2020 Recruiting: Fatts Russell

[bmayuc]

We should get him just so we can trot out this lineup

PG Fatts
SG Bouk Club
SF I dunno you figure it out
PF Porkchop
C The Chef

 

[UConnRock]

Can't take Fatts if AG stays. That is very obvious. With Akok out for essentially all of next season, going guard heavy, especially another sub 6' PG is extreme. If AG departs, there is still a bottleneck at PG with 2 all- conference transfers (Cole and Fatts) and Gaffney who started the latter half of the year.

 

[Storrs South]

Some pretty wild takes in here. He would come in immediately as one, if not, the best players on the team.

The highest Points Over Replacement Per Adjusted Game at that Usage (PORPAGATU!) for UConn this season was Vital (3.9) followed by Bouknight (3.1). Fatts was 4.2 (80th best in the country). Again from my Cole post earlier this year, think of this like WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Alternatively, by Box Plus/Minus, Vital was 8.6 and Bouknight 4.4. Fatts was 7.6 (51st in the country).

I don't think anyone was expecting to replace Vital and instead the stats spread out between Bouk/Cole, but Fatts would come in and basically be able replicate the scoring numbers (Vital 34% from 3 this year, Fatts 36% from 3 this year).

Fatts gets to the line a little bit more, but obviously very few shoot it at the same FT clip as CV (althought Fatts shot better at the FT as a junior than CV as a junior so maybe this continues to improve). And as @UConnStats noted his 2P% (both at the rim and mid range) isn't great, but even so still a very effective player as the advanced metrics show.

Would be a huge get for UConn & Hurley.

 

[Bonk]

Would Gaffney and Cole be pissed off about another PG in the mix? I'd love to take him but our shooting and defense may be compromised by asking Cole and Gaffney to guard bigger guards. We'd probably ask Gaffney to be more of an off ball shooter than he is used to which is risky.

I trust Hurley knows exactly what he's doing. I'd predict a lot of 4 guard lineups.

 

[Ajs120102]

Some pretty wild takes in here. He would come in immediately as one, if not, the best players on the team.

The highest Points Over Replacement Per Adjusted Game at that Usage (PORPAGATU!) for UConn this season was Vital (3.9) followed by Bouknight (3.1). Fatts was 4.2 (80th best in the country). Again from my Cole post earlier this year, think of this like WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Alternatively, by Box Plus/Minus, Vital was 8.6 and Bouknight 4.4. Fatts was 7.6 (51st in the country).

I don't think anyone was expecting to replace Vital and instead the stats spread out between Bouk/Cole, but Fatts would come in and basically be able replicate the scoring numbers (Vital 34% from 3 this year, Fatts 36% from 3 this year).

Fatts gets to the line a little bit more, but obviously very few shoot it at the same FT clip as CV (althought Fatts shot better at the FT as a junior than CV as a junior so maybe this continues to improve). And as @UConnStats noted his 2P% (both at the rim and mid range) isn't great, but even so still a very effective player as the advanced metrics show.

Would be a huge get for UConn & Hurley.

Not huge, season changing. He’s that type of player.

 

[Fatroony5]

Some pretty wild takes in here. He would come in immediately as one, if not, the best players on the team.

The highest Points Over Replacement Per Adjusted Game at that Usage (PORPAGATU!) for UConn this season was Vital (3.9) followed by Bouknight (3.1). Fatts was 4.2 (80th best in the country). Again from my Cole post earlier this year, think of this like WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Alternatively, by Box Plus/Minus, Vital was 8.6 and Bouknight 4.4. Fatts was 7.6 (51st in the country).

I don't think anyone was expecting to replace Vital and instead the stats spread out between Bouk/Cole, but Fatts would come in and basically be able replicate the scoring numbers (Vital 34% from 3 this year, Fatts 36% from 3 this year).

Fatts gets to the line a little bit more, but obviously very few shoot it at the same FT clip as CV (althought Fatts shot better at the FT as a junior than CV as a junior so maybe this continues to improve). And as @UConnStats noted his 2P% (both at the rim and mid range) isn't great, but even so still a very effective player as the advanced metrics show.

Would be a huge get for UConn & Hurley.

People who are saying that haven’t watched him play. If it wasn’t for Obi Toppins breakout season, he would’ve been the player of the year in the A-10. People need to listen to the way DH raves about him, he’s a big time player. If he ends up transferring and comes to UConn, he’d be considered arguably the best transfer player in the country. Guys like him don’t come available like this, it’s a no brainer if it can work out.

 

[bigknight3]

Some pretty wild takes in here. He would come in immediately as one, if not, the best players on the team.

The highest Points Over Replacement Per Adjusted Game at that Usage (PORPAGATU!) for UConn this season was Vital (3.9) followed by Bouknight (3.1). Fatts was 4.2 (80th best in the country). Again from my Cole post earlier this year, think of this like WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Alternatively, by Box Plus/Minus, Vital was 8.6 and Bouknight 4.4. Fatts was 7.6 (51st in the country).

I don't think anyone was expecting to replace Vital and instead the stats spread out between Bouk/Cole, but Fatts would come in and basically be able replicate the scoring numbers (Vital 34% from 3 this year, Fatts 36% from 3 this year).

Fatts gets to the line a little bit more, but obviously very few shoot it at the same FT clip as CV (althought Fatts shot better at the FT as a junior than CV as a junior so maybe this continues to improve). And as @UConnStats noted his 2P% (both at the rim and mid range) isn't great, but even so still a very effective player as the advanced metrics show.

Would be a huge get for UConn & Hurley.

The comparison to CV is less important than the comparison to Cole's last year. Aren't their skill sets duplicated (just from observation of highlight clips)..? Aside from Fatts' steals per game.

 

[Pgh2Storrs]

I try to stay away from statements bordering on hyperbole as there’s enough of that here, but I’ll go out on a limb. If this happens, we’re a top 10 preseason team next year.

This kid is that special. Landing him would take us from a 20-25 ranked team that likely should be shooting for a top 5 finish in the Big East to, well, something bigger than that.

 

[Rico444]

Don't watch them a lot but watched I believe their last regular season game and he singlehandedly lost that game for them. You guys that hammered on AG would've thought AG was God in comparison to this performance down the stretch. He's good sometimes it would seem, maybe 1 of 3 games and not so good many others. That 39% overall is enough for me to look the other ay but this is on DH.

I'm sure he was bad in that game, but I can't imagine what your thoughts would be on AG if you weren't a UConn fan and the only game you watched was the Xavier game...

 

[superjohn]

For this team... Next year... Gilbert>Fatts

If no Gilbert and only one scholly... Big>Fatts

If we have two scholarships... And we get a big and another guard, sure you can bring him in. But he duplicates RJ's usage and then would limit Gaffney's minutes and growth.

I love AG but Fatts was lightyears better than him this year.

Don't watch them a lot but watched I believe their last regular season game and he singlehandedly lost that game for them. You guys that hammered on AG would've thought AG was God in comparison to this performance down the stretch. He's good sometimes it would seem, maybe 1 of 3 games and not so good many others. That 39% overall is enough for me to look the other ay but this is on DH.

They didn't lose that game. 39% is enough for you to look the other way? It's virtually the same as what Vital shot and a significantly better than AG. No AG perfomances down the stretch were godlike compared to Russell.

Didn't watch it that closely I apologize but they nipped a team they should've hammered my bad. Point is his decision making down the stretch wasn't good at all. He was dreadful for the last 5 games in which they took themselves off the bubble and he was instrumental. But maybe you enjoy watching a guy go on a 5 game streak, end of the year when needed, at a 17 for 70 clip from the court and 7 for 27 from 3? Good for you 7774. Imagine how many would've treated AG or CV if that had happened?

Having said I trust Danny then I'm a fan if it goes in that direction.

It's called a shooting slump, Vital had it for the season outside of the last month. AG didn't shoot well pretty much the whole season. Fatts only didn't win A10 player of the year because Toppin was the best player in the country. The kid scores in bunches, has a really good assist to turnover ratio, leads the nation in steals, and always goes 100%. You would be crazy not to want him.

 

[UConnStats]

Some pretty wild takes in here. He would come in immediately as one, if not, the best players on the team.

The highest Points Over Replacement Per Adjusted Game at that Usage (PORPAGATU!) for UConn this season was Vital (3.9) followed by Bouknight (3.1). Fatts was 4.2 (80th best in the country). Again from my Cole post earlier this year, think of this like WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Alternatively, by Box Plus/Minus, Vital was 8.6 and Bouknight 4.4. Fatts was 7.6 (51st in the country).

I don't think anyone was expecting to replace Vital and instead the stats spread out between Bouk/Cole, but Fatts would come in and basically be able replicate the scoring numbers (Vital 34% from 3 this year, Fatts 36% from 3 this year).

Fatts gets to the line a little bit more, but obviously very few shoot it at the same FT clip as CV (althought Fatts shot better at the FT as a junior than CV as a junior so maybe this continues to improve). And as @UConnStats noted his 2P% (both at the rim and mid range) isn't great, but even so still a very effective player as the advanced metrics show.

Would be a huge get for UConn & Hurley.

Couldn’t have said it any better.

To echo this, by any advanced metric you want to use to holistically evaluate performance, Russell would have been either #1 or #2 on this team with Vital. Forget comparing him to Gilbert.

 

[Huskybass]

Can't take Fatts if AG stays. That is very obvious. With Akok out for essentially all of next season, going guard heavy, especially another sub 6' PG is extreme. If AG departs, there is still a bottleneck at PG with 2 all- conference transfers (Cole and Fatts) and Gaffney who started the latter half of the year.

Considering we usually win National Championships with 2 quality point guards, I would consider having 3 a bonus.

Remember we were down one scholarship this season, plus Cole and Springs had to sit out. We have all 13 scholarships active next season, so having 5 or even 6 guards won't be an issue.

 

[Caronimo]

Would Gaffney and Cole be pissed off about another PG in the mix? I'd love to take him but our shooting and defense may be compromised by asking Cole and Gaffney to guard bigger guards. We'd probably ask Gaffney to be more of an off ball shooter than he is used to which is risky.

I trust Hurley knows exactly what he's doing. I'd predict a lot of 4 guard lineups.

Hurley has said many times that his ideal lineup is 3 guards, a stretch 4 (jackson/polley type) and a good center. I think if anything, Polley and Wilson would feel slighted. I could see Cole and Gaffney being annoyed, but they seem like team players who will still be playing a ton of minutes. The goal is a championship.

 

[UConnStats]

Bazz and Boat did the short guys thing ok

 

[CL82]

Some pretty wild takes in here. He would come in immediately as one, if not, the best players on the team.

The highest Points Over Replacement Per Adjusted Game at that Usage (PORPAGATU!) for UConn this season was Vital (3.9) followed by Bouknight (3.1). Fatts was 4.2 (80th best in the country). Again from my Cole post earlier this year, think of this like WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Alternatively, by Box Plus/Minus, Vital was 8.6 and Bouknight 4.4. Fatts was 7.6 (51st in the country).

I don't think anyone was expecting to replace Vital and instead the stats spread out between Bouk/Cole, but Fatts would come in and basically be able replicate the scoring numbers (Vital 34% from 3 this year, Fatts 36% from 3 this year).

Fatts gets to the line a little bit more, but obviously very few shoot it at the same FT clip as CV (althought Fatts shot better at the FT as a junior than CV as a junior so maybe this continues to improve). And as @UConnStats noted his 2P% (both at the rim and mid range) isn't great, but even so still a very effective player as the advanced metrics show.

Would be a huge get for UConn & Hurley.

This. Fatts makes a lot more sense if you think of either him or Cole as a 2 rather than lumping Cole, Fatts and Gaffney as point guards. UConn has had success essentially playing two point guards with Boat and Bazz being the most recent. He definitely will take minutes from Gaffney and Adams, but it is workable. Having Cole, Fatts, Bouknight and Jackson on the court at the same time gives us a crazy amount of firepower. Who do you sag off of? If it is the center's guy, teams would leave themselves open to the dump down and easy lay up.

I don't love single year transfers, but Fatts fits in nicely.

 

[fatlucy]

Bazz and Boat did the short guys thing ok

Not to mention Kemba/Bazz

 

[Mooch82]

Can't take Fatts if AG stays. That is very obvious. With Akok out for essentially all of next season, going guard heavy, especially another sub 6' PG is extreme. If AG departs, there is still a bottleneck at PG with 2 all- conference transfers (Cole and Fatts) and Gaffney who started the latter half of the year.

Any chance we can transform Fatts into a 6'10", 245 pound beast who averages 18 and 12 for us next year?

 

[BGesus4]

Any chance we can transform Fatts into a 6'10", 245 pound beast who averages 18 and 12 for us next year?

@Sal

 

[UofCT]

Not to mention Kemba/Bazz

And Price/Kemba

 

[UConnRock]

And Price/Kemba

Khalid/Ricky

 

[bigknight3]

Khalid/Ricky

Ricky/Bobby

 

[McLovin]

Literally 5 days ago almost everyone on here was begging for AG to come back, saying we couldn’t replace him with a better talent. Now the boneyard has packed his bags for him. The people here sometimes...

Also, are we still working Big Mac to reclassify, and if so how does that fit into this situation?

 

[rip7774]

I watched a ton of URI games this year as we mentored a player that's there now.

Let me just say he's kinda a poor man's Iverson. He is crazy explosive, tough and quick and a scorer first. Again, nowhere near Iverson, he was a GOAT of little guards. But Boatright with a better shot in some respects and not as good defensively. I had always thought Dowtin was the man there, but it's clearly Russell.

He was easily my favorite non-UConn player i've seen in years. Admittedly I have a severe case of KO PTSD (still a ton of kids he passed on) so I can't watch anything but, mid majors and now this year the Big East.

I had always thought Hurley was going to bend over backwards to not take a kid from there (almost too much IMO but honorable) but if the kid is def leaving, maybe he amends his policy.

Definitely thought URI gonna fall off a cliff with Dowtin and Langevine gone and Harris has shown little.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm sure he was bad in that game, but I can't imagine what your thoughts would be on AG if you weren't a UConn fan and the only game you watched was the Xavier game...

I noted the last 5 though didn't I? Those were key games for URI down the stretch for a team that was on Lunardi's "last 4 in" "last 4 out" lists at the time. That's crunch time right and 17-70 ain't pretty. I'm just noting a 5'9" at best PG who shoots 39% and shoots a lot isn't exactly what I'm throwing it all in for but I also know I could be wrong. The games he's good he does some special stuff but will that fit in with what we saw late 2020 Huskies?

 

[navery12]

Literally 5 days ago almost everyone on here was begging for AG to come back, saying we couldn’t replace him with a better talent. Now the boneyard has packed his bags for him. The people here sometimes...

Also, are we still working Big Mac to reclassify, and if so how does that fit into this situation?

When the options change from the recruits leftover in April to a guy who would be the best player on your team it's easy to flip.

Regarding Mac, Hurley has said he wants a guard and a big so should be 2 separate decisions