Welcome back readers to another semester and another edition of Husky History, the column that highlights a former UConn athlete and their accomplishments at the professional level.
This week’s edition will focus on national champion Jake Voskuhl, the starting center on the UConn men’s basketball program from 1996 to 2000.
Born on Nov. 1, 1977 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Voskuhl’s family moved to Houston, Texas right before he began high school. He attended Strake Jesuit Preparatory where his basketball team won four straight state championships while Voskuhl was named to the All-State team twice.
Voskuhl arrived to Storrs in 1996 and emerged as the team’s starting center as a freshman. The center appeared in all 33 of the team’s games, starting 30 of them. It was the beginning of an incredible show of strength and was where Voskuhl would end his Husky career tied for fourth all-time in games played with 138.
During his freshman season, Voskuhl averaged 4.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 20.5 minutes per game. The program was clearly building something special, as the Huskies took home a third place finish in the National Invitation Tournament in 1997 after defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks. Combined with other freshmen Kevin Freeman and Richard Hamilton, the three looked to be on their way to hanging banners in the rafters.
Voskuhl came back for his sophomore year with improvements made to his offensive game. He increased his efficiency, making 56.5% of his shots. He also ranked third in the Big East with 49 blocks.
The team finished as the regular season and tournament champions in the Big East. The Huskies went on to win 11 straight games before falling in the Elite Eight to North Carolina, where Voskuhl tallied six points, three rebounds and one block in the loss.
The next season he averaged 5.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and a career high 1.5 blocks as the defensive anchor. Most importantly, Voskuhl played a pivotal role on a nearly perfect team. The Huskies repeated as regular season and tournament champions in the Big East, which were stepping stones to capturing the program’s first national championship over Duke. Voskuhl grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots to help UConn shock the world.
Voskuhl returned for his senior season and averaged a career high 8.5 points making just over 57% of his shots. He was the fourth leading scorer on a team that had high expectations coming into the season, ranking No.1 in the preseason poll. Unfortunately, the Huskies lost to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, closing Voskuhl’s tremendous career.
Voskuhl finished his career seventh in UConn history in blocks with 193 and ninth in total rebounds with 880.
Following his collegiate career, the young center was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round. With the 33rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, he reunited with former teammate and champion Khalid El-Amin. However, it was a limited role for the rookie, appearing in only 16 games and averaging 1.9 points a night.
Voskuhl was traded the next year to the Phoenix Suns, where he spent his next four seasons in a larger role, averaging 4.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game. Following the 2005 season with the Suns, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats and played two seasons there.
The former Husky spent his final two playing seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors before last playing in 2009. He enjoyed a nine year NBA career.
At this moment, Voskuhl is the CEO of Four Three Energy, an energy brokerage firm in the Houston, Texas area. He has made appearances at UConn for championship reunions and will forever be remembered for delivering the first championship to Husky Nation.