Joey California brought the torch

The San Diego grad transfer shot 45% from three this year as he made sure the Huskies had plenty of firepower off the bench.

Joey Calcaterra became the second UConn graduate transfer to help bring home a title, joining Lasan Kromah in 2014. Only four graduate transfers in all of college basketball have won titles—Kromah, Brady Manek for North Carolina in 2021, Jalen Coleman-Lands on Kansas last year, and now Calcaterra.

Like Kromah, Joey California was brought in to solidify Dan Hurley’s rotation, and in this case to make the bench a weapon instead of a liability. He was an integral piece in Hurley’s offseason plan: support the talents of Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins, and Andre Jackson with players that complement that star trio’s unique skillsets.

UConn shot abysmal from behind the arc in both of its NCAA Tournament first round exits in 2021 and 2021. It was no secret with the way college basketball was being played and the roster Dan Hurley was returning, that the Huskies would have to shoot their way back into relevance.

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Joining the Huskies along with three other transfers, at least two of which were expected to be major contributors, Calcaterra was far from the most heralded player joining the team. Coming from a middling WCC team in San Diego, his stats were downright modest in 2021-22: 8.5 points per game while shooting 34.7 percent from three.