2020-2021 Roster

[HuskyHawk]

I'm not fully convinced we need a big more than a shooter/ball handler for next year. Assuming everyone currently on the roster stays besides AG I think we are still a guard short. Carlton, Whaley, Springs, then Polley/Sid at 4 in small lineups could be enough but I trust Hurley's judgement to fill that last spot.

I still have PTSD from our lack of guard depth a few years ago when we resorted to Purvis as PG one game.

You say this even though the current team has 3 players across the 4 and 5 position? We have two starting caliber PG next season. With Akok iffy to return we need size up front even more. He was plugged in as a high minute starting 4.

Polley gives you very little down low, he’s a long wing. I still don’t think it’s out of the question that if he is going to miss much of the season he’s not back here.

I‘m pretty sure Hurley has learned that you can’t really leave more than one scholarship on the table.

 

[gtcam]

Idk what it is about this boards obsession with getting big for the sake of getting big. He’s a shooter, he’s not a physical banger. It’s good to add strength but we don’t need him to get to being a linebacker and have it affect his 3 point shooting.

UConn has been recruiting kids that have little or no bulk, going for kids who can jump out of the gym and jam spectacularly in high school ball. Once the group gets on the court in D1 play, 90% of the time it looks like boys vs men. Their once awed at ability to jump out of the gym is equaled by men who are bigger, stronger and faster.
UConn can compete with Memphis because they too are slight and that's why they are having trouble vs many other teams.
If you have Polley playing the 4 he better be a physical banger because that's what the position calls. Nobody wants a basketball player to be a linebacker if he is a PG or a SG, but there too you need muscle.
It's not a case of "getting big for the sake of getting big". If UConn continues to recruit the same type of body, they have to bulk up or they will continue to be overpowered by the bigger teams - which are the top 5 in the AAC and nearly every team in the NBE, ACC, B10 etc.
Size is important. You can't add strength without adding size.
BTW - Tyler Phommachanh is a 39% 3pt shooter who hasn't learned to create his own shot - he by no means is a polished shooter

 

[HuskyHawk]

Two huge parts of the ACL recovery process are 1) how hard you rehab, and 2) mental. Mental is huge in coming back with confidence after a torn ACL. That's why every case is different and why some guys aren't the same afterwards.

This is where the comparison to Larrier hits home for me. Both guys were already wary of going inside and taking contact with bigger bodies. It showed in how tentative Larrier was, he became a jump shooter and just that while being our 4. Now that is closer to Polley’s normall role, but he’d have to defend bigs and fight for rebounds.

 

[Fatroony5]

Idk what it is about this boards obsession with getting big for the sake of getting big. He’s a shooter, he’s not a physical banger. It’s good to add strength but we don’t need him to get to being a linebacker and have it affect his 3 point shooting.

UConn has been recruiting kids that have little or no bulk, going for kids who can jump out of the gym and jam spectacularly in high school ball. Once the group gets on the court in D1 play, 90% of the time it looks like boys vs men. Their once awed at ability to jump out of the gym is equaled by men who are bigger, stronger and faster.
UConn can compete with Memphis because they too are slight and that's why they are having trouble vs many other teams.
If you have Polley playing the 4 he better be a physical banger because that's what the position calls. Nobody wants a basketball player to be a linebacker if he is a PG or a SG, but there too you need muscle.
It's not a case of "getting big for the sake of getting big". If UConn continues to recruit the same type of body, they have to bulk up or they will continue to be overpowered by the bigger teams - which are the top 5 in the AAC and nearly every team in the NBE, ACC, B10 etc.
Size is important. You can't add strength without adding size.
BTW - Tyler Phommachanh is a 39% 3pt shooter who hasn't learned to create his own shot - he by no means is a polished shooter

Of course size is important, I’ve never said it wasn’t. But a lot of what you’re getting at is due to the previous coaches lack of ability to recruit the right type of players as well. DH has proven he can identify talent and if you can’t see that, idk what to tell you. If that means some guys are “more slender” so be it, they’re improving and wining games now. I’d say they were losing games earlier in the season due to poor decision making by the upperclassmen. They’ve cleaned that up a bit now. You guys want JB to get to 205 and Tyler Phommachanh to be some kind of physical banger like Igbanu. Tyler Phommachanh is not going to be guarding physical 4s next season, when was he doing that this year? He’s a set shooter, and shot over 40% from 3 this season. How is that not good? He’ll prolly be even more specialized next season given JB emergence and him coming off an injury.

my point was, people on the board want guys to just “bulk up” and have no clue about strength and conditioning. Certain body types are more adaptable to that, ala BA. I agree adding more physical guards and front court players is a need. If you follow the guys they are recruiting in the front court, they seem to be targeting that. Just takes time to do that. But give me a guy like JB and AA anyday.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

What's the term called when you use one historical example to make a generality about another separate situation?

Boneyardin'?

 

[Storrs South]

Have heard Hurley loves his offensive rebounding.

Gives me hope to not be overly concerned with losing CV on rebounding front next season, plus for as poorly as JC has been offensively, he has been a beast on the boards: 10+ rebounds 2 of the last 3 games plus Whaley get his too.

 

[Waterbury]

AJ Price tore his ACL during the 2008 NCAA Tournament. He came back pretty much 100% to start the 2008-2009 season, a year in which he was a main contributor for a Final Four run. I think Polley will be fine.

I agree with this. The science behind ACL reconstruction and how to rehab it has been getting better and better. I expect Polley to be back at or near the beginning of the season, and ready to play as much minutes as needed when conference play starts. Sadly, Akok is another story and will likely use his medical red shirt.

 

[JimHurley]

People need to pump the breaks on being a Top 10 team next year. Our bigs aren't of that caliber. And the BE is significantly better than the AAC. I keep repeating this because it's crazy: 1-11 DePaul is 80 in KenPom, right between SMU and Tulsa. 1-11 DePaul would be favored at home against every team in this league except Houston and Cincy. That's you're "gimme."

They'll be better than this year, and I think their record will be a little better, but unless Bouk is on an AA team to end the year, they'll be a tournament team that, if the chips fall the right way, they might be able to make a little run.

We don’t need dominate big men to win games. See 2014. We still have Cole, Gaffney, Adams, Bouknight, Jackson, and Wilson.

 

[tzznandrew]

We don’t need dominate big men to win games. See 2014. We still have Cole, Gaffney, Adams, Bouknight, Jackson, and Wilson.

2014 had a First Team AA, another junior PG who played unbelievable defense, a kid who shot 50% from 3 and could guard 4 positions on the court, and a big who got double-doubles while being able to score from 3 and in the paint, and a center who averaged over 2 blocks per game in barely 16 minutes (so almost 6 per 40). In addition to vets who had already won a title and a bench that had a player like Lasan Kromah on it.

Even then, they lost 8 games and were only Top 20 most (but not all) of the year. They came on strong at the end of the year, but the kids you're counting on are either too young or too inexperienced against actual competition.

 

[auror]

Much is being discussed about our need for a center I don’t see it. We’ll have 2 senior centers, who’ve been part of our rotation for 4 years, Richie Springs who is 6’10ish(?) now and a 7 foot freshman. What we need is a hybrid/stretch forward with Akok likely out and Polley coming off injury. A tough 6’7/6’8 kid who can rebound and hit 3s would be ideal.

We need to just pluck one of SMU's wings/mobile bigs who can shoot. Jolly, Mike, or Hunt, I don't care which one. We just need one of those guys. They're all Polley+ or Sid+ upgrades. We'll have Whaley and Springs who can play a big 4. We need a small ball 4 who can stretch and attack a closeout and rebound/defend bigs for stretches on D.

 

[Bonk]

We need to just pluck one of SMU's wings/mobile bigs who can shoot. Jolly, Mike, or Hunt, I don't care which one. We just need one of those guys. They're all Polley+ or Sid+ upgrades. We'll have Whaley and Springs who can play a big 4. We need a small ball 4 who can stretch and attack a closeout and rebound/defend bigs for stretches on D.

I kinda disagree here, I think we are all set with 6'7 guys (Jackson, Polley, Sid) I'd rather bring in another ball handling shooter who is maybe 6'4/6'5 or just bring in a 6'9+ big.

There will be plenty of times next year we'll see Hurley go small and put Jackson at the 4 because he is a capable rebounder and defender

 

[auror]

I kinda disagree here, I think we are all set with 6'7 guys (Jackson, Polley, Sid) I'd rather bring in another ball handling shooter who is maybe 6'4/6'5 or just bring in a 6'9+ big.

There will be plenty of times next year we'll see Hurley go small and put Jackson at the 4 because he is a capable rebounder and defender

Jackson will be a freshman, and he is the same weight as Bouknight. Asking him to defend college 4s seems like a tough sell out of the gate. He's got the athleticism, but he's bound to get pushed around. Maybe in certain slender matchups, but I think we need someone in that spot for more dependable minutes (essentially for this year only. Perfect for a grad transfer.)

Polley and Sid have not consistently shown to be starter quality players on an NCAA tournament team and we have not seen enough growth to confidently project them forward as such at this point in their careers. Plus some combination of these guys are likely to be at the 3 for much of the game.

 

[Bonehead]

I just did a little research on this kid, and if he becomes available, the staff should make him a number one priority for next season. We like to judge these mid major kids on how they played vs top D1 competition. I know UNC is having a down year, but Bruner had 17 pts, 15 boards, while shooting 2-4 from three point range. I think he would be a good choice to bridge the gap if Akok misses the entire season and while we wait for Javonte Brown Ferguson to develop.

Yale is by far the best basketball team in the state and headed to the Dance.

He isnt becoming available.

 

[nadavtheman]

We could use Cliff now more than ever. Can now promise him big minutes if we haven't already

 

[Fatroony5]

Yale is by far the best basketball team in the state and headed to the Dance.

He isnt becoming available.

By far the best team in the state? UConn will be better than Yale next season. Bruner will be coming available as he is set to graduate after redshirting a season. Ivey league does not allow grad players. See Seth Towns as an example...

 

[Bonehead]

By far the best team in the state? UConn will be better than Yale next season. Bruner will be coming available as he is set to graduate after redshirting a season. Ivey league does not allow grad players. See Seth Towns as an example...

Good info on the Ivy rules. Thanks!!

And yes, Yale is the best team in the state and no one on that team would be interested in transferring to UConn if not for weird Ivy league redshirting rules.

 

[JimHurley]

2014 had a First Team AA, another junior PG who played unbelievable defense, a kid who shot 50% from 3 and could guard 4 positions on the court, and a big who got double-doubles while being able to score from 3 and in the paint, and a center who averaged over 2 blocks per game in barely 16 minutes (so almost 6 per 40). In addition to vets who had already won a title and a bench that had a player like Lasan Kromah on it.

Even then, they lost 8 games and were only Top 20 most (but not all) of the year. They came on strong at the end of the year, but the kids you're counting on are either too young or too inexperienced against actual competition.

Yeah not saying we are NC good next year. Just saying we don’t need a dominant front court to win. I think lots of people are underestimating our backcourt next year.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Lot of if’s with two wings injured

Good thing we only need Polley to come off the bench and hit three's. He wasn't athletic prior to his injury like Larrier was.

if you where Polley’s friend/ advisor would you recommend he come back early to play 15 minutes a game his senior year.
Or would you want him to be 100% and much stronger as a Post Grad.
His options become so much greater if he does the later. Either at UConn if there is a spot or someplace else
As far as him playing the four, We certainly could use him there with Akok out. .

Idk what it is about this boards obsession with getting big for the sake of getting big. He’s a shooter, he’s not a physical banger. It’s good to add strength but we don’t need him to get to being a linebacker and have it affect his 3 point shooting.

UConn has been recruiting kids that have little or no bulk, going for kids who can jump out of the gym and jam spectacularly in high school ball. Once the group gets on the court in D1 play, 90% of the time it looks like boys vs men. Their once awed at ability to jump out of the gym is equaled by men who are bigger, stronger and faster.
UConn can compete with Memphis because they too are slight and that's why they are having trouble vs many other teams.
If you have Polley playing the 4 he better be a physical banger because that's what the position calls. Nobody wants a basketball player to be a linebacker if he is a PG or a SG, but there too you need muscle.
It's not a case of "getting big for the sake of getting big". If UConn continues to recruit the same type of body, they have to bulk up or they will continue to be overpowered by the bigger teams - which are the top 5 in the AAC and nearly every team in the NBE, ACC, B10 etc.
Size is important. You can't add strength without adding size.
BTW - Tyler Phommachanh is a 39% 3pt shooter who hasn't learned to create his own shot - he by no means is a polished shooter

Akok was a banger? We won a NC with DD at the four shooting 41% from the three.

 

[Fatroony5]

Good info on the Ivy rules. Thanks!!

And yes, Yale is the best team in the state and no one on that team would be interested in transferring to UConn if not for weird Ivy league redshirting rules.

Listen, Yale is a good team and I like Coach Jones a lot. But they would prolly be on the bubble and not make the tournament if they didn’t win their league. Their NET is 57 and KenPom 50. Compare that to UConn who is 71 and 63 respectively. They’re prolly close to their ceiling. UConn’s ceiling next season is higher than that. Add that with playing in the Big Eaat, I think it’s silly to think “no guys from Yale would wanna play here.” Did you watch the game yesterday? Yale can’t offer that.

 

[Bonehead]

brooms out!

 

[Bonehead]

Listen, Yale is a good team and I like Coach Jones a lot. But they would prolly be on the bubble and not make the tournament if they didn’t win their league. Their NET is 57 and KenPom 50. Compare that to UConn who is 71 and 63 respectively. They’re prolly close to their ceiling. UConn’s ceiling next season is higher than that. Add that with playing in the Big Eaat, I think it’s silly to think “no guys from Yale would wanna play here.” Did you watch the game yesterday? Yale can’t offer that.

Good analysis.

Did you see the class syllabus at Yale? UConn cant offer that.

 

[HooperScooper]

Good info on the Ivy rules. Thanks!!

And yes, Yale is the best team in the state and no one on that team would be interested in transferring to UConn if not for weird Ivy league redshirting rules.

ESPN recently had a highlight article on Ivy League transfer rules and if it's good for the players or not. If you're bored and want to read up on it.

Is the Ivy League transfer policy helping players or hurting them?

A 66-year-old rule and untimely injuries have cast players like Columbia's Mike Smith out of the Ivy League before the end of their collegiate careers.

www.espn.com

 

[Martin]

I still say we are well on track for a tournament bid next year. Even with the injuries we’re 2 deep at every position.

PG: Cole, Gaffney
SG: Bouknight, Adams
SF: Jackson, Wilson
PF: Whaley, Springs
C: Carlton, Brown-Ferguson

I can’t be the only one thinking that squad alone has the chance to be really good. Allow Polley + Akok to ease in if they’re recovery allows and all is good. The 10 listed above will make some noise in the Big East.

I am no where near as bullish as you are for next year. I feel like this current team ha a better chance this year than next year in the NBE. Hope you are right!

 

[metsfan2323]

I am no where near as bullish as you are for next year. I feel like this current team ha a better chance this year than next year in the NBE. Hope you are right!

Comparing this years team to next year we will have:

Better PG play and better depth at PG.
Better two guard play assuming Bouk is back
Better play from the small forward position with Jackson, Wilson and occasionally Adams.
Better play from the 4 with Whaley and Springs
and Better play from Center with Carlton and Ferguson.

Other than that.....

 

[Okafour rings]

Gives me hope to not be overly concerned with losing CV on rebounding front next season, plus for as poorly as JC has been offensively, he has been a beast on the boards: 10+ rebounds 2 of the last 3 games plus Whaley get his too.

But please keep in mind that half if not more of Carlton's offensive rebounds are of his own missed shots around the rim...at least 2-3 per game.