UConn's Jordan Hawkins misses open practice before Final Four

HOUSTON — UConn guard Jordan Hawkins, the best NBA prospect in the Final Four, missed the Huskies' open practice Friday with an illness that teammates and staff are calling a stomach bug.

Hawkins stayed at the hotel Friday to rest, and there is a belief throughout the program that he will play for the No. 4 Huskies against No. 5 Miami on Saturday night.

Still, Hawkins' absence Friday sent a bolt of surprise through the media availability at NRG Stadium.

«Hopefully Jordan's good to go or at least give us something,» coach Dan Hurley said.

If Hawkins does play, his health be closely monitored. Hurley said UConn has three doctors on the trip and that they are working hard to get Hawkins back to 100%. The illness is not related to COVID-19, according to school officials.

«We obviously isolated him,» Hurley said. «Started to not feel well last night. For him to miss today obviously tells you he's not in a great way.

»But obviously you hope that we contained it in time. We moved him out, moved his roommate out and obviously kept him away from the team. Hopefully it just doesn't continue to spread."

Hawkins is UConn's second leading scorer at 16.3 points per game and is projected to go No. 23 overall in ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony's latest mock draft. Hawkins is a sophomore from the storied DeMatha Catholic program outside Washington D.C. and arrived in the Class of 2021 as ESPN's No. 59 overall recruit.

He has played some of his best basketball in the NCAA tournament, averaging 17.2 points per game. He has peaked at the right time, scoring 24 points against Arkansas in the Sweet 16 and 20 against Gonzaga in the Elite 8. He hit 6 of 10 3-pointers against the Zags, which tied for his most in a game this season.

Freshman