With some real roster turnover this offseason, the Huskies have continued to add talent to the group.
The offseason of roster turnover for the University of Connecticut men's basketball team continued on Thursday, with the Huskies securing a commitment from Northern Arizona transfer Isaiah Shaw. Jeff Borzello of ESPN had the information on the 6-foot-8 perimeter player.
This is another potentially significant offseason move for Dan Hurley's team, especially in the wake of losing Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban to graduation and guard Solo Ball to a wrist surgery that will keep him out the entire 2026-27 season.
Here's what you need to know about Shaw at this point, including some more on how the roster as a whole is shaping up.
About Shaw
Shaw comes to Storrs having already appeared in four different college hoops seasons. He appeared in seven games at Grand Canyon in 2022-23 before playing in 32 the next season. He spent his third season at Valparaiso, playing in 33 games before playing in 29 at Northern Arizona this past season. At Northern Arizona, he started 22 games, playing an average of 18.3 minutes per game and scoring 8.1 ppg. He also shot 81 percent at the foul line and 46.4 percent from behind the three-point line.
As Borzello notes, he had 21 points against Arizona State of the Big 12, proving he has the capability to score against power conference foes.
He hails from Rome, marking another international recruit for Hurley's crew.
Family ties
As noted by Rob Dauster of the Field of 78, Shaw is the nephew of Bryce Drew, who is the head coach at Grand Canyon. His uncle Scott is also the head coach at Baylor.
How the roster looks today
Seniors: Silas Demary, Nils Machowski and Jayden Ross, Isaiah Shaw
Junior: Jaye Nash
Sophomores: Braylon Mullins, Oskar Giltay, Najai Hines and Nikolas Khamenia
Freshmen: Jacob Ross (redshirt), Junior County, Colben Landrew
Redshirt senior: Ball (out for season)
What there is to like about Shaw
You can never have too much shooting, especially when you have dynamic guard play like the Huskies have in the form of Mullins and Demary. Teams will key on them, which means that shooters will have opportunities for more clear looks.
Furthermore, as Mullins and Demary get into the lane, they'll draw help, which will open up shooting opportunities.
GCU Lopes forward Gabe McGlothan (30) is introduced with teammate Isaiah Shaw (33) before their game against the Seattle University Redhawks at GCU Arena in 2024.Where the questions lie
1) Shaw only averaged 2.1 rebounds a game in the Big Sky Conference. Does he have the physicality or the motor to get after the ball in the Big East?
2) He's only ever played at the mid-major level, can his skillset transfer to the high-major ranks, especially given how difficult the schedule that UConn is going to face is?
3) Shaw played in just 18.3 minutes per game last season. Why is someone so solid offensively not playing more minutes at a mid-major? Are there defensive questions? Rebounding ability?
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