SF/PF Wenyen Gabriel (Kentucky Commit)

[aceboon]

Not to pile on but you're not doing well in this thread.

He doesn't do well in any thread

 

[UChusky916]

He doesn't do well in any thread

My thoughts exactly.

 

[JimHurley]

I'm not saying Vance is a similar player to Diallo. I'm just saying that Vance would fit the wing just fine at UConn. Gilbert and Adams will be our 2 guards. That's a given. Durham and Vance could be our wings.

 

[uchusky32]

I'm not saying Vance is a similar player to Diallo. I'm just saying that Vance would fit the wing just fine at UConn. Gilbert and Adams will be our 2 guards. That's a given. Durham and Vance could be our wings.

Really, so they have good enough handle to be a 2 guard playing major minutes. Because you know Gilbert and Adams can't play the whole game.

Please stop, your at 6ft under right now. Next step is putting the dirt back in the hole.

 

[bmayuc]

I'm not saying Vance is a similar player to Diallo. I'm just saying that Vance would fit the wing just fine at UConn. Gilbert and Adams will be our 2 guards. That's a given. Durham and Vance could be our wings.

Durham... Wing...

LOL

 

[BUConn10]

Take it easy guys. He's not trying to start a flame war. Not everyone has a compete grasp of the game and that's alright. Just correct him and move on, no need to pile it on. Some of you are ruthless...

 

[MuchoDogYears]

our lineup in a few years will consist of J Adams, A Gilbert, Larrier, J Durham, and Zach Brown.

Yeah and we've got Diamond Stone coming off the bench when Zach gets in foul trouble.

 

[pj]

Yeah and we've got Diamond Stone coming off the bench when Zach gets in foul trouble.

When Jalen Adams gets in foul trouble, you mean. Since Diamond will play on the wing for us ...

 

[JimHurley]

Take it easy guys. He's not trying to start a flame war. Not everyone has a compete grasp of the game and that's alright. Just correct him and move on, no need to pile it on. Some of you are ruthless...

Thanks, BUHusky. I disagree with people all the time on here but I don't feel the need to pile on the hate. What I write is my opinion. I have my opinion and you guys have yours.

 

[DogMania]

I think Vance Jackson could be a nice replacement for Diallo.

I figure I'd chime in at this point in the thread. And my intent is not to pile on, just to share some insight.

(Be forewarned. This is a long DM post. It's been a while since I've posted one of these, but felt it was a good place to chime in with one.)

Jackson is a big wing based on the clips I've seen who does not have the handle or athleticism to play anything other than the 3 and maybe some 4 in spot-up duty if needed, though we have so many bigs, I doubt they'll need him to play the 4.

In 2016/17 season we'll likely have just two elite guards in Adams and Gilbert who are both PG-Combos that can certainly play side-by-side and likely will quite often. Rodney Purvis will more than likely move on to the NBA after this upcoming season. Sam Cassell Jr will be going into his senior year that season and it's yet to be seen if he can play solid minutes at this level. Hopefully he can bounce back and show a little more athleticism having recovered from some hip surgery, ala Beverly did his senior year.

We definitely need another guard, and even then you're quite thin if any of your top 3 guards get injured or are in serious foul trouble. It seems the staff might be hoping that Diallo will reclassify to 2016, but that's a guess that many of us have had for a while. Diallo's situation in combination with UConn's ship count makes things problematic. If they add a 2G this fall, they could miss out on Diallo if he reclassifies and UConn doesn't have a ship for him next spring, though I assume one would materialize for him one way or another.

Here's the possible makeup of the 2016/17 roster: (Note the class as of the 2016/17 Season)

1. Jalen Adams (So) PG/Combo - Dynamic & athletic scorer and playmaker. Good 3pt shooter.

2. Alterique Gilbert (Fr) PG/Combo - Not as athletic as Adams but has a big time handle, sees the floor well and can score from any place of the floor. Also a good 3pt shooter.

3. Sam Cassell Jr. (Sr) PG/Combo - Note a great athlete, though sees the floor well, solid passer, but tends to make some high risk passes and is a streaky outside shooter.

4. Rodney Purvis* (Sr) Big physical 2G who most think will jump to the NBA. I'd be surprised if he sticks around for his senior year, but if he does, he definitely gives UConn that 3rd high performing guard the team needs for a deep 2017 NCAA tournament run. It's this spot where Diallo would be a nice replacement for Rodney.

5. Daniel Hamitlon* (Jr) Wing-Guard - Many think this is his last season. He sees the floor very well and has a plus-handle for a player his size. Was a bit of a high risk high reward type contributor last season, but with more weapons, I expect him to cut down the TOs and see his shooting percentage go up.

6. Terry Larrier (RS-So) Long 3/4 Scoring Combo who has to sit out this season, but will be considered a sophomore next season. He, along with the whatever incoming wings KO adds to the 2016 class, will likely pick up where DHam leaves off.

7. Juwan Durham (Fr) Highly Skilled and Long 3/4 Combo who can score from all over the floor. Very good in transition. Good around the basket, off the bounce and from deep. Protoypical stretch 4 who needs to stay healthy (knee problems) and fill out a bit. He and Larrier should help us begin to forget about DHam, assuming he leaves after this season.

8. Kentan Facey (Sr) Long, thin 4 who can knock down midrange Js. He struggles on the glass but could have a breakout year, ala Hilton Armstrong, though I'm not expecting quite that level of contribution since Shonn Miller is going to take some of his minutes this upcoming season which could impact his development. He's a solid athlete and one who is hard to get a solid read on as far as his upside. He sort of tailed off during the second half of last season.

9. Mamadou Diarra (Fr) - Similar to Facey, he comes in as an unheralded 4 who turned some heads this past spring. I haven't heard much about him during the summer. Not sure what to expect from him early on, but likely has a lot of upside.

10. Steven Enoch (So) 4/5 combo who comes in with a mature body (245 lbs) and has a rep of being a hard worker but a bit raw offensively. He held his own and maybe even out played some elite 2015 bigs the summer before his senior season or prep-year whichever was the case. Could turn out to be one in the long line of underrated big men to contribute at a high level here at UConn.

11. Amida Brimah* (Sr) True 5 who can change the game defensively by taking away the paint with his shot blocking and altering. Needs to get stronger and improve his rebounding and post-up game. Many expect him to jump to the NBA after this season as well.

This leaves 2 more open ships to reach the 13 limit. If the 3 stared* above all leave early that could could rise to 5 but leave some holes to be filled.

Most expect Purvis to move on, which opens the need for a long (6-2 plus) 2G such as Hamidou Diallo (2017) who might or might not reclassify to 2016. He's jumped way up in the rankings and garnered interest from a number of blue chip programs, though some insiders still think he's UConn's to lose. He's an exciting long athletic 2G who knows how to get to the basket and punish it will rim rocking dunks. He has an improving jump shot but is more known as an open floor scorer. He's not as strong as Purvis, but is a better leaper. I wonder if he's waiting to see what Purvis does next spring and will reclassify and attend UConn if Purvis does move on. His camp has said that he's sticking with the 2017 class, but we've heard that before with recruits who make the jump in the spring.

Many expect Brimah to jump to the NBA after this season and here's where huge 7 footer Zach Brown (2017) comes into the picture. He too might reclassify to 2016 and if Brimah jumps ship, I hope Zach jumps in to take his place. Even if Brimah doesn't, Zach really likes KO and could end up coming here in 2016 or 17.

Now the two listed above are likely spring decisions and most expect two ships to present themselves one way or the other. As for the two current open ships here's where the following recruits come in:

Vance Jackson is a true wing who has good size (6-7) and is a very good sharpshooter from beyond the arc. He fills the need for a deep threat from the wing to replace what Dham will give the team this year as far as 3-pt shooting is concerned. He's not as athletic as Hamilton nor has his handle. He reminds me of a bigger version of Rashad (Shad) Anderson. And he seems to love UConn and KO. Looks like he'll take his Cal visit and then decide.

Wenyan Gabriel is another interesting recruit that will be coming in for a visit soon. He's rocketed up the rankings into the top 20. He's a long and athletic 4/3 combo who can put the ball on the floor and punish the rim. He's shown an improving jump shot, but most of his production is around the basket. He and his teammate Ham Diallo are two high flying athletes who thrive in transition and show great closing speed and shot-blocking when pursuing the play from behind. Would love to see us land both, but many think Gabriel has slipped out of our reach and into the hands of either MD, Dook or UK. He seems a bit redundant now that we landed Durham, but depending on matchups, I could see Durham and Gabriel both on the floor at the same time as a pair of stretch-4 type 3/4 combos. I think both are athletic and long enough to defend the 3 & 4, depending on what type of 3 and/or 4 they are matched up against. Having both which would be insane would give KO so many match-up options due to the other options he'll have at the 3 and 4. This will play out over the next few weeks.

De'Ron Davis is another name we've heard about lately. He's big strong 4 who most think is IU's to lose, at least that's what I think I read recently. At 6-9 235, he's probably a 4/5 combo at the college level. We made his top 5, but I don't know how strong the interest is on both sides. If Brown is likely sticking with 2017, Davis would seem like a good one to go after, but I have a feeling that KO feels good about Brown and is willing to wait on him. Just a guess on my part. Brown can't say enough good things about UConn and KO.

Imagine if at least 2 of the 3 (Purvis, Hamilton and/or Brimah) move on and KO is able to pull off, though highly unlikely, the additions of Jackson, Gabriel, Diallo & Brown. The 2016/17 roster could turn out to be UConn's best ever. Hey, if the Squid can pull in this type of talent, why can't KO. Now history would tell us that many of these recruits would not want to join such a talented and crowded roster with so many talented players at their same positions. Either or both Jackson & Gabriel might feel that way. Diallo and Brown would likely see lots of available PT if Purvis and Brimah leave after this season.

Normally, I'd say the likelihood of landing any of these highly ranked recruits, considering who are already in the fold, is low, but KO has been killing it lately, landing many of his Plan-A and B recruits. So why would it stop now with as many as 4 to 5 open ships likely to be available by next spring?

 

[CallMeBruce]

I haven't heard anything about Brown reclassifying to 2016. Where are you getting that?

 

[Scottzer]

I

I haven't heard anything about Brown reclassifying to 2016. Where are you getting that?

I think that's just pure speculation based upon his potential to reclassify (repeated a grade, so could move back to original class).

 

[David 76]

We definitely went from all front court recruits last year to all 3s and 4s this year. I'm sure KO will avoid defections this year.

I hope the lack of going after several 2s and 5s is a statement that KO feels good about Diallo & Brown

 

[Mooch82]

We definitely went from all front court recruits last year to all 3s and 4s this year. I'm sure KO will avoid defections this year.

I hope the lack of going after several 2s and 5s is a statement that KO feels good about Diallo & Brown

We're going after plenty of 5's in the 2017 class.

 

[David 76]

We're going after plenty of 5's in the 2017 class.

I know. But I wish we had someone in 16

 

[Dove]

If Amidah goes pro after this season I will stop posting.

 

[aceboon]

I know. But I wish we had someone in 16

Enoch is 6'10 with a wingspan of over 7ft, also looks to be at least 230lbs, he can play C

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

If Amidah goes pro after this season I will stop posting.

If he stays the full4 @ UConn it puts him at 23 on draft day. That brings in the whole age debate and how it effects decisions to leave early. My assumption is ...in your opinion it won't be the best business decision for AB. I think that will be highly debatable when taking into consideration all the factors involved in making the decision.

The last thing we want is to lose 1 of the BY's finest (Dove) on the account of a post not fully thought out.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Enoch is 6'10 with a wingspan of over 7ft, also looks to be at least 230lbs, he can play C

He's in the media guide at 245. He'll play plenty of minutes at the pivot.

 

[Dove]

If he stays the full4 @ UConn it puts him at 23 on draft day. That brings in the whole age debate and how it effects decisions to leave early. My assumption is ...in your opinion it won't be the best business decision for AB. I think that will be highly debatable when taking into consideration all the factors involved in making the decision.

The last thing we want is to lose 1 of the BY's finest (Dove) on the account of a post not fully thought out.

Thanks for the compliment but I think talent debate trumps age debate. He has a long way to go...improve consistency...to be seen as a Top 20 player on draft day. We'll see. He's still a toothpick.

And if DHam sees himself going pro next year I think he will want to finish those ally-oops instead of feeding them to AB.

 

[pj]

He can develop in the NBA as well as at UConn. If he'll be drafted high -- and he will if his game progresses this year -- then he'll likely go, as Jim Calhoun always advised players to go if they were going to be drafted high.

 

[BUConn10]

I watch a lot of NBA, more so than college ball outside of UConn. With that said, I honestly do not think Brimah has what it takes to play in the NBA. He is an shot-blocking specialist and that's about it. Team aren't going to use a roster spot on a guy who is physically weak, barely averaged 5 rebounds a game against college competition, doesn't really have any 1-on-1 moves or a general offensive game. He is a liability at the NBA level when he is on the court outside of his shot blocking, and with the trend towards small ball he is even less coveted. Guys like Gorgui Deing are the exception not the rule, plus Deing is physically built and can actually rebound.

I would be SHOCKED if Amidah wasn't a 4 year player and I'd be just as surprised to see him go in the first round. I could see someone using a second rounder on him just because he's 7 feet tall though, but he likely wouldn't see the court.

 

[aceboon]

I think it would be better to have a wait and see approach on Brimah and see how performs after having an offseason to actually work on his body and his game while not rehabbing from surgery....but I may be in the minority.

 

[UC1995]

Not sure if this was posted but this could help saw us with Gabriel!

 

[pj]

I would be SHOCKED if Amidah wasn't a 4 year player and I'd be just as surprised to see him go in the first round. I could see someone using a second rounder on him just because he's 7 feet tall though, but he likely wouldn't see the court.

You are radically underestimating the value of an athletic 7 footer.