2024-2025 Ceiling

[AntG168]

Outside of the obvious(karaban), which returnee making a jump raises our ceiling the most?

I’m going Solo Ball

 

[bendm]

Diarra is the only one projected to start (all due respect to Samson) and he plays arguably the most important position

 

[AntG168]

Everyone has at least one vote out of 7 total. Lmaoo. This is a tough one

 

[AntG168]

Diarra is the only one projected to start (all due respect to Samson) and he plays arguably the most important position

But with Mahaney now idk if Hass has to be anything more than what he’s been

 

[bendm]

But with Mahaney now idk if Hass has to be anything more than what he’s been

Good point. if Karaban doesn’t return I’d vote Stewart since hed prob be our starting PF.

 

[Drame]

Ross, if he develops and gets PT, could be a disrupter on the perimeter on D. Would love to see us getting faster on the break, turning more teams over and switching a lot more as a defensive option.

 

[JohnnyJr]

I voted Stewart in case Karaban doesn’t come back. I think we have a good idea what we’ll get outta Diarra but he’d be the starter with question marks. Definitely a tough question

 

[REB1094]

I'm going with Solo

Diarra - we know what he can bring. He's a lockdown defender, can hit his shots, and can get to the rim. His 'expected' jump next year would be to do the same exact thing but in more minutes and higher volume

Stewart - was close to picking him. He played well down the stretch and his development will be very important for our wing/frontcourt, especially if he's the starting 4

Samson - feels like he is what he is, and just needs to work on the fundamentals (defense, rebounding, not fouling). I'm expecting another improvement in performance, but I don't think he will be adding anything new to his game

Ross - will fighting for backup minutes, so while I'm expecting some development he won't be a top 7 rotation guy. If he can come out as a shooting threat that can defend, I'm here for it!

Took Solo a bit to get comfortable but he had big games against Texas (top 15) and UNC (top 10). His total 3P% on the year wasn't great but he shot 45% in BE play including a lights out performance against Xavier. We saw SO much potential, but he was just stuck behind the best backcourt rotation in the country. He averaged 3.8 PPG this year and I wouldn't be surprised if he was a double digit scorer next year

 

[tzznandrew]

Ball and Stewart making the jumps they are capable of makes this team a real threat to win again.

That's with or without Karaban. Both are going to see the floor a lot, and you have to hope they've learned a great deal from players who have won back-to-back. The fact that they—and Ross—have stuck with the program when we heard from Stewart's mouth in the BET that people have been tampering with them tells you all you need to know about their buy-in.

Their talent speaks for itself.

 

[AntG168]

Ball and Stewart making the jumps they are capable of makes this team a real threat to win again.

That's with or without Karaban. Both are going to see the floor a lot, and you have to hope they've learned a great deal from players who have won back-to-back. The fact that they—and Ross—have stuck with the program when we heard from Stewart's mouth in the BET that people have been tampering with them tells you all you need to know about their buy-in.

Their talent speaks for itself.

This is the type of season where I wouldn’t mind a softer start to the schedule. We have a lot of new and youth

 

[caw]

If it's just to raise UConn's ceiling, Samson. The five might be the weakest position right now (more a testament to how strong the other positions are) and solidifying that position could really turn next year's UConn into another wrecking ball.

If the question was who I thought would have the biggest jump, Stewart or Ball.

 

[Fishy]

I think Ball and Stewart will eventually become terrors.

 

[storrsroars]

I'm going with Stewart and an important assist from Hass.

I'm looking at it this way: we won with Adama. We can win without DC.
We won with AK and TN twice. AK was the brain center, always in motion, always anticipating where he needed to be, TN was the motor, driving the pain, crashing boards, throwing dimes, capable of taking over a game.

IMHO, Stewart played enough solid minutes down the stretch to internalize what he needs to do and understand what he needs to take it to the next level. If execution fails, Hass will be there to set it right.

I'm expecting a more challenging OOC start until things gel with the frosh, xfers, Ross and Ball. I have a feeling Hass will be emotional leader, helping Ball realize his potential, and Jaylin the steadying influence making sure everyone plays their part. Hopefully one or both of the xfers will develop Cam's fire.

 

[JesusAllen11]

Voted Samson , him making a jump would mean UConn has a good if not great center again which is key. Him not making a jump could mean our center rotation is mediocre and can be exploited.

I think solo is most likely to break out next year and earn his starting spot , he was buried behind talent last year , his shooting and rim pressure “potentially” ,would be amazing add to this team.

If Karaban leaves I think Stew will have a break out year too.

 

[That Guy]

Surprised Solo is getting more votes than Samson considering Solo probably won't start. The production we've had at center from Adama and Donovan can't be replicated, but we need Samson to be able to make a nice jump this season to upheld the standard of elite big men play that we've had the last couple of years.

 

[bendm]

No team will ever compare to last year so let’s compare to our ‘23 team which also went 9 deep:

Starters

• Diarra is a defensive upgrade over senior Newton but an offensive downgrade. Even.
• Mahaney is a slight downgrade from Hawk. Downgrade.
• Liam is a big offensive upgrade over Jackson but a big defensive downgrade. Even.
• Junior AK is a huge upgrade over freshmen AK. Upgrade.
• Reed is a big downgrade from Adama. Downgrade.

Bench

• Nowell is an upgrade over junior Diarra. Upgrade.
• Ball is a defensive upgrade over Joey but an offensive downgrade. Even.
• Stewart is an upgrade over Alleyne. Upgrade.
• Samson is a downgrade over Clingan. Downgrade.

So based on this very scientific analysis next years team is EVEN with 2023 but that’s only if AK returns.

 

[JohnnyJr]

No team will ever compare to last year so let’s compare to our ‘23 team which also went 9 deep:

Starters

• Diarra is a defensive upgrade over senior Newton but an offensive downgrade. Even.
• Mahaney is a slight downgrade from Hawk. Downgrade.
• Liam is a big offensive upgrade over Jackson but a big defensive downgrade. Even.
• Junior AK is a huge upgrade over freshmen AK. Upgrade.
• Reed is a big downgrade from Adama. Downgrade.

Bench

• Nowell is an upgrade over junior Diarra. Upgrade.
• Ball is a defensive upgrade over Joey but an offensive downgrade. Even.
• Stewart is an upgrade over Alleyne. Upgrade.
• Samson is a downgrade over Clingan. Downgrade.

So based on this very scientific analysis next years team is EVEN with 2023 but that’s only if AK returns.

That’s why I still wanted Brea because I think we’re going to need the outside shooting to make up for a lack of inside scoring at the 5. If we get two of Stewart Ball and Johnson to make big jumps that shouldn’t matter

 

[storrsroars]

No team will ever compare to last year so let’s compare to our ‘23 team which also went 9 deep:

Starters

• Diarra is a defensive upgrade over senior Newton but an offensive downgrade. Even.
• Mahaney is a slight downgrade from Hawk. Downgrade.
• Liam is a big offensive upgrade over Jackson but a big defensive downgrade. Even.
• Junior AK is a huge upgrade over freshmen AK. Upgrade.
• Reed is a big downgrade from Adama. Downgrade.

Bench

• Nowell is an upgrade over junior Diarra. Upgrade.
• Ball is a defensive upgrade over Joey but an offensive downgrade. Even.
• Stewart is an upgrade over Alleyne. Upgrade.
• Samson is a downgrade over Clingan. Downgrade.

So based on this very scientific analysis next years team is EVEN with 2023 but that’s only if AK returns.

Interesting way to try and break things down.

IMO, Newton > Diarra. Diarra can do a ton of things well, but Newton's size helped him on defense in ways Hass won't be able to duplicate. And that is not a diss on Hass. He's going to be vitally important. Just not as vital as Newton was.

I'm going to assume AK goes pro. And I think sophomore Jaylin might be better than frosh AK. I definitely think he'll hold his own on D. I'll give Jaylin a slight edge.

I wouldn't be too quick to say Reed is a big downgrade from Adama. Much as Adama was great, I have to imagine Reed kinda knows what he's getting into, and DH wouldn't have gone out to get him if he didn't think Reed has hit his ceiling. I'll give a slight edge to Adama here, but I think Reed will impress.

Since Stewart is promoted to start, only other thing is whether soph Ross is better than Alleyne was. He could well be. I'll call that a push as well.

I think we'll be looking at maybe 6 losses by time there are 10 conference games left. And after that we could run the table. Or maybe have a conference loss and possibly not win the BET. But this group certainly should be able to easily get out of the first weekend in March. After that it really depends on if Hurley has them playing the way he envisions.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

I think without Karaban or Brea, we are a fringe Top 10 team, that will have a chance to 3peat. I think Stewart could average 15 points a game.

 

[Iluvsuebird]

The way the question was worded, it has to be Samson. Not the most likely, but the most influential is the guy replacing DC. Not close

 

[bendm]

I think we'll be looking at maybe 6 losses by time there are 10 conference games left. And after that we could run the table. Or maybe have a conference loss and possibly not win the BET. But this group certainly should be able to easily get out of the first weekend in March. After that it really depends on if Hurley has them playing the way he envisions.

can’t take the 3peat talk seriously if AK doesn’t come back

 

[JohnnyJr]

Interesting way to try and break things down.

IMO, Newton > Diarra. Diarra can do a ton of things well, but Newton's size helped him on defense in ways Hass won't be able to duplicate. And that is not a diss on Hass. He's going to be vitally important. Just not as vital as Newton was.

I'm going to assume AK goes pro. And I think sophomore Jaylin might be better than frosh AK. I definitely think he'll hold his own on D. I'll give Jaylin a slight edge.

I wouldn't be too quick to say Reed is a big downgrade from Adama. Much as Adama was great, I have to imagine Reed kinda knows what he's getting into, and DH wouldn't have gone out to get him if he didn't think Reed has hit his ceiling. I'll give a slight edge to Adama here, but I think Reed will impress.

Since Stewart is promoted to start, only other thing is whether soph Ross is better than Alleyne was. He could well be. I'll call that a push as well.

I think we'll be looking at maybe 6 losses by time there are 10 conference games left. And after that we could run the table. Or maybe have a conference loss and possibly not win the BET. But this group certainly should be able to easily get out of the first weekend in March. After that it really depends on if Hurley has them playing the way he envisions.

A slight edge to Sanogo is nuts, Reed may have potential but he’s got a long way to go to show he could be Sanogo

 

[controlfade]

Stewart has superstar ability if he can maintain the production over a much larger role in minutes.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Why is there no "all of the above"?

 

[Bomber36]

Wow, this post reminds me that it’s almost summer. Not that its a bad question, but we really need stuff to talk about.