2026 roster needs | Page 2 | The Boneyard

2026 roster needs

WillMadsDad said:
What about Somto Cyril - 6'11" - seems built - from Georgia - Cyril was a defensive anchor, tying for the SEC lead in blocks while rattling the rim with thunderous dunks to the tune of 75.9% shooting from the field. I think one year in only.
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Yep… but is he cool potentially being a backup or 15-20 minute guy when he could prob make more $$ and be the starter somewhere else?
 
aburks41 said:
You nailed it. Reibe needs another year as a backup. He is well behind Clingan's development trajectory at this point. We need a rim protector.

Need another big guard to help out Silas.

Need the best PF in the country to fill Karaban's shoes.

Fill the rest with huge beefy wings who can shoot and draw fouls. We need size, size, and more size.
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Reibe is like Bambi out there. IMHO don’t think he will ever make the step up on defense
 
kansashusky said:
Need SIlas to make a big jump too. He effects the game in a lot of ways, but we need him to score next year. Has to be able to break someone off the dribble. Just wasnt that this year.

We need size.
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Issue is there are not a ton of portal PG's with that size.

There's some size at the 2/3 spot in Juke Harris (6'7), John Blackwell (6'4), Neoklis Avdalas (6'9), Finley Bizjack (6'4), and Jalen Haralson (6'7).


A guy I have followed that kinda has that Tristen Newton build is Devin Vanterpool from Florida Atlantic. He is from the suburbs of DC and went to Christ The King in NY.
 
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Regardless of positional needs I really hope we bring in some athletic players that take it to the basket with confidence and can shoot, not asking for too much. Hopefully players that are weighing decisions will make quick decisions.
 
Key lesson learned if we want to remove a Achilles Heel
Free Throws: look at the stats
UCONN for the year averaged 25% LESS FT than their opponents (703 vs 878)
Chances are facing a FF opponent like Michigan
MIchigan for the year had 38% MORE than their opponents (684vs 494) YIKES

A lot to overcome when facing top ten defensive teams and gets more difficult to reach 33% or more on 3’s
 
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DCKembaFan said:
My #1 choice by a mile would be Murauskas. He's a dominant PF and will be in the National Player of the Year discussion next season once he's inevitably on a top 10 team
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Seems like a longshot that he'd come east and there will be no shortage of programs opening up their wallets for him.
 
The puzzling thing for me is what does Hurley do with Solo Ball? Has he locked in a starter role? Opposing teams were going right at him; his offense did not compensate for his poor defense. For all his upper body strength, he had a very weak base...hence, spending so much time on the floor.
 
WrenchFan69 said:
Developmental prospects aren't that important to winning anymore, unfortunately.
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Junior County is a guy who has the capacity to be a solid contributor. The question will be how he adapts and understand the offense. But he has a physique and size that will allow him to play early and he possesses great vision and elite level athleticism.

A guy that I am interested in seeing his development is Furphy.
 
Lefty2one said:
Per Demary's own comment last night, he's not certain he's coming back and has a "tough decision" to make.

1. In general, we need to raise the bar on our explosiveness/athleticism. That was as unathletic of a good UConn team as we've seen. We were outclassed athletically vs Duke and vs Michigan. St. John's as well. Not just explosiveness but strength too. I think Hurley realized this with his pursuit of a kid like Landrew.

2. A lob threat big. Long, athletic, above-the-rim kid. A role player (we obviously want a stretch 4 to start) but we need this kind of player for certain matchups. Someone who complements Reibe, whether at the 4 or 5. Clingan in '23 or Samson in '24 kind of role. Glue guy. Two ground-bound bigs this year caused issues in some games, despite how much of a beast Reed was. Reibe has some skill but he's as finesse as it gets. I don't think he's a lock to start next year and if we want to compete for a championship it's probably not a good idea to pencil him in as the starter.

3. Another guard who can penetrate. Demary was a bit underwhelming at getting into the paint, even when healthy, and we had redundant guys in Solo and Mullins. In my perfect world Demary is back and we start him and another combo guard at the 1/2 (interchangeably), find a scoring wing, and have Solo off the bench (I know, I know).

4. The wing is a wild card. Ross and Stewart are role players/bench guys. Ross can be a nice sixth man next year. I'm assuming Mullins is gone. Solo at the 3 could work at times but we'd need more size too. I'm not counting on any freshman; they're a bonus if they contribute.

I think the staff will be looking at bringing in three starters, possibly four pending Demary, and there is a world where we're replacing all five. The biggest, most glaring need is our starting 4. No one on the current roster can fill that slot. At least there are possibilities, albeit not great ones in some cases, at every other position.

  • Starting stretch 4
  • Quick guard who can penetrate and is a respectable shooter.
  • Athletic/physically imposing big man (possibly our starting 5)
  • Wing scorer.
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Missed that about demary. Was that in the post game lockerroom
 
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SeanElAmin said:
Junior County is a guy who has the capacity to be a solid contributor. The question will be how he adapts and understand the offense. But he has a physique and size that will allow him to play early and he possesses great vision and elite level athleticism.

A guy that I am interested in seeing his development is Furphy.
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Furph is definitely interesting. Watching him ball out in the U19s last summer, I suspected he would work himself into a rotation piece this season. I really hope he sees a path for minutes at Storrs and sticks around...
 
BFieldHusky said:
Will be interesting to see how long until Hurley looks to find Luke's replacement. I know there was some dialogue behind the scenes this past week.
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Interesting for sure. I would think we'd be looking for someone with strong recruiting ties and several years of coaching experience, maybe head coaching experience. I don't think Nardi is ready to step into that role just yet.
 
kansashusky said:
Need SIlas to make a big jump too. He effects the game in a lot of ways, but we need him to score next year. Has to be able to break someone off the dribble. Just wasnt that this year.

We need size.
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Silas was miles better than Newton year 1. Not worried there.
 
BFieldHusky said:
Will be interesting to see how long until Hurley looks to find Luke's replacement. I know there was some dialogue behind the scenes this past week.
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This. I’d have to think the coach is hired already, just not announced?
 
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Kitaman said:
I see Ross starting next season. He and Ball know Danny's offense extremely well. Silas will be a vet with Hurley experience.

I just think either Ross or Stewart (to a lesser extent) has earned the right to start 1st practices as a starter. I think Ross has the advantage and will be ready for next season. Just saying with Hurley's intricate offensive sets experience like Ross brings is invaluable.
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Given current information, UConn won't know that Mullins is gone until after the silly season is mostly over. And Ross is fine as a place holder if they bring in an offensively proficient 4 (there is still only one ball).
 
WillMadsDad said:
What about Somto Cyril - 6'11" - seems built - from Georgia - Cyril was a defensive anchor, tying for the SEC lead in blocks while rattling the rim with thunderous dunks to the tune of 75.9% shooting from the field. I think one year in only.
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You got $4 million in spare change lying around?
 
Lefty2one said:
Per Demary's own comment last night, he's not certain he's coming back and has a "tough decision" to make.
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Wilkins come on down.

(Seriously, Mullins is going to have trouble staying in the 1st round, Demary's only decision is how much more money his agent can get out of UConn.)
 
aburks41 said:
Ehh I'd say they were about the same. Newton maybe a bit better, certainly better at finishing at the rim. But I suspect we will hear more that Silas's ankle injury was worse than they let on.
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Tbh, I think Solo has been hurt for 3 months too. The shooting touch was never quite right this year
 
Frank06830 said:
Reibe is like Bambi out there. IMHO don’t think he will ever make the step up on defense
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He needs quality gym time over the summer. As big a guy as he is, he really doesn't have his "grown man muscles."
 
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