2026 Recruiting: Abdou Toure update from aaron torres

[BGesus4]

I mean it’s seems (reasonably) that both sides decided UConn didn’t make sense for him next year. These are year by year decisions. If he’s not going to play why pay him at a significant level. If you’re not going to get paid competitively or get significant playing time then why go when you have that opportunity elsewhere.

I don’t really see the case for UConn being the right choice for either for his freshman year. People want to piss themselves over the comment he made but he’s obviously trying to justify why he chose another school without it being about the money (because for whatever reason it’s such a faux pas to say the money matters). He said he thought it was his best development option which is probably right to the extent that getting minutes will help him develop.

Hypothetically, let’s say he’s playing here his sophomore year. Would he be more likely to have an impactful year having played 25 min a game in the SEC for Ark the previous year or having gotten spot minutes for us?

As he said, the fit isn’t there for him to spend his freshman year at UConn.

 

[alphasigko]

It's so hard to say - everyone's personal situation is different. I don't think I'd judge a kid at this stage. Now if he goes and plays with Cal and burns rubber, doesn't amount to much, then can kind of say I told you so. Cal does that at times - had three kids ranked well ahead of Steph in that 23 class that have flamed out for the most part (meanwhile Dillingham & Shepard went lottery). There's a risk reward with Cal - he'll give you PT and allow you to shine, but he's not going to really polish you up. You better have the natural goods to do it. He will teach you how to manage your money though.

There is something a intoxicating about Cal/Ark. You'll get to play in the SEC in that big college environment for a coach that has reels of NBA alum. Having visited it recently, Fayetville is also a fun little college town. I do wonder why he let Fland go so easy.

I had a casual friend while I was working in SoCal who is a Hogs fan, and he said that the word was that Boogie was not well liked by his teammates. So much so, that when he went down on the floor during practice, they would not reach out to help him up. Then he got hurt, and noticed that the team played better without him. I think he figured out that he did not fit, and left for even more bucks to Florida.

 

[ucp990411]

Surprising to me that Calipari would spend so much $ and effort to recruit a recruit rated in the mid 30’s. Either he sees something other coaches didn’t or he is losing his touch with the cream of the crop. Or perhaps he wanted to beat the guy who is considered the best coach in the country for a recruit.

 

[UCTitleTown]

The last thing I'll say about AT is that home grown CT players for UConn become stars in CT forever. Go far away and people lose interest. The value of being a CT legend is priceless.

 

[RuffRuff]

I had a casual friend while I was working in SoCal who is a Hogs fan, and he said that the word was that Boogie was not well liked by his teammates. So much so, that when he went down on the floor during practice, they would not reach out to help him up. Then he got hurt, and noticed that the team played better without him. I think he figured out that he did not fit, and left for even more bucks to Florida.

Good intel. Thanks for sharing. Knock UF back a couple notches. Was my concern with him. It was amazing how much better they got immediately once he went down. Once Cal put Johnell Davis in it was a new team.

Goes to show you how one cancer can impact team chemistry and something Hurley does an amazing job of guarding against.

 

[knicksin7]

I took it as he was making the point "one team is sending Bentley's and really making him feeling wanted but the other team, that my family wanted, didnt't call us back and couldnt schedule on a weekend." Dad's quote "And then, call, calling, a week or plus, reaching out to them. Nothing." Which is fine, Dan Hurley prioritized elsewhere. Somehow Toure is getting labelled as not the right type of character kid because he's not going here, by alot on the board, which I think is unfair and telling.

I think it's totally fair to criticize the dad. I don't understand why everything has to be 100% black or white. Toure not coming here is a completely rational, legit decision, and his dad talking about bentleys or cash in the media, can also be legit criticized as not smart. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of course.

 

[RuffRuff]

Surprising to me that Calipari would spend so much $ and effort to recruit a recruit rated in the mid 30’s. Either he sees something other coaches didn’t or he is losing his touch with the cream of the crop. Or perhaps he wanted to beat the guy who is considered the best coach in the country for a recruit.

Weak class - not a ton of separation between top 10 and 30s, so if you believe in a kid like AT, the ranking shouldn’t be a massive dictator this year. He does have a lot of athletic upside.

 

[PNolanFan]

This whole thing is funny in some ways. If it was me being recruited I think I would want to go to UConn as it would be the team I grew up rooting for and dreaming playing for and also probably the currently best developmental program. I would think that I want to go in and compete and fight for minutes on a top 5 team and try to be the best because you have to have that mindset if you are gonna be a great NBA player. However if my son was being recruited I would tell him to get the most possible money he can right now. If you are in you are in the 30s of your recruiting class there is a decent chance that this is the biggest amount of money he ever gets in his whole career. Look at Sanogo, he was in that area recruiting wise and then went to college, improved, developed, was amazing, got drafted and now he is making less than a million a year.

 

[Waquoit]

Sounds like Dad overplayed his hand and now the kid is stuck in Hooterville. Oh well, things can change.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Sick Bentleys though.

 

[RuffRuff]

Sick Bentleys though.

Gets more upset losing a recruit than a basketball game. This guy has truly defined his personal superpower as selling recruits.

 

[HooperScooper]

Gets more upset losing a recruit than a basketball game. This guy has truly defined his personal superpower as selling recruits.

“It was a tough decision, UConn and Providence were right there,” said Mamoudou Toure, Abdou’s father. “They did everything to try to get us, especially Providence, they did a lot. Their coach was over our house until midnight. It wasn’t an easy decision. … Calipari, he’s a good salesman, I can tell you.”

https://www.courant.com/2025/10/05/dom-amores-sunday-read-why-ct-recruit-picked-razorbacks-rivalry-redux-lousy-uconn-tv-deal-more/

The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:
Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: Why CT recruit picked Razorbacks

 

[Gurleyman]

I do think this is a fair break down as well. I just also think it's fair to say:

Ball played a lot when Castle was out, then had his minutes dwindle to the point he was out of the rotation by the end of the year.

Stewart was on the bench for most of the year before becoming the 8th man in the rotation. Even so he was only guaranteed 5-10 minutes a game, while the other freshman were completely out of the rotation.

The fact that we still don't know exactly why Nowell was on the bench, despite us needing more production from the backup PG spot, is exactly the type of situation that would make a recruit think twice about signing somewhere.

As you noted, most freshmen here have had a short leash under Hurley. I'm not sure why so many people seem reluctant to acknowledge that here. It's not a bad thing, it means we don't have to rely on freshmen to build championship caliber teams

I don’t think there was any mystery about Nowell. I just think he wasn’t good enough last year. That’s a hard thing to put in a statement.

Maybe he would have developed long term. Maybe he’ll thrive at VCU. But last year, he wasn’t a threat on offense and was hunted on defense. So he didn’t play if we had other options.

 

[RuffRuff]

I don’t think there was any mystery about Nowell. I just think he wasn’t good enough last year. That’s a hard thing to put in a statement.

Maybe he would have developed long term. Maybe he’ll thrive at VCU. But last year, he wasn’t a threat on offense and was hunted on defense. So he didn’t play if we had other options.

There will be some interesting non-Uconn items to follow next year. One will be watching Abraham & Nowell to see how they do at GTown & VCU, and to see if they are closer to what they thought they were coming in or closer to what Hurley felt moving off them. The other is watching some of the recruits we moved off of, like Bundalo, Thomas & Lewis.

 

[HW611]

I don’t think there was any mystery about Nowell. I just think he wasn’t good enough last year. That’s a hard thing to put in a statement.

Maybe he would have developed long term. Maybe he’ll thrive at VCU. But last year, he wasn’t a threat on offense and was hunted on defense. So he didn’t play if we had other options.

This would make sense if Mahaney also wasn’t good enough but got all the opportunity in the world still.

There will be some interesting non-Uconn items to follow next year. One will be watching Abraham & Nowell to see how they do at GTown & VCU, and to see if they are closer to what they thought they were coming in or closer to what Hurley felt moving off them. The other is watching some of the recruits we moved off of, like Bundalo, Thomas & Lewis.

Fully expect Abraham to play a role off the bench for Georgetown. Hes only going to be 3 and D pretty much though.

Somehow Nowell is a preseason All-Third team A-10 selection. Maybe he’s doing really well in practice?

 

[Gurleyman]

There will be some interesting non-Uconn items to follow next year. One will be watching Abraham & Nowell to see how they do at GTown & VCU, and to see if they are closer to what they thought they were coming in or closer to what Hurley felt moving off them. The other is watching some of the recruits we moved off of, like Bundalo, Thomas & Lewis.

Yeah. I’ll be curious how it goes, with Nowell at least. I think the consensus when Abraham signed as a guy outside the top 100 was that he wasn’t really expected to contribute in year one and that maybe he could develop later in his career.

Nowell was expected to contribute and had injuries that I’m sure stunted his growth, and I’m sure he lost some confidence too. There’s probably a better player in there than what we saw. But he’s 5-11 and wasn’t difficult to guard last year. His highlight reels in high school - other than some threes - were mostly playing bully ball off the dribble, and that didn’t translate to college at all at his size (the three ball didn’t either - but that may come with more PT and confidence). Kemba and Boat had explosive quickness and athleticism that made them hard to guard. Bazz and Khalid had deep bags and were cerebral. Nowell had none of those things - and looked like a really low ceiling guy last year that made me wonder what we liked in him (and why he was top 50). Maybe he’ll show it at VCU.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Yeah. I’ll be curious how it goes, with Nowell at least. I think the consensus when Abraham signed as a guy outside the top 100 was that he wasn’t really expected to contribute in year one and that maybe he could develop later in his career.

Nowell was expected to contribute and had injuries that I’m sure stunted his growth, and I’m sure he lost some confidence too. There’s probably a better player in there than what we saw. But he’s 5-11 and wasn’t difficult to guard last year. His highlight reels in high school - other than some threes - were mostly playing bully ball off the dribble, and that didn’t translate to college at all at his size (the three ball didn’t either - but that may come with more PT and confidence). Kemba and Boat had explosive quickness and athleticism that made them hard to guard. Bazz and Khalid had deep bags and were cerebral. Nowell had none of those things - and looked like a really low ceiling guy last year that made me wonder what we liked in him (and why he was top 50). Maybe he’ll show it at VCU.

Abraham was a top 80 recruit.

 

[UCTitleTown]

This would make sense if Mahaney also wasn’t good enough but got all the opportunity in the world still.

Fully expect Abraham to play a role off the bench for Georgetown. Hes only going to be 3 and D pretty much though.

Somehow Nowell is a preseason All-Third team A-10 selection. Maybe he’s doing really well in practice?

I recommend Nowell cut his braids. New school, new do. Braids are a good look for some, a bad look for others. His always reminded me of Taye Diggs' character in the movie, "Malibu's Most Wanted" when he bought a wig to look tough....and well, it didn't go well...

 

[UConniki]

Think he’s just laying out how much effort Arkansas put into wowing them and valuing them.

And maybe it took twice as much effort and $ to get him to leave Connecticut and the draw of being a star on the home town team and the ease of watching him play in person much more easily and the notoriety of being in the local paper and tv stations. Just like Beverly ( Cincinnati/Syracuse ) last years star local player that nobody has heard about him since the day the committed elsewhere nor will they ever at this point.

 

[HW611]

And maybe it took twice as much effort and $ to get him to leave Connecticut and the draw of being a star on the home town team and the ease of watching him play in person much more easily and the notoriety of being in the local paper and tv stations. Just like Beverly ( Cincinnati/Syracuse ) last years star local player that nobody has heard about him since the day the committed elsewhere nor will they ever at this point.

Eh, I think Toure and Betsey are different prospects. Never expected much from Betsey but was happy he got his and is another athlete to go D1 from CT.

Toure is a legit NBA player though. As long as he has the playing opportunity, he’ll do fine at Arkansas. There’s been a few CT kids who have absolutely blossomed elsewhere (Tremont Waters, Kahlil Dukes, Kris Dunn, etc.)

 

[RuffRuff]

And maybe it took twice as much effort and $ to get him to leave Connecticut and the draw of being a star on the home town team and the ease of watching him play in person much more easily and the notoriety of being in the local paper and tv stations. Just like Beverly ( Cincinnati/Syracuse ) last years star local player that nobody has heard about him since the day the committed elsewhere nor will they ever at this point.

Here is how I see it - Hurley's system may not be perfect for you, but if you want a really functional program that is going to be fair, measured and constructive, you will not do better than it. He's not going to sugar coat it, not going to tell you what you want to hear because he wants to snooker you in. He'll be team first, ensure you're getting what you need to develop. It's not going to be rushed or forced, or fake. You'll go through their development process fairly and squarely and know where you stand.

I don't think he'll ever bring in kids that think they're better than they are, want more than they're ready for or what the roster/system can offer. With Hurley you'll get a clear, committed experience that is built on trust and doing the right thing for both sides. It may not be for all kids, but it will attract the right kids for the program.

 

[Lafayette]

Here is how I see it - Hurley's system may not be perfect for you, but if you want a really functional program that is going to be fair, measured and constructive, you will not do better than it. He's not going to sugar coat it, not going to tell you what you want to hear because he wants to snooker you in. He'll be team first, ensure you're getting what you need to develop. It's not going to be rushed or forced, or fake. You'll go through their development process fairly and squarely and know where you stand.

I don't think he'll ever bring in kids that think they're better than they are, want more than they're ready for or what the roster/system can offer. With Hurley you'll get a clear, committed experience that is built on trust and doing the right thing for both sides. It may not be for all kids, but it will attract the right kids for the program.

And honestly we have heard from Mullins, Reibe, Furphy comments like "I don't care if I don't get minutes this year" and "I just want to learn and be a better player" (paraphrasing).

I never heard anything from Toure like this. Open to being corrected.

 

[HW611]

And honestly we have heard from Mullins, Reibe, Furphy comments like "I don't care if I don't get minutes this year" and "I just want to learn and be a better player" (paraphrasing).

I never heard anything from Toure like this. Open to being corrected.

Reibe, and especially Mullins, said this? Can I actually see that quote. I can understand Furphy. But I don’t think Mullins would’ve came here if he thought he wasn’t going to get minutes.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

This would make sense if Mahaney also wasn’t good enough but got all the opportunity in the world still.

Fully expect Abraham to play a role off the bench for Georgetown. Hes only going to be 3 and D pretty much though.

Somehow Nowell is a preseason All-Third team A-10 selection. Maybe he’s doing really well in practice?

"All the opportunity in the world" is ait of an hyperbolic over-generalization, and you know it...

Mahaney came here as a portal transfer with an (apparently) proven track record of what he could do in D1 college. He came here to be an important piece of a team looking to go 3-peat. Nowell came in as an unproven freshman with much lower expectations.

Mahaney was given lots of minutes early to try and figure it out at UConn (22, 23, 14, 19, 24). Then Hurley pulled the leash tight when it was clear it wasn't working. His minutes dwindled and were frequently low single digits the rest of the season, occasionally getting into low double-digits when he showed flashes of promise based on specific matchups and/or randomness of game-to-game variation.

 

[HW611]

"All the opportunity in the world" is ait of an hyperbolic over-generalization, and you know it...

Mahaney came here as a portal transfer with an (apparently) proven track record of what he could do in D1 college. He came here to be an important piece of a team looking to go 3-peat. Nowell came in as an unproven freshman with much lower expectations.

Mahaney was given lots of minutes early to try and figure it out at UConn (22, 23, 14, 19, 24). Then Hurley pulled the leash tight when it was clear it wasn't working. His minutes dwindled and were frequently low single digits the rest of the season, occasionally getting into low double-digits when he showed flashes of promise based on specific matchups and/or randomness of game-to-game variation.

Why couldn’t Nowell get the same opportunity? As a top 30ish kid that we went out and asked to come here over other schools because we thought he would be helpful for our program based on what we saw.

He received over 10 minutes three times all year and only once was it against a real opponent (Colorado). In comparison, Mahaney got all the opportunity in the world to prove himself that Nowell didn’t get a chance to. Despite clearly not deserving it.