A look at UConn's eight newcomers

Kwintin Williams

The Husky Run is a week away (Wednesday, Sept. 27, to be exact). UConn begins practice three days after that.

With that in mind, and with so many newcomers joining the Huskies this season (true freshmen, grad transfers, JUCO transfers), we thought we'd link some stories we've written on the newbies over the past few months so that you can get to know them a little better.

It's an intriguing, eclectic bunch: a wide-body with plenty of Southern charm; an athletic St. John's transfer; a high school teammate of Markelle Fultz; a grad transfer from Cornell; a wiry big man who bases his game on Anthony Davis's; the son of a former NFL linebacker;

Eric Cobb

• Eric Cobb is UConn's best big man in the preseason, we're told. He's had some past transgressions - getting booted out of South Carolina two years ago after an arrest. But the affable big man was one of the most engaging players at UConn's recent "Meet the New Huskies" media event, asking sincere questions back to reporters and shaking everybody's hand after his interviews were all done. And, at 6-9, 270 pounds, he's exactly the kind of wide-body UConn will need this winter.
• Antwoine Anderson is a Fordham grad transfer who has hit three buzzer-beating, game-winning shots over the past two seasons. He'll add experienced depth to the Huskies' already strong backcourt.
• David Onuorah, a grad transfer, joins Cobb as perhaps the most in line for early minutes as a big man. The 6-9 shot-blocker sat out almost all of last season at Cornell for personal reasons. He originally hails from Lithonia, Georgia, hometown of UConn redshirt frosh Alterique Gilbert.
• Josh Carlton, is a classic, back-to-the-basket big who was a teammate of NBA No. 1 draft pick Markelle Fultz at DeMatha High. He may be a year or two from being a major contributor for the Huskies.
• Tyler Polley is a small forward with a knack for the "lost art" of the mid-range jumper. His dad, Tommy, was an NFL linebacker for six seasons, and Tyler has memories of pops chasing down Brett Favre in the snow.
• Isaiah Whaley, a wiry, 6-foot-9 forward who models his game after Anthony Davis and has overcome some self-imposed adversity (a shoplifting incident) to become a truly "special kid."
• Of course, Sidney Wilson joins the Huskies after transferring from St. John's a couple of weeks ago. The athletic, 6-7 forward chose the Johnnies over UConn in May but was almost

  

  Sidney Wilson

  immediately unhappy in Queens. He left St. John's a couple of weeks ago, but not after having been enrolled in summer courses. Because of that, he's currently considered a transfer who must sit out the season. He's applied for a waiver to try to become eligible this year, but that seems highly unlikely.
• And, of course, last but not least there's Kwintin Williams, a 6-7 athletic freak with a 44-inch vertical leap. He's 23 and has never played a minute of D-1 basketball, so it remains to be seen just how good and productive he can be. But he sure should be fun to watch.