After coming up one win shy of a third national championship victory in four seasons, UConn head coach Dan Hurley hit the transfer portal to fill in the blanks around a trio of returning top contributors from last season.
G — Silas Demary Jr., Sr. (Badeau)
There was never any doubt of who would anchor the backcourt. Fresh off being voted 2026-27 Big East Preseason Player of the Year, Demary returns to Storrs with some unfinished business. In his first season with the Huskies last year, the Georgia transfer averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Demary’s first exhibition game this year against Syracuse featured a rocky start in the first half but picked up in the second half, finishing with 13 points of 3-for-12 shooting, five rebounds and two steals. Hurley refers to Demary as “the best ball hawking point guard in the country,” and hopes to hold true this season. While his defensive intensity sets the tone, Demary’s impact goes beyond the stat sheet — including the clutch, underappreciated pass he tipped in the Elite Eight that paved the way for Braylon Mullins’ phenomenal game-winning shot.
G — Braylon Mullins, So. (Sawyer)
Mullins’ freshman season was completely redefined in a matter of 10 seconds by his deep buzzer-beating three against Duke to send the Huskies to the Final Four, undeniably one of greatest shots in March Madness history. The ESPY-nominated “Boozer Beater” immediately made Mullins a household name.
Ironically, Mullins’ three-point ability was more average than elite as a freshman, as he shot 33.5% from beyond the arc. For a guy who is possibly the most common breakout candidate mentioned across the country and who is gunning to become a lottery pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, that mark stands as a clear area of needed improvement.
Even beyond that, more will be asked of Mullins in his second year, both on and off the court. As a member of the returning nucleus the team is banking on, Mullins will need to take on a bigger leadership role while also being asked to do more offensively, including occasionally taking on the role of ball handler.
Mullins demonstrated on occasion that he can carry an offense, as evidenced by his 25-point outburst against Creighton on Feb. 18, 2026. The next step is to prove he can close in on that level on a more consistent basis and improve his 12 points per game average. While Demary Jr. was the obvious choice for Preseason Big East Player of the Year, there is a realistic possibility that the Huskies go as far as Mullins’ development takes them this season.
F — Nik Khamenia, So. (Sawyer)
Speaking of Mullins’ game winner, Khamenia was across the court watching from the Duke bench after subbing out of the game just seconds prior.
Fast forward half a year, Khamenia and Mullins are roommates, and the former is the heir apparent to replace the player who assisted Mullins on that shot, Alex Karaban.
While the physical similarities between the two players are undeniable — both are listed at 6-foot-8 and within five pounds of each other — their other common trait is a shared do-it-all ability.
Karaban finished last season top three on the roster in points per game, 3-point makes, rebounds, assists and steals. Khamenia finished in the top three in each of those stats in Tuesday’s scrimmage against Syracuse. While there’s plenty of projection taking place for a guy who scored just 5.7 points per game as a freshman for the Blue Devils, Khamenia said that he got to learn from Karaban when the now-Sacramento King visited the team over the summer.
“Just picking his brain a little bit and learning from him and things that he found that helped him succeed here,” Khamenia said after Tuesday’s exhibition game. “I know he went to three national championships, played here four years, so those are extremely big shoes to fill.”
F — Jayden Ross, Sr. (Sawyer)
Ross is the archetype for a program that emphasizes development as much as UConn. Arriving in Storrs three years ago as a four-star recruit, Ross averaged just 4.4 minutes as a freshman on the 2024 championship team before finding a rotational role in 2025, nearly tripling his minutes.
Last season, the forward appeared in 38 games and found his groove come postseason time. Starting with the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals against Xavier, Ross posted three or more rebounds in seven of nine postseason games and notched three multi-steal performances. The 6-foot-7 forward also shot 50% from beyond three on 16 attempts, putting up a 39.1% success rate on the season.
Should Ross stay out of foul trouble, something he struggled with early against Syracuse when he was charged with two offensive fouls within the first two minutes, he is capable of buoying the UConn defense alongside Demary Jr. while also making up for some of the lost 3-point production from Karaban’s departure.
While Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year Colben Landrew has been breathing down Ross’ neck for this spot, it’s the upperclassman’s job to lose.
C — Na’jai Hines, So. (Badeau)
The big man transfer from Seton Hall has a 6-foot-11-inch frame and uses every last bit of it as the defensive anchor of the team. Hines led the Big East in blocks per game last season with 2.2 in 31 appearances, all of which came off the bench. Now that he may be slotted into a starting role, Hines will have the opportunity to blossom into another star center that gets UConn fans in a frenzy. Hines put up a team-high 17 points in only 19 minutes in the exhibition against Syracuse. That performance came off the bench as transfer Oskar Giltay earned the nod on Tuesday and may compete with Hines for the opening night starting role. The 6-foot-11-inch sophomore from Belgium had four points and a pair of blocks in his 18 minutes on Tuesday. In his two matchups against UConn last season, Hines scored 10 points and seven rebounds on Jan. 13 and a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards on Feb. 28. With Tarris Reed Jr. off to the NBA, Hines has massive shoes to fill — and if his early flashes are any indication, the ceiling for the five position remains sky-high.