2025-26 Roster Thoughts

[Ricker]

A thread to put forth your current roster hopes.

Guards
I like at least 4 quality guards with a mix of attributes
(2 PG and a 3rd that is capable of adequately playing the role if required)
(At least 1 who is a knockdown 3 point shooter)
(At least 1 guard with 6'4 to 6'6 size)
(At least 1 who is a defensive stopper)
(At least 3 who are greater than 75% from the line to close out games)
We have Mahaney, Nowell, & Ball with eligibility for next year. 1 additional guard is necessary.
I prefer to add size & more shooting rather than prioritizing a playmaker (especially since I want to prioritize Rippey in 2026 to replace Mahaney)
For me it is Mullins & Thomas as 1a & 1b then Lewis then I am indifferent between Adams/Furphy or Portal

Forwards/Wings
The issue is who is going pro because from an eligibility standpoint we don't need anybody
Karaban, McNeeley, Stewart, Abraham, & Ross all could come back, and 5 players at these 2 positions seems right
My own view would be to recruit for 1 spot and fill out with the portal
Ament would have been great as a front court scoring threat but is evidently off the board
Bundalo would be a great get because his size paired with a center would be a front court mismatch with most teams
I assume we didn't pursue Aristode & Jameson because their physical stature & skills are a complete overlap to the existing guys
It looks like Bundalo or portal/foreign if we miss

Centers
I prefer 3 centers on the roster that allow the team to play in a variety of ways
(1 power, 1 rim protector, 1 stretch)
(At least 1 that can hit more than 70% from the line)
(At least 1 >240lbs and at least 1 bonafide 7')
(At least 1 that sets great screens, and 1 that is a good enough passer to play thru)
Reed & Singare have eligibility
Reibe is a great target to add the true 7' & outside shooting (I assume Cenac is not really in play)

Mullins/Thomas are difference makers from the get go
Bundalo/Reibe can become difference makers
I'm ok with portaling wherever we miss but prefer to get at least 1 of these 4 impact guys

 

[bendm]

Lewis, Mullins, and Bundalo seem to be the most likely and i think they check all the open boxes in '26. Lewis is the ideal backup to Nowell. Mullins has been talked about as a OAD but he'd have to beat out either Mahaney or Ball for a starting spot on the wing. The biggest question mark is Stewart which is why i think Bundalo's versatility makes him a better fit than Reibe. If Stew goes pro then Bundalo slots right in as our starting PF and we bring in a backup transfer C. If Stew returns then Bundalo plays more as a backup stretch C. I'd be prioritizing Lewis and Bundalo since we seem to be in good shape w/ another 5* wing (Adams) if we dont get Mullins.

Stew goes pro:
Nowell / Lewis*
Mahaney / Mullins*
Ball / Ross
Bundalo* / Abraham
Reed / Transfer* / Singare

Stew returns:
Nowell / Lewis*
Mahaney / Mullins*
Ball / Ross
Stew / Abraham
Reed / Bundalo* / Singare

 

[RuffRuff]

So many assuming Stewart is getting drafted - and on so little evidence. I’m not even sure what the plus NBA skill is. Handle, shot, athleticism, size? I’ll believe it when I see it, hopeful but skeptical.

 

[AntG168]

So many assuming Stewart is getting drafted - and on so little evidence. I’m not even sure what the plus NBA skill is. Handle, shot, athleticism, size? I’ll believe it when I see it, hopeful but skeptical.

Either outcome is good for us. Year 3 Stewie would hit like crack

 

[CardiacAndre7]

So many assuming Stewart is getting drafted - and on so little evidence. I’m not even sure what the plus NBA skill is. Handle, shot, athleticism, size? I’ll believe it when I see it, hopeful but skeptical.

His bag is deep, good rebounder and good timing on contests, good athlete as well. Just a positive player.

 

[navery12]

My ideal roster construction would be 5 guards, 5 wings, 3 bigs. I have preferences for what I'd like to fill certain spots, but I think you run into trouble when you try to fit kids into a system instead of building a system around the talent you have.

5 Guards

Ahmad Nowell, Aidan Mahaney, Solo Ball will all be back. Acaden Lewis is the obvious fit and my #1 want in this class. After that whoever wants to commit between Mullins and Thomas is good with me. That's 5 good guards and a couple of those guys could easily slide over and get minutes as a 3rd guard

5 Wings

We'll likely have Isaiah Abraham and Jayden Ross back. I would be surprised if Jaylin Stewart was back but I think you have to operate with him a part of the roster until he actually declares, because it's not a clear cut decision. This is a spot that'll be filled in the portal if at all, and is where the open scholarships will likely sit when we don't go to 13. If Stewart comes back for his junior year there's not much need to add an impact player here. If he declares then there's lots of minutes that open up for a top wing transfer

3 Bigs

Tarring Reed and Youssouf Singare should both be back, and whoever wants to commit between Bundalo and Reibe is good with me as the 3rd big

 

[Scottobot]

With so many variables on who might stay, go pro, or transfer, and with the ability to fill in gaps with portal at the end of the year, I would say just go after top available talent at any position and then fill in gaps with portal. Just avoid getting too many similar players. Further try to get a mix of shooters and athletes. To few or too many of either category causes a problem, and it’s very rare to find a high school player who is both an exceptional shooter and an exceptional athlete.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

So many assuming Stewart is getting drafted - and on so little evidence. I’m not even sure what the plus NBA skill is. Handle, shot, athleticism, size? I’ll believe it when I see it, hopeful but skeptical.

If he’s not one of the go to guys on this years team I don’t see how that happens.

He’s not going to the draft this year being a catch and shoot guy.

 

[Huskyforlife]

If he’s not one of the go to guys on this years team I don’t see how that happens.

He’s not going to the draft this year being a catch and shoot guy.

I think the assumption is he’ll do more than catch and shoot. He showed ball skills in high school.

 

[REB1094]

Starting backcourt and wing: Out of the 3 guys, 2 can be strong primary ball handlers and be able to handle pressure. 1 is a sharpshooter, 1 is a lockdown defender/energy guy, 1 guy that can go get a bucket at will. As long as those conditions are met from the 3 of them, I'm good

Starting frontcourt: stretch 4 that can pass and understand the offense, C that can protect the paint on defense and score at the rim either through lobs or low post play

Bench backcourt/wing: 1 more strong ball handler, 1 shooter, 1 defender/energy guy

Bench frontcourt: guy that can stretch SF/PF or PF/C, and guy that has the opposite playstyle as the starter

Hurley has the formula, and it's plug and play at this point

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I think the assumption is he’ll do more than catch and shoot. He showed ball skills in high school.

Most of the projections from people assumed to be in the know on the board have the starting lineup as Diarra, Mahoney, Liam, AK, and Johnson.

I’m not sure how much he’ll be showcasing those skills from a bench role to declare after this year if that’s the case.

I do agree he is one of the most talented players on the team to do so. But it’d probably have to be from a role of prominence. By all accounts I’m not sure if he even had a better summer than Ross to earn that.

 

[RuffRuff]

So much of the Stewart drafted thing is heavy prognostication based on a couple games (let’s not forget he banked a 3 in the breakout Marquette game) and one mock. Reality is that he played like a raw freshman with underwhelming numbers 95% of year, including the NCAA tournament. Love the raw upside in a step up year, but a long way from what I see as a first round pick. I fully expect him back. His rebounding numbers per minutes played were actually really low.

Kid averaged 2.3 pts and 1.1 rebounds in 9 minutes a game on 42% shooting and 20% from 3. I love the love, but zero tells me he is off to the NBA. So glad we have him and excited to see him make the leap, but if you put a gun to my head, I’d say no chance he’s running to the league after this year. He’s unlikely to even start.

 

[navery12]

Most of the projections from people assumed to be in the know on the board have the starting lineup as Diarra, Mahoney, Liam, AK, and Johnson.

I’m not sure how much he’ll be showcasing those skills from a bench role to declare after this year if that’s the case.

I do agree he is one of the most talented players on the team to do so. But it’d probably have to be from a role of prominence. By all accounts I’m not sure if he even had a better summer than Ross to earn that.

On one hand I agree where it might seem hard to imagine Stewart leaving when he's not starting. But the 2 guys presumably starting over him are both projected 1st rounders so I don't think it's impossible.

I can envision a world where he's in the 6th man role and averaging 10-12 points a game with elite defense and that being enough for an NBA team

 

[RuffRuff]

On one hand I agree where it might seem hard to imagine Stewart leaving when he's not starting. But the 2 guys presumably starting over him are both projected 1st rounders so I don't think it's impossible.

I can envision a world where he's in the 6th man role and averaging 10-12 points a game with elite defense and that being enough for an NBA team

I honestly don’t see not starting as the major challenge, just that we haven’t seen nearly enough in the bag to warrant all the draft talk. We are going to have to see something we didn’t last year. After seeing him up close during open practice, can confidently say he doesn’t have a really pure jump shot. So it’s going to have to be something else that catches the scouts eyes.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

On one hand I agree where it might seem hard to imagine Stewart leaving when he's not starting. But the 2 guys presumably starting over him are both projected 1st rounders so I don't think it's impossible.

I can envision a world where he's in the 6th man role and averaging 10-12 points a game with elite defense and that being enough for an NBA team

That’s a very perfect world to have that happen.

Even with Clingan’s freshman year off the bench it was still better for him to come back and show he can be the guy too. That’s probably have to be the case with Stewart if he’s not the guy this year.

 

[bendm]

On one hand I agree where it might seem hard to imagine Stewart leaving when he's not starting. But the 2 guys presumably starting over him are both projected 1st rounders so I don't think it's impossible.

I can envision a world where he's in the 6th man role and averaging 10-12 points a game with elite defense and that being enough for an NBA team

or we start all of Liam / Stew / Alex. i'm a big proponent of starting your five best players with certain obvious exceptions: 1) you need at least one "point guard" and one "big," 2) you cant start two traditional centers, 3) you cant start 4 guys under 6'5 (altho Nova showed you can ...), so i dont think there's anything preventing us from starting Diarra / Liam / Stew / Alex / Reed assuming they are our five best players.

 

[navery12]

I honestly don’t see not starting as the major challenge, just that we haven’t seen nearly enough in the bag to warrant all the draft talk. We are going to have to see something we didn’t last year. After seeing him up close during open practice, can confidently say he doesn’t have a really pure jump shot. So it’s going to have to be something else that catches the scouts eyes.

Respectfully, I don't think you could be more wrong about what Stewart showed last year

 

[navery12]

or we start all of Liam / Stew / Alex. i'm a big proponent of starting your five best players with certain obvious exceptions: 1) you need at least one "point guard" and one "big," 2) you cant start two traditional centers, 3) you cant start 4 guys under 6'5 (altho Nova showed you can ...), so i dont think there's anything preventing us from starting Diarra / Liam / Stew / Alex / Reed assuming they are our five best players.

I predicted we'd start all 3 for most of the off-season, I agree we should just start our 5 best players. But Mahaney is definitely one of those 5 and I'm not sure how comfortable Hurley is putting him at PG. Would I do it, absolutely. But I'm not sure it's a likely scenario

 

[RuffRuff]

Respectfully, I don't think you could be more wrong about what Stewart showed last year

Mutual respect for the opposing view - I’m trying to understand what I missed, both in watching and in the statistics. Would be ecstatic if proven otherwise. Let’s sock this one away for after season banter.

 

[Ricker]

Obviously early and top recruits are yet to commit, but 24/7 has 4 Big East teams in top 10 recruiting so far
2. Marquette
6. Xavier
7. Providence
10 Butler

 

[RuffRuff]

Obviously early and top recruits are yet to commit, but 24/7 has 4 Big East teams in top 10 recruiting so far
2. Marquette
6. Xavier
7. Providence
10 Butler

Have very quietly scraped up some of the second 50. Creighton also picked up Greer this week.

 

[Scottobot]

RE: Stewart and going pro .. players usually have to have pro buzz at start or early in the season, to get on scouts list. I think he needs a season to generate the hype. Playing high school out in Washington state also didn’t help with that. Had he been a top 40 prospect like Ball, coming out of high school maybe he would have had a chance. Given where his current hype level is, he would have to be absolutely unbelievable to have a shot at going pro next year. I think it will take atleast two years. Also having great potential and realizing it are two different things. With many of this years players being hot out of the gate and building confidence might be the difference with who UConn’s next stars are.

On flip side practicing a full season with 5 pro players, probably helped his development.

 

[SoCalCanine]

Maybe this is a dumb question? Almost all of the predictions I see have us signing three recruits for next year. A few say maybe we only get two and fill in with the portal. Nobody seems to mention the possibility that FOUR of these top recruits might decide they want to get on our bandwagon. Is there a scenario where that might happen?

 

[RuffRuff]

Maybe this is a dumb question? Almost all of the predictions I see have us signing three recruits for next year. A few say maybe we only get two and fill in with the portal. Nobody seems to mention the possibility that FOUR of these top recruits might decide they want to get on our bandwagon. Is there a scenario where that might happen?

Only scenario would be if we locked in the front court with Reibe at the 5, Bundalo at the 4 to start.

Then I could see a situation where we grabbed 2 guards with a Lewis at the 1/2 and a Mullins, Thomas or Adams at the 2/3.

Highly unlikely scenario but not impossible. It’s very unlikely get 3+ guards.

 

[bendm]

RE: Stewart and going pro .. players usually have to have pro buzz at start or early in the season, to get on scouts list

I’ve seen him in at least one pre season mock draft as a first rounder. Second rounder in others.