Even taking a slight step back compared to the two previous national championship seasons, the UConn Huskies still managed to have a first-round pick in the most recent NBA Draft. It was Liam McNeeley, a 6’7 wing who averaged 14.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg as a freshman.

With McNeeley gone, minutes at the three-spot are wide open. The expectation is that Jaylin Stewart, who started 12 games last season and produced 5.4 ppg in 18 mpg overall, will be the starter out of the gate.\

However, he’s going to be pushed for minutes by Jacob Furphy, a 6’5 sharpshooter from Australia. He’s a four-star and consensus top-100 prospect who reportedly picked UConn over Illinois months ago. So far, he’s looking like a potential hidden gem, based on his play this weekend.

At the U19 World Championships, Furphy and Australia took on the favorites, Team USA. While the USA did win 88-73, it was the future Husky who arguably was the best player in the game, leading his team with 24 points on 9/18 shooting from the field. Although he only went 2/8 from deep, it was a good sign that Furphy can score in ways that are not just reliant on being a shot-up shooter. Plus, he'll be on a college team with better surrounding talent so he won't have to do too much.

UConn’s backcourt already looks to be one of the best in college basketball for next season. Leading guard Solomon Ball (14.4 ppg) is back, along with landing key transfers such as Silas Demary Jr. (Georgia), Malachi Smith (Dayton), and Braylon Mullins, a top-30 guard prospect who’ll be competing with Furphy for rotation minutes. 

Based on what we saw against Team USA, UConn Basketball may have the same kind of quality backcourt depth that they did with those teams who managed to go all the way and win the title.