Dan Hurley didn’t leave much room for doubt Friday night: Nik Khamenia is out for now, but not out for the season.
After UConn’s 84-68 win over Ohio State, Hurley said he was “Absolutely.” certain the sophomore forward would play again this year, then laid out the rough timeline. Khamenia, who injured his left foot in Monday night’s blowout win over Wagner, will have surgery in the next couple of days and then go through a stretch of CAT scans and other medical checks over the next six to eight weeks. Hurley said the hope is a return somewhere between Christmas and mid-January, maybe a little later depending on how he heals.
Khamenia has been getting around campus - and on Friday night, around the Huskies’ sideline - on a scooter while wearing a protective boot. Hurley also had a message for UConn students: “You’ve got to tell him to stay off his foot and boot,” Hurley said.
“He’s a madman. This guy’s going to do everything he can to be back.”
The bigger issue for UConn is what Khamenia’s absence does to the offense. Hurley said the Huskies will have to change some things without him, especially in the role that overlaps with Alex Karaban. He described Khamenia as difficult to replace because of the way he processes the game, his versatility, his cutting, his movement shooting and his ability to guard opposing fours.
“We’re going to have to adjust some things we do on offense with him not in there,” Hurley noted. “We can plug and play a guy like that into the (Alex) Karaban role and just keep doing what we do.
But, players like that for our system are very tough to find: the processing skills, the versatility, the ability to cut, to make movement 3’s, to guard the other team’s four-man. There’s a lot we require from the 'Karaban position.'
That’s a heavy, heavy loss for us.”
Colben Landrew stepped into the starting lineup Friday and handled the assignment well, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds. He’s built differently than Khamenia - a 6-6, 236-pound freshman who could be headed for NBA Lottery Land come June - and brings more strength and physicality, even if he isn’t the same kind of shooter.
Khamenia had hit all three of his 3-pointers Monday before leaving with the injury. Landrew, though, knocked down a 3 of his own against Ohio State.
Silas Demary Jr. said Khamenia’s impact has been obvious since he arrived.
“Losing a guy like Nik, he’s a hard-working man, he’s a soldier,” Demary noted. “Every since he’s come here, he’s left an imprint on who he is. But Colben being able to step into the starting lineup and keep us flowing ... the coaches have been big on him and Egor (Amosov) about being ready for the moment, picking up some of those minutes that Nik gave us.”
Amosov’s night included a fallaway 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer late in the first half, a shot Demary said he has seen before in practice. Outside of that, Amosov played five minutes, but Hurley said his role can grow while Khamenia is sidelined. That may come more against Rider and Mississippi Valley State than against Arizona and Duke, at least for now.
“We’re going to have to find offense and production and quality from some other spots,” Hurley proclaimed.
Hurley said earlier in the week that he was worried about a player like Khamenia missing a long stretch because of how much the game means to him, and he repeated that feeling Friday. He described the mood around the team and program as sad and emotional, while also stressing that Khamenia will have a chance to get healthy and return to a team that can put him in a strong position when he’s back.
“(There’s been a) sadness around the team and the program. It’s not the same equivalent of if Alex went down, because Alex was a two-time champion and had so much equity and success ...
Nik has become beloved here. It’s been sad, it’s been emotional.
But, he’s going to have a chance to get healthy. Hopefully, we can win enough games without him, and he’ll have a team that’s put themselves in a great position to return to.
It’ll be a real shot in the arm for us.”
Braylon Mullins, who has dealt with injuries himself, offered the kind of advice that comes from experience. The sophomore guard missed all of exhibition season and the first five games last year, and he also sat out the first two exhibition games this season because of an “undisclosed” injury.
“Just trying to keep a positive mindset. I know every day is going to be harder, but there’s people here that are going to pick you up.
This program does a really good job here from the injury perspective. He’s got to stay positive as much as possible.
Day by day, build yourself back up, and we’re going to have him back. We’ve just got to get him back as healthy as possible.”
In Other News...
UConn Showed Off A Dangerous Strength Even With Rotation Questions
UConn kept rolling with an 84-68 win over Ohio State at PeoplesBank Arena, and the latest victory offered another reminder of how dangerous this group can be even while the rotation is still taking shape. Braylon Mullins sparked the offense with 22 points and five 3-pointers, while Silas Demary Jr. and Najai Hines helped steady things after halftime as the Huskies moved to 4-0.
The lineup picture was a little different again, with freshman Colben Landrew stepping into the starting five and delivering 12 points in his first career regular-season start. For UConn, that kind of production matters because it suggests the Huskies are finding answers beyond the usual names, even as the staff continues to sort out who fits where and how deep this group can go. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Win Over Ohio State Came With One Bigger Worry
UConns 84-68 win over Ohio State had the kind of familiar feel the Huskies like, with a game plan that echoed what the womens team has been doing and enough production from the perimeter to keep the Buckeyes at arms length. Braylon Mullins led the way with 22 points, Najai Hines added 20, and for much of the night the result looked like another clean early-season step forward for a team still settling into its identity.
The bigger concern came in the middle of all that success, when Mullins had to leave briefly because of a left knee issue before coming back without any obvious limp. UConn is already working around the absence of Nik Khamenia, and the Huskies will be watching closely to see whether Mullins scare turns into anything more than a short-term interruption in an otherwise encouraging win. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Showed Something Bigger Than A 4-0 Start Against Ohio State
UConns 84-68 win over Ohio State in Hartford did more than keep the Huskies unbeaten at 4-0. It showed a team getting real production from multiple places, with Braylon Mullins leading the way on 22 points, Najai Hines adding 20 and Silas Demary Jr. filling the box score with 10 points and nine assists. Ohio State had answers of its own from Jimmie Williams and John Mobley Jr., but UConns balance and pace were enough to separate.
What stood out most was how the Huskies handled the game when it started to tighten. Even with key contributors having to navigate foul trouble in the first half, UConn found enough depth and poise to keep control, and the second half brought the kind of response that can matter later in the season. For a team still early in its schedule, this was the sort of win that says a hot start is nice, but there may be something sturdier underneath it. [Read more 🡒]