2025 Recruiting: Dwayne Aristode

[WestCoastHusky]

This is the answer to your two previous posts:

Duke has gotten as many top recruits in 2024 than we have in the past 10 years. I honestly don't get it.


I like getting top recruits (can't miss ones) to boost our NBA roster numbers. If we can do that and win NCAA Championships, nobody will touch our program. NBA roster numbers are also good for one's program.

Kentucky and Duke are placeholders for those talented freshman who believe they will get into the NBA without having to apply themselves to demanding coaches like Hurley. It's the reason why UConn didn't get as many 5* while JC was here in spite of all his success.

What we lose out in the "players going to the NBA" hype we more than make up with getting above average college players who buy into the work ethic and system of our coaches. As a UConn fan my happiness is winning championships. I'd even say I have more pride with UConn's accomplishments because we did it without many of the best players. We just had the best TEAMS!!!

No one will remember how many stars a player had before college. People will remember champions. If we win this year, Castle will have national champ attached to his name for the rest of his life.

 

[ctchamps]

No one will remember how many stars a player had before college. People will remember champions. If we win this year, Castle will have national champ attached to his name for the rest of his life.

Not many college program fans want to remove their coaches because they can't get 5* But the grumblings at Kentucky demonstrate that, in spite of the sexiness of getting the best players and putting them in the NBA, they are ready to pitchfork the squid if he doesn't produce at the college level.

 

[dennismenace]

Not many college program fans want to remove their coaches because they can't get 5* But the grumblings at Kentucky demonstrate that, in spite of the sexiness of getting the best players and putting them in the NBA, they are ready to pitchfork the squid if he doesn't produce at the college level.

This could be great chant for Kentucky fans at games.

 

[Luna]

This is the answer to your two previous posts:

Duke has gotten as many top recruits in 2024 than we have in the past 10 years. I honestly don't get it.


I like getting top recruits (can't miss ones) to boost our NBA roster numbers. If we can do that and win NCAA Championships, nobody will touch our program. NBA roster numbers are also good for one's program.

Kentucky and Duke are placeholders for those talented freshman who believe they will get into the NBA without having to apply themselves to demanding coaches like Hurley. It's the reason why UConn didn't get as many 5* while JC was here in spite of all his success.

What we lose out in the "players going to the NBA" hype we more than make up with getting above average college players who buy into the work ethic and system of our coaches. As a UConn fan my happiness is winning championships. I'd even say I have more pride with UConn's accomplishments because we did it without many of the best players. We just had the best TEAMS!!!

I think Calhoun and Hurley are different.. Hurley is more of a players coach which I think more players would want to play for him over Calhoun.. if we continue to win then I believe we will start getting our share of 5 star players.. you had to be pretty tough to play for Calhoun

 

[UCTitleTown]

I think Calhoun and Hurley are different.. Hurley is more of a players coach which I think more players would want to play for him over Calhoun.. if we continue to win then I believe we will start getting our share of 5 star players.. you had to be pretty tough to play for Calhoun

The one thing that used to drive me crazy about JC was how he'd bring in a class of 6 recruits, then the next year 2. That seemed to set us up for a down, NIT type year every four years when that large class moved on. We were feast or famine. I always thought a more steady pattern would avoid the success highs and lows. That's still my thought today, although JC didn't have the portal option to fill holes either. I'm fine using the portal to fill holes, but don't want it to be the focus over high school recruiting.

 

[Uconn10922]

I think Hurley is really being strategic with his recruiting and is leaning into roster building. He could just recruit quantity or the wide net approach but I think that would result in a high transfer rate. Conversely I think he recruits selectively and try’s to fill specific holes.

Case in point last year, the big knock on us was not a lot of guys who could create their own shot. He goes out and gets Castle, Solo and Stewart. All with some shot creation ability, and he gets Ross who has a nice 3 point stroke. This year he goes after two players that would qualify as “dogs”. Tough, physical, athletic players.

When he strikes out on a certain player, he doesn’t just go looking for another body but rather a transfer to fill a needed role. As much as I loved Calhoun he would just recruit over players if he had any doubts about them. Hurley seems more committed to player development.

 

[Hunt for 7]

If Hurley just keeps on doing whatever he is currently doing with roster construction then I am good. Repeating it year in year out is a huge challenge, we may not be dominant every year but I think we are more than all the way back to regularly residing in the top four BE and top 10 nationally. Gotta trust him now that he has put together this type of team!

 

[pj]

After his junior season, Hilton had played about 1000 minutes.

Samson will have played 700+ by the end of this season if we make a decent run. I get what you're saying, but he's had more than enough run this year to have shown improvement, but all we've seen is the same mistakes.

Samson played a grand total of 115 minutes before this year, the equivalent of 3 games. Much of it was in garbage time or against weak teams. This year, in which he has 530 minutes so far, is his first real competitive experience.

Big men need that experience to see their weaknesses on film and experience playing against top-flight competition. Then, knowing what they need to do, they can work on their game and body over the summer and see a big jump. Samson is likely to take a big jump next season, if he works hard this summer.

Samson has not failed yet. He still could have a Hilton Armstrong type career.

 

[ctchamps]

I think Calhoun and Hurley are different.. Hurley is more of a players coach which I think more players would want to play for him over Calhoun.. if we continue to win then I believe we will start getting our share of 5 star players.. you had to be pretty tough to play for Calhoun

Things that they have in common are:

Very demanding of their players.
Intense practices that physically and mentally develop players.
Devote a lot of their time as mentors to young men.
Loyalty to their players.

Definitely differences. But you know coming under either coach you were expected to work hard.

 

[mauconnfan]

I think Calhoun and Hurley are different.. Hurley is more of a players coach which I think more players would want to play for him over Calhoun.. if we continue to win then I believe we will start getting our share of 5 star players.. you had to be pretty tough to play for Calhoun

More of a players coach? Hmmm I am pretty sure you wouldn’t get a lot of older UConn greats to agree with you. Now he is certainly different and because of the way kids are now he has to be.

But to me their similarities are more alike than most believe. Expectations and demands are very similar including how hard they make/made their players work. Remember the beginning season practices where the reports for the horde was more along the lines on who made it and who was puking.

And recruiting is a whole lot different than it was the portal allows you to plug and play like never before. Happy as hell we had JC he was one of the greatest college coaches ever and certainly the top program builder for the ground up ever. And I’m very happy we have Danny as well there’s more to come.

 

[Chief00]

I like SJ his improvement has been a big piece to our success. But again if he’s starting we didn’t get anything we wanted or needed. He’s had about 9 fouls in his last 15 minutes to top that off. He doesn’t rebound well and struggles to block out. He’s a bench piece and a solid one that’s it.

I think some of Samson’s rebounding issues is that rebounding starts before the shot goes up. Often by over committing to the high hedge - he gets lost 22 feet from the basket and has zero position for the rebound. Good post defense put you in good position to defend a post move or get a rebound. Too often he is in position to do neither. His teammates do think highly of him and talk Samson up

 

[Luna]

More of a players coach? Hmmm I am pretty sure you wouldn’t get a lot of older UConn greats to agree with you. Now he is certainly different and because of the way kids are now he has to be.

But to me their similarities are more alike than most believe. Expectations and demands are very similar including how hard they make/made their players work. Remember the beginning season practices where the reports for the horde was more along the lines on who made it and who was puking.

And recruiting is a whole lot different than it was the portal allows you to plug and play like never before. Happy as hell we had JC he was one of the greatest college coaches ever and certainly the top program builder for the ground up ever. And I’m very happy we have Danny as well there’s more to come.

I’m 65, I went to a lot of games when Calhoun was coaching.. I agree with you that they are similar in a lot of ways..both demanding..but Calhoun would yell at players if they messed up during games..Hurley doesn’t do that… you are right.. different times.. but I think most players today would rather play for Hurley

 

[auror]

I think some of Samson’s rebounding issues is that rebounding starts before the shot goes up. Often by over committing to the high hedge - he gets lost 22 feet from the basket and has zero position for the rebound. Good post defense put you in good position to defend a post move or get a rebound. Too often he is in position to do neither. His teammates do think highly of him and talk Samson up

There is some of that, but there is also a lot of him going up for the board and getting slightly pushed by an opposing player and then just batting the ball with his meat sticks.

 

[uconnyankee]

Have to trust Hurley at this point. He recruits as much on character as he does talent, and builds rosters and teams. He’s not pulling together a collection of lottery picks. He has an ecosystem and culture and he sticks to it. This offseason is going to be a fascinating one as there will be some serious gaps, and he’ll have to find a way to fill that in the portal.

They have had great success getting the missing pieces from the portal.
Nothing is guaranteed, but I don’t think it’s all luck. With transfers there is more data and game footage. Much easier to avoid the glaring mis-match or trouble maker.