2020 Starting 5 & Bench

[navery12]

Cole, Bouk, Jackson, Martin, Whaley. If Martin has to sit then sub in Polley in at the 4

 

[AntG168]

Martin over Jackson?



Agree. I think he’ll be a 10-15 minute guy who’s role will be to hit 3s. He has a LOT of completion now, at both positions he plays.

This should have always been his role

 

[JimHurley]

This should have always been his role

100% correct. But the lack of talent has forced him into a main role. I think this year he plays the least amount minutes he’s ever played but is also the most efficient of his career.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Cole, Bouk, Jackson, Martin, Whaley. If Martin has to sit then sub in Polley in at the 4

This is more like it, though I'm still skeptical that Jackson starts. This is a good crunch time lineup though.

Gaffney backs up the 1/2. Brendan Adams backs up the 2/3. Polley and Akok (when healthy), and maybe Springs back up the 4. Carlton, Sanogo, and Javonte Brown Ferguson (if not redshirted) back up the 5. You basically have a 7 man rotation at the 1-4, with a lot of bigs options in case some don't pan out or if you want to go big on a matchup basis.

Not much flotsam on this roster, nor pieces that don't really have a role. Hurley has done a tremendous job turning things over without ostracizing the KO holdovers.

 

[Bazz4A]

I’m beyond thrilled about the flexibility next year, and don’t want to look too far down the road. But, assuming Bouknight leaves, I still think we’re in great shape two years from now too. Cole, Gaffney (or stud recruit at the 2), Jackson, Akok, and Sonogo as a starting 5? That lineup compliments each other so well. Keep it up Hurley!

 

[navery12]

This is more like it, though I'm still skeptical that Jackson starts. This is a good crunch time lineup though.

Gaffney backs up the 1/2. Brendan Adams backs up the 2/3. Polley and Akok (when healthy), and maybe Springs back up the 4. Carlton, Sanogo, and Javonte Brown Ferguson (if not redshirted) back up the 5. You basically have a 7 man rotation at the 1-4, with a lot of bigs options in case some don't pan out or if you want to go big on a matchup basis.

Not much flotsam on this roster, nor pieces that don't really have a role. Hurley has done a tremendous job turning things over without ostracizing the KO holdovers.

I wanted to put Gaffney as a starter over Jackson, and I think that's likely the lineup early if Jackson is on the same path as Bouknight where he gets slowly integrated.

But definitely agree that the minutes with 2 bigs have to be limited. The Sanogo addition doesn't change the ideal lineups I want as much as it makes me a lot more comfortable that we can go big when needed and won't have a talent dropoff

 

[husky429]

We'll have our best rebounding team in years. I was concerned about replacing CVs boards, But Martin and Sanogo have turned that around.

Richie, Sanogo, Whaley are are solid or better rebounders. Bouk did well for a guard, Martin was one of the best rebounders at his size around. Jackson has high potential as well.

 

[superjohn]

There is no flotsam on this roster, even with some of the great Calhoun years there was almost always a couple guys buried at the end of the bench who could barely play. I'm not saying it's our most talented team ever or anything but 1-13 it's going to be one of our deepest.

 

[JimHurley]

There is no flotsam on this roster, even with some of the great Calhoun years there was almost always a couple guys buried at the end of the bench who could barely play. I'm not saying it's our most talented team ever or anything but one 1-13 it's going to be one of our deepest.

This. Every guy has talent on this roster. If I was forced to pick, I'd say Polley/Springs/Ferguson might get the short end of the stick.

 

[elmcityboy]

it doesn't seem like hurley likes messing with the starting lineup all that much. it's a boring pick, but i am guessing he opens the season with the lineup that was successful at the end of the year, with cole subbed in for vital.

pg - gaff
sg - cole
sf - bouk
pf - whaley
c - carlton

but by the end of the year, i could see two of jackson, akok, and sanogo slotting in for the frontcourt spots.

 

[UConnRock]

Hurley is starting that pipeline of talent. The mix of 1-2 year projected NBA talent (Bouk, Jackson) with strong 3-4 year players that if they put in the work and develop could be drafted. But regardless of who gets drafted and when he is building up the depth to allow the team to prosper

 

[BlueMAB]

100% correct. But the lack of talent has forced him into a main role. I think this year he plays the least amount minutes he’s ever played but is also the most efficient of his career.

Fewer than the 13 mpg he played freshman year?

I agree I think he'll be the most efficient this season. But I can't see Hurley benching him if he's shooting 38-40% from three (didn't last year, but is capable) and putting in the effort on defense.

I think his minutes will be down from 25, but not lower than 20 mpg. A lot depends on Martin's eligibility.

 

[JimHurley]

Fewer than the 13 mpg he played freshman year?

I agree I think he'll be the most efficient this season. But I can't see Hurley benching him if he's shooting 38-40% from three (didn't last year, but is capable) and putting in the effort on defense.

I think his minutes will be down from 25, but not lower than 20 mpg. A lot depends on Martin's eligibility.

Yes. Look at the competition he had his freshman year at the 3+4 positions: Larrier, freshman Mamadou, freshman Whaley, Kwintin Williams. And look at his competition NOW at the 3+4 positions: Jackson, Martin, senior Whaley, Springs, Akok....

 

[BlueMAB]

Yes. Look at the competition he had his freshman year at the 3+4 positions: Larrier, freshman Mamadou, freshman Whaley, Kwintin Williams. And look at his competition NOW at the 3+4 positions: Jackson, Martin, senior Whaley, Springs, Akok....

True, but he is better from three than all of those guys, and we'll need that spacing. He's also good on the secondary break from three.

Jackson brings a different skill set, no reason they can't play together with Jackson's vision and unselfishness. His shot is improving, but remains a question mark at this level.

Akok has the form, but is not good from three (yet). If he can shoot 38%+, look out.

Martin shot around 30% from three at URI.

Whaley/Springs aren't stepping outside the arc.

What a great problem to finally have (again).

 

[JimHurley]

True, but he is better from three than all of those guys, and we'll need that spacing. He's also good on the secondary break from three.

Jackson brings a different skill set, no reason they can't play together with Jackson's vision and unselfishness. His shot is improving, but remains a question mark at this level.

Akok has the form, but is not good from three (yet). If he can shoot 38%+, look out.

Martin shot around 30% from three at URI.

Whaley/Springs aren't stepping outside the arc.

What a great problem to finally have (again).

Exactly.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

I don't know where some of you guys are getting the idea that there's a good chance a freshman will start to start the season. Hurley tends to favor big, veteran guards and upperclassmen in general. The young guys have to earn it, and snatch it away from the older guys. Bouknight wasn't handed a thing. And neither will Sanogo or Jackson.

You kind of have to do 2 lineups. The one to start the year, and the one starting in March.

November-
Cole
Bouknight
Martin
Whaley
Carlton

Adams, Gaffney, Polley, Jackson first off the bench. Adams could be ahead of Martin too, I'm not sure. And not sure what the Springs/Sanogo hierarchy will be come November, but both will see plenty of time. Javonte Brown Ferguson I'd imagine will have a tough time seeing the floor even without Akok. (Geez we are deep)

March-
Cole
Bouknight
Jackson
Akok
Sanogo

I hope Whaley and Carlton keep up with the other big guys and improve by the end of the season, but I think eventually the talent of Sanogo and return of Akok could overtake those guys starting spots. It's hard to say how Whaley's stellar play will hold up after a slog of Big East games (I want nothing more than Whaley to be a beast and get a look at the pro level, but we'll see). We might need the pure physicality of Sanogo and talent of Akok in the Big East over Whaley and Carlton. It all depends on if Akok gets back to 100%. And of course, I figure Springs to be right there in the mix as well as a big body to match up in the BE.

I also wonder about the trajectory of Gaffney- I think his ceiling is much higher than Cole, but I'm not sure how quickly we'll see that come to fruition. Assuming no injury, I think Gaffney will be a stud come his Junior season and be our starting PG.

We are going to freaking wear teams out if we stay healthy. I think we saw some of that early in the 2019-20 season, before injuries. And this team will be even more talented and athletic and deep.

 

[auror]

I don't think we're going to be playing people outside of Bouknight that many minutes.

High pressure, high intensity. Great D. Quick subs.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Starting line up for game 1

Gaffney
Bouk
Martin
Whaley
Carlton

By end of season

Gaffney
Bouk
Jackson
Akok
Whaley

I don't see Jackson's path to getting minutes being easier than it was last year for Bouk and it took Bouk several games before he became a starter. I'm being consistent with people sleeping on Gaff and have said he is an Ollie/T Brown type player who always is passed over by fans and, for some reason, coaches keep starting them.

Martin intrigues me if he is eligible like reports say he is.

Akok's speed, shot blocking and shooting get him the nod by end of season.

 

[JimHurley]

I don't know where some of you guys are getting the idea that there's a good chance a freshman will start to start the season. Hurley tends to favor big, veteran guards and upperclassmen in general. The young guys have to earn it, and snatch it away from the older guys. Bouknight wasn't handed a thing. And neither will Sanogo or Jackson.

You kind of have to do 2 lineups. The one to start the year, and the one starting in March.

November-
Cole
Bouknight
Martin
Whaley
Carlton

Adams, Gaffney, Polley, Jackson first off the bench. Adams could be ahead of Martin too, I'm not sure. And not sure what the Springs/Sanogo hierarchy will be come November, but both will see plenty of time. Javonte Brown Ferguson I'd imagine will have a tough time seeing the floor even without Akok. (Geez we are deep)

March-
Cole
Bouknight
Jackson
Akok
Sanogo

I hope Whaley and Carlton keep up with the other big guys and improve by the end of the season, but I think eventually the talent of Sanogo and return of Akok could overtake those guys starting spots. It's hard to say how Whaley's stellar play will hold up after a slog of Big East games (I want nothing more than Whaley to be a beast and get a look at the pro level, but we'll see). We might need the pure physicality of Sanogo and talent of Akok in the Big East over Whaley and Carlton. It all depends on if Akok gets back to 100%. And of course, I figure Springs to be right there in the mix as well as a big body to match up in the BE.

I also wonder about the trajectory of Gaffney- I think his ceiling is much higher than Cole, but I'm not sure how quickly we'll see that come to fruition. Assuming no injury, I think Gaffney will be a stud come his Junior season and be our starting PG.

We are going to freaking wear teams out if we stay healthy. I think we saw some of that early in the 2019-20 season, before injuries. And this team will be even more talented and athletic and deep.

I can’t see Carlton starting. Hurley openly called out his play/effort last year. He’s not the type of big man Hurley normally likes (not explosive, no real touch around the rim, not great on defense, average rebounder). I think if Sanogo doesn’t start at the 5 it will be Whaley.

 

[Lefty2one]

Assuming Martin will sit and Akok will miss the entire year. Is there even a chance that Martin is eligible next year?

At the moment I think the only people locked into a starting spot are Bouk and Whaley. I think it's very likely that Jackson starts all year (especially with Polley missing the beginning of the season). There are so many wildcards. How good is Cole? Is Polley his old self once he returns? Is Springs good enough that he'll force Hurley to make him a steady rotation piece this year? Is Sanogo ready to play 20 mpg as a freshman? Can Jackson play the four in small bursts? This season can go in a thousand different directions.

Despite debating it all winter, no one knows how good Cole will be. Nothing will surprise me with our PG situation. The data is not on his side for low-major kids transferring up to the big boys. Cole may end up being the starter. Gaffney may end up winning the job. My hunch is Gaffney will be a better fit with the starters and Cole will be the sparkplug off the bench. I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the floor together for short periods.

Off the ball, Bouk is our star and Jackson will likely get the start with Polley still recovering. I am not sure Jackson has the strength as a freshman to slot into the four outside of desperation situations. Adams got much stronger between his freshman and sophomore years, allowing him to give us minutes at the four, and having him there was never ideal to begin with. I can see Jackson getting time there as a sophomore but I'm not so sure he'll play there this season.

Up front, most fans are clamoring for us to go small all the time. I think we're going to play bigger than most fans want though Hurley will adjust based on the matchup. I'm not going to overreact to the stretch run of last season; it was easier to go small last year in the AAC than it'll be to go small in the Big East. We aren't winning many games in the BE with Whaley at the 5 and Adams at the 4.

I expect Whaley to play about 28 minutes: 18 at the five and 10 at the four. Sanogo and Carlton splitting the remaining 22 minutes at the five for a variety of reasons: foul trouble, matchups, etc. There will be games where Carlton will barely get off the pine. Javonte Brown Ferguson was never going to get a ton of minutes this year, even before Sanogo's commitment. He's a good redshirt candidate. Springs is a wildcard but I don't expect much from him.

Carlton's minutes will be interesting. He's given us 21 mpg for the last two seasons. I just don't see a three-year starter going down to fewer than ten minutes per game but it seems like a possibility. We saw with the Gilbert situation that Hurley isn't afraid to make moves that will ruffle some feathers.

Last season we had nine guys average 19+ minutes per game. If that continues this year it'll be:
1. Gaffney
2. Cole
3. Bouk
4. Jackson
5. Adams
6. Polley
7. Whaley
8. Sanogo
9. Carlton

I'd be surprised if Springs usurps Carlton for the final spot but he's a natural four and the rotation outlook seems to favor him.

By the end of the season my hunch is...

Gaffney/Cole
Bouk/Adams
Jackson/Polley
Polley/Springs/Whaley
Whaley/Sanogo/Carlton

 

[Chin Diesel]

Assuming Martin will sit and Akok will miss the entire year. Is there even a chance that Martin is eligible next year?

At the moment I think the only people locked into a starting spot are Bouk and Whaley. I think it's very likely that Jackson starts all year (especially with Polley missing the beginning of the season). There are so many wildcards. How good is Cole? Is Polley his old self once he returns? Is Springs good enough that he'll force Hurley to make him a steady rotation piece this year? Is Sanogo ready to play 20 mpg as a freshman? Can Jackson play the four in small bursts? This season can go in a thousand different directions.

Despite debating it all winter, no one knows how good Cole will be. Nothing will surprise me with our PG situation. The data is not on his side for low-major kids transferring up to the big boys. Cole may end up being the starter. Gaffney may end up winning the job. My hunch is Gaffney will be a better fit with the starters and Cole will be the sparkplug off the bench. I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the floor together for short periods.

Off the ball, Bouk is our star and Jackson will likely get the start with Polley still recovering. I am not sure Jackson has the strength as a freshman to slot into the four outside of desperation situations. Adams got much stronger between his freshman and sophomore years, allowing him to give us minutes at the four, and having him there was never ideal to begin with. I can see Jackson getting time there as a sophomore but I'm not so sure he'll play there this season.

Up front, most fans are clamoring for us to go small all the time. I think we're going to play bigger than most fans want though Hurley will adjust on the matchup. I'm not going to overreact to the stretch run of last season; it was easier to go small last year in the AAC than it'll be to go small in the Big East. We aren't winning many games in the BE with Whaley at the 5 and Adams at the 4.

I expect Whaley to play about 28 minutes: 18 at the five and 10 at the four. Sanogo and Carlton splitting the remaining 22 minutes at the five for a variety of reasons: foul trouble, matchups, etc. There will be games where Carlton will barely get off the pine. Javonte Brown Ferguson was never going to get a ton of minutes this year, even before Sanogo's commitment. He's a good redshirt candidate. Springs is a wildcard but I don't expect much from him.

Carlton's minutes will be interesting. He's given us 21 mpg for the last two seasons. I just don't see a three-year starter going down to fewer than ten minutes per game but it seems like a possibility. We saw with the Gilbert situation that Hurley isn't afraid to make moves that will ruffle some feathers.

Last season we had nine guys average 19+ minutes per game. If that continues this year it'll be:
1. Gaffney
2. Cole
3. Bouk
4. Jackson
5. Adams
6. Polley
7. Whaley
8. Sanogo
9. Carlton

I'd be surprised if Springs usurps Carlton for the final spot but he's a natural four and the rotation outlook seems to favor him.

By the end of the season my hunch is...

Gaffney/Cole
Bouk/Adams
Jackson/Polley
Polley/Springs/Whaley
Whaley/Sanogo/Carlton

So, Akok out for the year in your rotations?

 

[HanDurley]

Hearing Javonte Brown Ferguson will likely redshirt, and Martin will sit out like RJ Cole did. Fluid situation due to injuries and COVID, but that was initial plan.

 

[Psolo12]

Hearing Javonte Brown Ferguson will likely redshirt, and Martin will sit out like RJ Cole did. Fluid situation due to injuries and COVID, but that was initial plan.

Wouldn’t that burn a year of eligibility for Martin since he already red shirted?

 

[Zarkotics]

I think in today's modern game, with Akok out and uncertain what he is capable of after he gets back on the court combined with the way we went small at times at the end of last year this starting line up would scare teams offensively to start games. Our problem, especially against ranked opponents in recent years is we start off to slow and sluggish and dig a whole.
1. Cole
2. Bouknight
3. Adams
4. Jackson
5. Whaley

 

[navery12]

Wouldn’t that burn a year of eligibility for Martin since he already red shirted?

He hasn't used a redshirt yet, played both years at URI