Husky Hoopsters To Help East Hartford Dunkin' Aid Children's Hospital

EAST HARTFORD, CT — Fresh off the program's second straight national title and news the coach is returning after flirting with the NBA, four University of Connecticut men's basketball players will be in East Hartford Thursday to help a local children's hospital.

Hassan Diarra, Solomon "Solo" Ball, Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart will appear at the East Hartford Dunkin' Donuts at 364 Silver Lane, East Hartford, at 7:30 a.m.

There, they will be meeting and greeting fans and serving iced coffee on National Iced Coffee Day.

But their reason for being there is much more than goodwill. It is to help the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation support the Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

For every iced coffee sold, $1 will be donated to the foundation, which will then send those funds directly to CCMC.

The Husky quartet, all members of the 2024 national championship team (with Diarra also on the 2023 title squad) will be joined by a CCMC patient ambassador.

All four of the players are expected to play huge roles in UConn's quest to win a third title in a row, a quest that received a major boost when beloved head coach Dan Hurley spurned a job offer to coach the Los Angeles Lakers last week to stay at UConn.

According to Dunkin', the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation’s mission is to provide the
"simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness" and has granted more than $50 million since its inception in 2006.

"Thanks to support from guests nationwide, Dunkin’ Iced Coffee Day collectively raised $3.5 million to support kids in children’s hospitals throughout the country," wrote Dunkin' in a statement.