Player Spotlight: Jeff Adrien

Jeff Adrien was the heart and soul of the team last season and lead the team with pure hustle and determination. His drive and thirst for winning could be seen in Uconn’s only legitimate victory over Syracuse, where Adrien pumped his fist to the home crowd. Jeff was a tireless workhorse, logging over 33 minutes a game and never fouled out.

The Good: It starts with his hustle. Jeff gets many of his shots from battling on the boards and going back up with shots. He has a knack for the ball and gets great position, recording a Uconn best 9.7 rebounds a game and 117 out of his 301 boards were offensive.

His .497 average is stellar, though that is because most were easy dunks on put-backs and his 13.1 points a game put him second in scoring on the team. Adrien also added a elbow jumper to his arsenal, which he hit regularly, drawing defenders out of the box and helping soften the defense down low.

Adrien solidified the defense and chipped in with 44 blocks and 29 steals. His post defense isn’t quite Thabeet’s but his ability to play hard without fouling is the best on the team.

The Bad: Jeff doesn’t rely on his athletic prowess as much as Calhoun would like. He rarely jumps and plays with both feet firmly planted. This could be seen in his post moves. He would end up taking hook shots rather than squaring up and driving to the basket.

When he did get to the line he stunk, shooting just .586. He left 67 points on the court. If he wants to take the next step then he needs to be a leader and make those crucial shots down the stretch.

Another thing that plagued Adrien’s game was his turnovers, which totaled 76. He had a tough time passing out of double teams and got caught in precarious situations.

Overall: There is no question that Jeff is the leader and the team cues off of his game. He will get his numbers by pure determination and hard work off the glass but his game is two-dimensional at this point. Once he gets comfortable posting up and dishing out of double teams then this team will ride on his back as far as he wants to take them.