seasons. His enthusiasm, mega-watt smile and productive play instantly making him a fan favorite before a torn Achilles in February, 2020 threw a monkey wrench in his career as a sophomore.

Akok was never quite the same and transferred to Georgetown last spring (after being courted by several others, including a visit to Storrs by Bob Huggins). The 6-foot-9 senior forward has started all 12 games for the Hoyas (5-7, 0-1 Big East), averaging 6.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. 

“You’re grateful that he’s doing well and playing a lot and playing well,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said after practice on Monday. “Grateful that he spent an important part of his life here, and really helped our program. The time he was here, the program really improved a lot.”

“But that’s today,” Hurley quickly added. “When I wake up (Tuesday), I’m not sentimental. We’re in pursuit of a championship in the regular season, that’s very hard to do.”

Andre Jackson was Akok’s teammate the past two seasons.

“Akok is a really good player,” the junior co-captain noted. “We’re looking forward to playing against him. I played against him a long time while he was here … He’s definitely helped us a lot.”

Ultimately, Akok’s transfer may have been the best thing for both parties.

“Who knows?,” Hurley said, after a long pause. “Time will tell on all the decisions that we make in our careers and lives. You wish him nothing but the best, because he’s a guy that was here and really contributed to this thing. So, that association is something that you feel good about today. Not when I wake up (Tuesday).”

UConn’s 12-0 record marks its best start since a school-record 19-0 start in 1998-99, a season that culminated in the Huskies’ first national championship. That was also the last time UConn won 12 straight games.

The Huskies’ start is the fourth-best in school history; UConn opened 14-0 in 1953-54 and 15-0 in 1994-95.

UConn has also won 15 straight games at Gampel. The Huskies know they must keep the pedal to the metal and not overlook a team like Georgetown, which hasn’t won a Big East game since March, 2021.

“Every Big East team is going to be a challenge, no matter what their record is or how they’re playing in the beginning,” senior guard Nahiem Alleyne said. “Because they could make a run later in the year, so we’ve got to stay consistent, stay disciplined, guard, defend without fouling and take care of the ball.”

Indeed, despite the Huskies’ historic start, they don’t seem ready to rest on any laurels.

“I still think we have a lot of stuff to improve on,” said Jackson. “When I look at film, I see a lot of things wrong. Nobody’s really 100-percent pleased with where we are yet.”

• UConn jumped a spot in this week’s AP Top 25 poll and was ranked No. 2 overall, behind only Purdue.

“I feel like we’re where we’re supposed to be,” said Alleyne. “Like I said in the summer, I thought we were a top-5 team. We’ve just got to stay consistent and keep playing UConn basketball.”

• Sophomore forward Samson Johnson, who has yet to play this season due to a stress reaction in his right foot, took some shots today in practice and is out of his walking boot “for the most part,” and doing some limited things. Hurley said he’s hoping Johnson could be “in the mix” to return against Villanova on Dec. 28.

Not a single UConn player is averaging more than 28 minutes per game. Ten players are averaging between 14.7 per game (Donovan Clingan, who’s third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding) and 28 (Tristen Newton). Will Hurley be able to utilize such depth in the Big East season, or will he eventually have to tighten up the rotation?

“The group accepts the fact that, on different nights, minutes will fluctuate based on which lineup and which individuals are best affecting that game and our ability to win it,” Hurley said. “It’s like my last year at Rhody, when we played nine or 10 players and had the depth and a lot of good guard play. That’s really the type of roster that suits me.”

A good example of that came on Saturday night at Butler, when Adama Sanogo dominated with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Clingan, the 7-footer from Bristol who is also the Huskies’ leading shot-blocker, played just nine minutes.

“When somebody’s playing as well as Adama was playing, and Donovan — first Big East game, some things I think he took from it to be even better prepared to play Tuesday — but yeah, Adama forced me to play Donovan less. That’s gonna happen sometimes when you have an All-American.”

david.borges@hearstmediact.com @DaveBorges

The most intriguing aspect of Tuesday’s game will be the homecoming of a pair of Hoya players. Akok Akok emerged as one of the more beloved figures in recent Husky history, his enthusiasm, mega-watt smile and productive play instantly making him a fan favorite before a torn Achilles in February, 2020 through a monkey wrench in his career as a sophomore.

Akok was never quite the same, transferred to Georgetown last spring (after being courted by several others, including a visit to Storrs by Bob Huggins), and has been pretty productive for the Hoyas. He’s started all 12 games, averaging 6.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. 

Meanwhile, Hartford’s Primo Spears has been a dynamo in his first season with Georgetown. After leading Duquesne in scoring last season as a freshman, Spears transferred to Georgetown and is the Hoyas’ top scorer at 17.6 points per game. The former Windsor High star also leads Georgetown with 55 assists and 18 steals, while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor. Though there appeared to be interest on Spears’ side, he was not heavily pursued by UConn out of the transfer portal last spring.