Javonte Brown transferring from UConn men; Jan. 15 game vs. Villanova is postponed Villanova game postponed

Javonte Brown, the 7-foot freshman from Canada, is leaving the UConn men’s basketball program, the school announced Friday afternoon.

Brown, who has played only four minutes in the Huskies’ first six games, has put his name in the transfer portal. With changing NCAAtransfer rules, he’d likely be eligible to play next season.

Brown, who played at Thornlea School in Toronto, was projected as a future force for UConn, the tallest player on the team, the first 7-foot player in the program in several seasons. However, the pandemic took away much of the preseason, setting back all of the program’s freshmen in the process of getting adjusted to the college game and learning coach Dan Hurley’s system.

In the frontcourt, freshman Adama Sanogo has been starting, though his minutes have been limited. Seniors Isaiah Whaley, Josh Carlton and Tyler Polley have been the mainstays, and sophomore Akok Akok, about to return from a ruptured Achilles, will make for an even more crowded picture. UConn has still another big man, Richie Springs, a redshirt freshman who has also played only four minutes this season. So Brown, evidently, does not see many minutes at UConn this season or next.

He made his only shot for the Huskies, a dunk to close the scoring in a 102-75 win over CCSU on Nov. 25.

UConn’s next scheduled home game, against Villanova on Jan. 15, has been postponed as the Wildcats are in a COVID-19-related shutdown.

Villanova, 8-1 and ranked third in the AP poll, shut down basketball activities after coach Jay Wright and another staff member tested positive on Dec. 27. They will not be able to return in time to be ready for a game on Jan. 15.

The Big East did not announce a makeup date.