This was my first time seeing him. It was really hard to evaluate him. At the CIAC level, he clearly is in a league of his own athletically. Bigger, stronger, more explosive, etc. But does that translate to UConn and having an impact as a freshman? That was less Convincing. In many ways, it almost felt as if he wasn’t even trying. The first half was basically hanging around the perimeter, not forcing anything, but also not really being involved. The second half was better. After ND of Fairfield erased an 18 point lead, Toure definitely seemed more engaged and sort of took over. He was the best on the court but I wouldn’t say dominant. He seemed to play at one speed the entire game. He also allowed the game come to him and I don’t recall even a single turnover. To me, there is clear upside to the kid and I left the gym wanting to see more. I think it’s obvious he is better suited to go the prep route next season and play stronger competition. My hunch is he will be more engaged and forced to play harder. Last night was just ok to me. I expected to see more but he wasn’t really challenged. The next best player on the floor was a 5 10 sophomore from Fairfield. The kid was super quick and did frustrate Toure a bit in the second half. In all, I think of just three plays were Toure showed next level stuff. A really nice offensive rebound in the first half, a step back 3 and 1, and a really nice drive to the hoop. That was basically it. The place was packed and I did not see any staff.
