2025 Recruiting: Acaden Lewis, UConn visit.

[TheChamps990411]

That guy also said Mahaney is going to be an All-American. I hope he's half right.

Yeah he was slurping Mahaney pretty hard. Hes not the only person who thinks Mahaney is big time so not exactly groundbreaking.

 

[FearThePups]

Any updated dirt on how Lewis’ visit is going?

 

[auror]

No we didn’t.

Newton was a PG here and at ECU. Castle was a PG in high school and told people in the NBA he's a PG. Spencer had 3/4 years before UConn with an assist rate over 20%, which is my threshold for PG (combo guard is 15-20%). The other year was 19%. Three guys who could run any team in America.

 

[Mooch82]

Newton was a PG here and at ECU. Castle was a PG in high school and told people in the NBA he's a PG. Spencer had 3/4 years before UConn with an assist rate over 20%, which is my threshold for PG (combo guard is 15-20%). The other year was 19%. Three guys who could run any team in America.

Newton was obviously a PG and I won’t argue that Steph has PG skills and ultimately could be one in the NBA. But calling Cam a PG is a streeeeeeetch.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Newton was obviously a PG and I won’t argue that Steph has PG skills and ultimately could be one in the NBA. But calling Cam a PG is a streeeeeeetch.

I honestly don’t understand how you could have watched this team for the last year and say this.

 

[nomar]

I honestly don’t understand how you could have watched this team for the last year and say this.

Cam 100% could have been our starting PG. He's got the ball on a string and he can create for others (and himself). And a 3.6:1.0 A:TO ratio is crazy good. He'll be combo guard at the next level but yeah, he definitely showed PG skills.

 

[Mooch82]

I honestly don’t understand how you could have watched this team for the last year and say this.

Just because a guy played some PG doesn't make him primarily a PG. I honestly don't understand how you can watch Cam Spencer play basketball and think "His primary position is PG"...which is what the OP was saying when he said "we started 3 PGs". I watched every second of every game this year. He's a solid ball handler and good decision maker/passer. But he isn't the type of guy who you just give the ball to with 6 seconds left on the shot clock and watch him get his own shot. I think you'd be hard pressed to find him listed as "PG" in any NBA circles.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Just because a guy played some PG doesn't make him primarily a PG. I honestly don't understand how you can watch Cam Spencer play basketball and think "His primary position is PG"...which is what the OP was saying when he said "we started 3 PGs". I watched every second of every game this year. He's a solid ball handler and good decision maker/passer. But he isn't the type of guy who you just give the ball to with 6 seconds left on the shot clock and watch him get his own shot. I think you'd be hard pressed to find him listed as "PG" in any NBA circles.

I think you're missing the point of the post, which was the pretty straightforward - and, in my opinion, not particularly refutable - observation that we started three guys capable of functioning as the "point guard" in a lineup that largely embodied the notion of positionless basketball. And it's not necessarily relevant to the discussion but I also think you're wrong about Cam's ability to get his own shot at the end of the shot clock, which we saw happen many times last season (putting aside whether the ability to get one's own shot is what constitutes being a point guard).

 

[Mr. French]

Just because a guy played some PG doesn't make him primarily a PG. I honestly don't understand how you can watch Cam Spencer play basketball and think "His primary position is PG"...which is what the OP was saying when he said "we started 3 PGs". I watched every second of every game this year. He's a solid ball handler and good decision maker/passer. But he isn't the type of guy who you just give the ball to with 6 seconds left on the shot clock and watch him get his own shot. I think you'd be hard pressed to find him listed as "PG" in any NBA circles.

He was talking about the ability of multiple guys to play simultaneously, using our roster of versatile guards as an example of 3 PGs playing together.

It wasn’t a discussion on what Cam’s primary position is considered - don’t get into the weeds: the point is clear and pretty close to irrefutable.

I know this is the ‘yard but come on. We play 3 guys at most times that can play the 1 role, that’s the entire point. That’s what Meleek, Acaden and another recruit would represent.

 

[aceboon]

Just because a guy played some PG doesn't make him primarily a PG. I honestly don't understand how you can watch Cam Spencer play basketball and think "His primary position is PG"...which is what the OP was saying when he said "we started 3 PGs". I watched every second of every game this year. He's a solid ball handler and good decision maker/passer. But he isn't the type of guy who you just give the ball to with 6 seconds left on the shot clock and watch him get his own shot. I think you'd be hard pressed to find him listed as "PG" in any NBA circles.

He did this how many times last year?? The one legged stepback/turnaround fadeaway midrange jumper as the clock was winding down was a staple of his throughout the season. Also had the signature moments like the 3 point dagger vs Butler as the shot clock was winding down and also the layup through contact against Edey in the 2nd half of the title game, both of which were self created. If Cam makes it in the NBA I don't think anyone will expect him to be a primary PG but he initiated and ran offense perfectly fine here, also one of the better passers we've had at the guard position.

 

[Mooch82]

I think you're missing the point of the post, which was the pretty straightforward - and, in my opinion, not particularly refutable - observation that we started three guys capable of functioning as the "point guard" in a lineup that largely embodied the notion of positionless basketball. And it's not necessarily relevant to the discussion but I also think you're wrong about Cam's ability to get his own shot at the end of the shot clock, which we saw happen many times last season (putting aside whether the ability to get one's own shot is what constitutes being a point guard).

Agree 100% with the position less basketball piece and don't foresee any issues with us going after Lewis, Thomas, Mullins, etc. But I think of those guys, Lewis is really the only guy that is primarily a PG.

 

[nomar]

He did this how many times last year?? The one legged stepback/turnaround fadeaway midrange jumper as the clock was winding down was a staple of his throughout the season. Also had the signature moments like the 3 point dagger vs Butler as the shot clock was winding down and also the layup through contact against Edey in the 2nd half of the title game, both of which were self created. If Cam makes it in the NBA I don't think anyone will expect him to be a primary PG but he initiated and ran offense perfectly fine here, also one of the better passers we've had at the guard position.

We certainly weren't an iso team but if you had to give the ball to one guy to create something with the shot running down, it'd be between him and Newt -- and if you needed a 3, it'd obviously be him.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I don’t think assists = PG. Cam is more of a combo guard than the true points like Newton and Castle.

If he was a PG he would’ve been playing that role and be in lined to do so in the draft given his size. It’d probably be more proper to say we had 3 great playmakers on the court last year.

One of the reasons we were able to do so is because 2 of them were 6’5+. Castle was legitimately the same size as one of the best perimeter scorers in the country and played elite defense. I’m not sure if these smaller (in comparison to Castle) could do the same thing if they had to play the 3. Especially defensively.

Castle was just a great chess piece to have for the team who was somehow amazing playing out of position.

 

[FearThePups]

I don’t think assists = PG. Cam is more of a combo guard than the true points like Newton and Castle.

If he was a PG he would’ve been playing that role and be in lined to do so in the draft given his size. It’d probably be more proper to say we had 3 great playmakers on the court last year.

One of the reasons we were able to do so is because 2 of them were 6’5+. Castle was legitimately the same size as one of the best perimeter scorers in the country and played elite defense. I’m not sure if these smaller (in comparison to Castle) could do the same thing if they had to play the 3. Especially defensively.

Castle was just a great chess piece to have for the team who was somehow amazing playing out of position.

Choo Choo… all aboard the Lewis derailment train.

 

[Umami Zen]

Tristen-Cam-Steph-Hass all had great ball skills as well as facilitating/initiating skills for our offensive schemes. In the half court or full court. Don't care what you call them. We had the most efficient offense in the country. Case closed.

 

[Mooch82]

I don’t think assists = PG. Cam is more of a combo guard than the true points like Newton and Castle.

If he was a PG he would’ve been playing that role and be in lined to do so in the draft given his size. It’d probably be more proper to say we had 3 great playmakers on the court last year.

One of the reasons we were able to do so is because 2 of them were 6’5+. Castle was legitimately the same size as one of the best perimeter scorers in the country and played elite defense. I’m not sure if these smaller (in comparison to Castle) could do the same thing if they had to play the 3. Especially defensively.

Castle was just a great chess piece to have for the team who was somehow amazing playing out of position.

Exactly the point I was trying to make. No one was questioning whether Spencer can play and did play some PG. But someone posted “We started 3 point guards last year” and all I said was “no we didn’t”…because no one with a brain would call Cam Spencer a primary PG (take the UConn system out of it).

 

[awy]

how are you taking the system out of it? hurley and co are still here.

 

[Mr. French]

Exactly the point I was trying to make. No one was questioning whether Spencer can play and did play some PG. But someone posted “We started 3 point guards last year” and all I said was “no we didn’t”…because no one with a brain would call Cam Spencer a primary PG (take the UConn system out of it).

It’s also exactly the point the guy you’re arguing with was making. So your point is fine, but irrelevant.

“Call” him what you want, we had 3 guards who can play the 1 role starting last year.

 

[KemBuckets21]

Getting too caught up in labels. It's about skill set, not traditional positions.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Exactly the point I was trying to make. No one was questioning whether Spencer can play and did play some PG. But someone posted “We started 3 point guards last year” and all I said was “no we didn’t”…because no one with a brain would call Cam Spencer a primary PG (take the UConn system out of it).

Not interesting enough to belabor but your argument basically boils down to "If we were conceiving of the lineup in a traditional 1 through 5 sense" we wouldn't have three defined point guards in the starting lineup which is true but completely irrelevant to the point of the initial observation, which was that we had three guys in the starting lineup who essentially functioned as a point guard in the context of a largely positionless offense. It seems like a strange thing to refute for anyone who watched the team play but, like I said, not really an interesting enough idea to continue debating.

 

[Mooch82]

Not interesting enough to belabor but your argument basically boils down to "If we were conceiving of the lineup in a traditional 1 through 5 sense" we wouldn't have three defined point guards in the starting lineup which is true but completely irrelevant to the point of the initial observation, which was that we had three guys in the starting lineup who essentially functioned as a point guard in the context of a largely positionless offense. It seems like a strange thing to refute for anyone who watched the team play but, like I said, not really an interesting enough idea to continue debating.

I'm exhausted trying to explain myself here so this is my last post on the subject as we have gotten way off track.

"We started 3 PGs this year. Our 3rd most prolific PG might get drafted in the top 5. Not really an issue for me, I hope it's not an issue for recruits."

The above was the initial statement. It was in response to the potential challenge of selling our program to multiple PG's, as players who consider themselves PGs may have particular expectations about handling the ball, running an offense, etc. I actually think Lewis is the only kid we are currently recruiting who considers himself a pure PG, so it may be irrelevant. But the quote above made it seem like we needed to sell the idea of a 3 PG type system to guys we recruited for last year's team, which I don't believe to be the case at all in the case of Spencer. Steph - absolutely...we needed to sell the idea to him that he could still carve out a PG type role playing aside Tristen. But for Cam - even though he did end play some PG and having some PG responsibilities in a position-less offense - never would have considered himself a PG and had any of these expectations, as SG is clearly his traditional position.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[auror]

 

[aburks41]

So many banners they all don't even fit in the frame anymore. I love this school

 

[pj]

It’s also exactly the point the guy you’re arguing with was making. So your point is fine, but irrelevant.

“Call” him what you want, we had 3 guards who can play the 1 role starting last year.

What's more, they'll all play the 1 role in the NBA. Witness Cam's 8 assists to 1 turnover and Steph's 5 assists to 1 turnover in their recent summer league games.

 

[LetsGoUC]

x.com

All great programs and then there is Syracuse.

 

[Zionn]

All great programs and then there is Syracuse.

was exactly my thought.......

 

[Deleted at users request]

I'm exhausted trying to explain myself here so this is my last post on the subject as we have gotten way off track.

"We started 3 PGs this year. Our 3rd most prolific PG might get drafted in the top 5. Not really an issue for me, I hope it's not an issue for recruits."

The above was the initial statement. It was in response to the potential challenge of selling our program to multiple PG's, as players who consider themselves PGs may have particular expectations about handling the ball, running an offense, etc. I actually think Lewis is the only kid we are currently recruiting who considers himself a pure PG, so it may be irrelevant. But the quote above made it seem like we needed to sell the idea of a 3 PG type system to guys we recruited for last year's team, which I don't believe to be the case at all in the case of Spencer. Steph - absolutely...we needed to sell the idea to him that he could still carve out a PG type role playing aside Tristen. But for Cam - even though he did end play some PG and having some PG responsibilities in a position-less offense - never would have considered himself a PG and had any of these expectations, as SG is clearly his traditional position.

Hope this makes sense.

FWIW, I don’t think we ever sold Castle on the idea of carving out a PG role during his recruitment. When he committed all the way up until he signed I think he was expecting for Newton (who was a senior and had senior day) to be moving on and for the PG job to be fully up for grabs.

We didnt learn Newton would be back until end of May when Castle was days away from being on campus. That situation was not something sold to him and more something he had to deal with unexpectedly because of circumstances. And he took it in stride and made the most of it!

 

[TheHorde]

All great programs and then there is Syracuse.

I would imagine that if he committed here that the Syracuse message boards would be filled with posts talking about how “lucky” we got again.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

We definitely got the highest praise out of the 8.

UConn: “UConn just felt different when I went on my visit. It was amazing. The players are really bought in over there. The coaching staff is super serious but they know when to joke. It just felt different. The practices were really quick. It felt kind’ve pro-ish. It felt different. So that was a really good unofficial and just a great school in general. They win, and you want to be in a winning culture.”

I love everything about this quote, not only with how Acaden perceived the program, but also in how his perceptions provide a little spotlight into his own awareness of his wants and needs in college. Seems like a great kid.

 

[Umami Zen]

Thanks for posting those quotes from Acaden. Hadn't seen them before. Sounds very encouraging. Gotta say-As talented as Acuff is-- Lewis as a 2025 PG in a UConn uniform sounds pretty good to me.