2020 Recruiting Wish List

[Ricker]

I'm interested who the boneyard sees as the most impactful, (and possible), players to add to the team in the next recruiting cycle.
Assuming Manuel is added for this year, if Gilbert stays, we have Vital's spot and our penalized scholarship. This is the first year that I'm entering July without a rooting interest as to our recruiting targets. I'm assuming we will target 1 front court player and 1 backcourt/wing replacing Vital. (A ball handler by transfer or late commit in the spring if Gilbert is leaving).

If Gilbert stays we have 3 ball handlers with Cole, and Gaffney. Jackson at wing doesn't upgrade our shooting and seems redundant to Wilson & Bouknight & Adams. I haven't been able to figure out what Springs at power forward would give us that improves the team. I've only seen him twice but never saw anything worthy. The wide body kid from Ohio seems too earthbound to be effective. Diarra would seem to give us a good hard nosed guard like Vital but my understanding is that he is a lesser pure shooter. Langford? He seems redundant to B Adams. Per Verbal commits neither Diarra nor Langford is listed as offered. Taelon Martin has dropped from a 5 star prodigy to over 200, what has happened there?

My current thought is 1 of Diarra/Langford and hold open a scholly for a big big foreign or domestic in the spring. I just don't see who moves the needle for us in this class. Mark Williams is interesting but I'm not sensing the interest is mutual.

Welcome your thoughts

 

[Pgh2Storrs]

Hassan Diarra and Andre Jackson. Whether we’ll have more than 2 spots available isn’t clear at the moment, but give me those guys and a big and I’m a supremely happy camper.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Diarra
Abdur-Rahim
Jackson
Center

 

[HanDurley]

not langford

 

[Austin316]

Austin’s wish bones:

G/SF
Cam Thomas
Hassan Diarra
Abdur-Rahim
Andre Jackson

PF/Big
Cliff
John Hugley
Richie Springs

 

[WrenchFan69]

Andre Jackson and Mark Williams

 

[JimHurley]

Unrealistic wish list:
Andre Curbelo
Cam Thomas
Matt Cross
Cliff Omoruyi

Realistic wish list:
Hassan Diarra
Andre Jackson
Richie Springs
Noah Collier

 

[UconnU]

ideally a class that gives us a guard, wing and center(even if we land Manuel). I’d like to see another sizeable 3 or 4 kid class, maybe another transfer bringing the class to 4-5. We need to turnover and upgrade the talent on this roster still. I think we’ll have the scholarships to do it too. Abdur-Rahim and Jackson are sure things, if we can land one of them that would be ideal. As far as centers id like to see us upgrade our athleticism at the position. I don’t like the centers we have now for what Hurley is looking to do. Getting tougher, grittier and keeping top local talent are also things were looking to do so a kid like Diarra would be perfect.

 

[UConnStats]

My wish list in order by position with likelihood in parenthesis.

PG:
Mané (long shot)
Curbelo (tough get)
Diarra (possible if we ever offer)

SG:
Thomas (very long shot)
Mashburn (not actively recruiting)
Langford (realistic but not a priority)

SF:
Abdur-Rahim (long shot)
Cross (long shot - didn’t chase hard)
Jackson (solid chance)
Richmond (realistic and one of my favorite sleepers)
Collier (fallback)

PF:
Jaylin Williams (not sure)
Lewis (long shot)
Ware (not sure)
Hugley (not sure)
Ambrose-Hylton (realistic)
Springs (very realistic)

C:
Mark Williams (not happening)
Omoruyi (long shot)
Aku (long shot - playing catch-up)
Cardwell (realistic)
Gray (fallback)

I think it will be a 3 man class when all is said and done, though. Right now I’m unsure if we add any guards.

 

[Son of Robert]

Watched some film on Andre Jackson. I can see why Hurley and staff are high on him. He is a big 2 guard or a wing, at 6'6 185 with a future pro body and athleticism. Speed, length, leaping ability, quickness. He appears to handle the ball very well and passes with court vision and touch. Offensively excellent in transition, a tall perimeter player with a quick first step, always a threat to drive and finish. Some have said he may not be the best shooter; I didn't see much shooting in these clips, just his skills as a slasher. This is the power of this coaching staff though, evaluating talent and potential, and the ability to develop the player. They must believe that Andre's ceiling is high, and that he is a great fit for how we are trying to play on both ends of the court.

 

[ucawn]

Cam
Diarra
Andre
Cliff

 

[WrenchFan69]

My wish list in order by position with likelihood in parenthesis.

PG:
Mané (long shot)
Curbelo (tough get)
Diarra (possible if we ever offer)

SG:
Thomas (very long shot)
Mashburn (not actively recruiting)
Langford (realistic but not a priority)

SF:
Abdur-Rahim (long shot)
Cross (long shot - didn’t chase hard)
Jackson (solid chance)
Richmond (realistic and one of my favorite sleepers)
Collier (fallback)

PF:
Jaylin Williams (not sure)
Lewis (long shot)
Ware (not sure)
Hugley (not sure)
Ambrose-Hylton (realistic)
Springs (very realistic)

C:
Mark Williams (not happening)
Omoruyi (long shot)
Aku (long shot - playing catch-up)
Cardwell (realistic)
Gray (fallback)

I think it will be a 3 man class when all is said and done, though. Right now I’m unsure if we add any guards.

Gun to your head who do you think we end up with?

 

[Lynyrd]

Would love Cam Thomas and/or Jabri Abdur-Rahim but as stated above not likely ... so of the potential options I would like to see any of the following (hoping we get Vlad) in a Husky uniform.

Diarra
Jackson
Cross
Springs

 

[mauconnfan]

Shooter at a position
Rebounder, physical 3/4
Big

 

[bendm]

2020 Depth Chart (assuming we get Manuel this year and Gilbert leaves next year):

Cole/Gaffney
Bouk/????
????/Wilson
Akok/????
Manuel/Carlton

need 2 wings and 1 big. now that we in the NBE the sky's the limit

thomas or abdur-rahim, jackson, and williams

 

[Pgh2Storrs]

Given the seismic nature of today’s news, if Manuel looks like it’s a tough needle to thread, I have a lot less issue with banking the scholarship until ‘20 and going into next year with 3-4 spots and all kinds of momentum stemming from the move

 

[UconnU]

Given the seismic nature of today’s news, if Manuel looks like it’s a tough needle to thread, I have a lot less issue with banking the scholarship until ‘20 and going into next year with 3-4 spots and all kinds of momentum stemming from the move

You still take Manuel if he’s eligible and wants to come. Dominated the JUCO level.

 

[Pgh2Storrs]

You still take Manuel if he’s eligible and wants to come. Dominated the JUCO level.

For sure. I guess my point was, if Manuel ends up a no-go, having that extra spot with all the momentum of the Big East announcement might be a pretty valuable piece and I won’t be nearly as bummed about it as I would have been previously.

In any event, we’re in very good shape moving forward.

 

[UConnStats]

Gun to your head who do you think we end up with?

Too early to say. For SF Jackson or Collier seem most likely. Springs should be ours if we want, but we’ll shoot our shots elsewhere first. Haven’t heard we’re in a great spot with any particular center, but we’re offering a lot of them so hopefully we can close on a good one this year. Haven’t been watching many guards, and I think we may not sign one this year.

 

[UconnU]

Ware (not sure)

Ware and Curbelo are the types of kids we probably couldn’t have landed in the AAC but will now be in the mix for. Very interested to see how recruiting for 2020 plays out.

 

[UConnStats]

Ware and Curbelo are the types of kids we probably couldn’t have landed in the AAC but will now be in the mix for. Very interested to see how recruiting for 2020 plays out.

I think we always would have had a shot at either, was more of a matter of how involved we were actually getting with them. Hurley watched Ware today which I was glad to see. I like his upside as a 4 that’s athletic and has the potential to stretch the floor a little with his jumper.

What would really move the needle for a big recruiting splash with the conference move would be Cam Thomas, but more realistically I think the home run swings will come starting 2021.

 

[jollari]

Cam Thomas strikes me as the best of the bunch - or at least at the top of my wish list. I’m continually surprised he’s not tied to the Dukes and Kansas’ of the world, but also glad. He’s a volume scorer, playing extremely high level competition and seems to gel well with other stars on the roster like Cole Anthony and Kofi - which says low maintenance to me. Doesn’t seem likely but would be thrilled to see Hurley land him.

 

[UConnStats]

Cam Thomas strikes me as the best of the bunch - or at least at the top of my wish list. I’m continually surprised he’s not tied to the Dukes and Kansas’ of the world, but also glad. He’s a volume scorer, playing extremely high level competition and seems to gel well with other stars on the roster like Cole Anthony and Kofi - which says low maintenance to me. Doesn’t seem likely but would be thrilled to see Hurley land him.

Kansas has offered him. Duke, UK, and UNC have not but are probably just starting with the one and dones and will then work their way backwards if necessary. Thomas might be the best scorer in the class, but he doesn’t have NBA size or athleticism at the 2 spot.

 

[tcf15]

C:
Aku (long shot - playing catch-up)

 

[WrenchFan69]

Tulsa and Houston? Should have stayed in the AAC /s