Akok enters the portal

[bendm]

I know the sky is falling...

but stop with speculation about things that have no legs...just not fair to the guys.

It’s more of a Sophie’s choice than speculation. regardless Martial law has been declared until the chaos is under control. there is no civil rule or due process here anymore. Customs and norms are out the window!

 

[upstater]

I'm a big fan of Akok and I did think he deserved more playing time. I think he would've improved and become a key factor with more playing time.

 

[upstater]

I really won’t understand these kids that either red shirt or get hurt and use the school for development and rehab, and then go ahead and bolt. Seems like a really good kid, but we can certainly replace his production.

Development and rehab? He was available to play.

 

[Get a Job]

It’s more of a Sophie’s choice than speculation. regardless Martial law has been declared until the chaos is under control. there is no civil rule or due process here anymore. Customs and norms are out the window!

It's the opposite of martial law. It's The Purge!!

 

[August_West]

Eh, your original post implied that the staff was caught off guard by Cole and Martin deciding to move on after their (super-)senior year. Highly unlikely that was the case.

The Boneyard (sans Tenspro) may have been caught off guard, but not Hurley and co.

I implied nothing. I stated it wasn’t the same but we also lost 2 eligible players in addition to transfers . No mention of Hurley or staff. I knew Cole was gone in November I can only assume Hurley did as well.

 

[HuskyFich]

It’s more of a Sophie’s choice than speculation. regardless Martial law has been declared until the chaos is under control. there is no civil rule or due process here anymore. Customs and norms are out the window!

Lol, tell that to the players and parents who have burner accounts on this site...

Big picture thinking, I know....

 

[upstater]

I know this is a sad day for what we saw in his freshman year, but no one is going to make a g----hole joke?

 

[Icehawk]

Not surprised here after last season, I like the guy but unless miracles were happening he wasn't going to play much more than Springs.

Good luck Akok!

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Now this is a kid I will root for at his next stop. He's going to do great things. Didn't get a chance. This one is on Hurley for sure. I'm still boggled how Akok came in, blocked 3 shots in two minutes, got sent out and never came back again. What's the message there? Really likable young man with a bright future.

Kind of like how Hawkins came in this year, buried a few shots makes one mistake and gets benched. Hurley has to handle freshman better for sure.

 

[wheelerdog]

Anyone who didn't see this coming is blind.

Coaching malpractice. No other words to describe it. And don't tell me about defensive rotations or anything else. He'd give us a solid 6-8 minutes in the first half and then get glued to the bench. Or disappear for games at a time.

I hope he goes some place and proves what mistake this was.

Best of luck Akok. You helped restore the program.

 

[PNolanFan]

This one makes sense, could be good for him to get a fresh start, I hope he goes A-10 or something like that so I can root for him next year (not syracuse or providence)

 

[HooperScooper]

Akok Akok transferring from UConn men’s basketball program

Akok Akok, who came to UConn as a highly-touted prospect, is the latest player...

www.nhregister.com

 

[BGesus4]

It’s hard to argue that Gaffney and Akok transferring didn’t make a lot of sense for both the players and team. They both showed things on the court last year which prevented them from getting big minutes here in the roles needed from them, and they were things that were going to be very tough to change going forward: Gaffney with his pg decision making and Akok with his struggles carving out space/boxing out inside. Both guys have plenty of talent and hopefully are able to find places where they have roles that can let their talent shine.

 

[navery12]

What are your expectations for next season?

I find it hard to come up with expectations when we only have half a roster. I'll wait until the staff puts together the roster.

It's hard to get too specific like you said without knowing a roster, but would be disappointed if we're not in the tournament and winning a game. If we start losing legitimate contributors I'd have to re-evaluate that though

 

[AntG168]

With Akok gone is Jaiden DeLaire still a no go?

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Anyone who didn't see this coming is blind.

Coaching malpractice. No other words to describe it. And don't tell me about defensive rotations or anything else. He'd give us a solid 6-8 minutes in the first half and then get glued to the bench. Or disappear for games at a time.

I hope he goes some place and proves what mistake this was.

Best of luck Akok. You helped restore the program.

I love the guy. I'll be rooting like crazy for him whenever he goes. But like clockwork, he would come in, get horribly burned on defense a couple of times, and then be taken out. Basically every single time. He was not giving solid minutes, that's why he ended up glued to the bench.

 

[kobebeanbryant]

Not hearing so....

i really hope it’s not johnson, if it’s him i will be extremely disappointed.

 

[bendm]

It's hard to get too specific like you said without knowing a roster, but would be disappointed if we're not in the tournament and winning a game. If we start losing legitimate contributors I'd have to re-evaluate that though

IMO a top 8 of:
Newton / Hawk / Aj / Johnson / Sanogo
With Castle / Karaban / Clingan off the bench

Is already better top 8 than this year. We only had 6 guys that could play by the end of the season.

And I think hurley still adds another impact transfer or 2

 

[methodology]

i really hope it’s not johnson, if it’s him i will be extremely disappointed.

If that happens Hurleys job security should come into serious question.

That’s a culture/head coach problem and something you need to chop the head off to keep it from rotting the body

 

[Improviser]

Ya think Jim Boeheim calls?

Maybe Frank Martin. Should be PT there.

 

[Mr. French]

No doubt. Next year will be pivotal for the the DH era. If he gets the portal wrong, it will change everything moving forward.

Agree and disagree. If Cole and Martin came back, we could have been serious threats, but other than that relatively unrealistic situation, this coming year was going to be somewhat of a transition year.

I’ve had my sets on 2023-24 for awhile, and with hopefully another good class, that’s still the projection. If they patch the roster properly, which I’m confident in, and we also have a good balance on the roster, 2023 should be a big year.

 

[Candyman]

This one makes sense, could be good for him to get a fresh start, I hope he goes A-10 or something like that so I can root for him next year (not syracuse or providence)

He would be a beast in the Syracuse zone. Also they love to shoot threes. I can seem him there.

 

[Sonova]

This is a planned blood letting - i.e. roster management.

Maybe. But man, if it’s a planned bloodletting then it’s a multi-season recruiting failure of biblical proportions. So much discussion about DH on this forum has been what a great recruiter and culture builder he is (and that his shortcomings are in-game management, substitution patterns, etc.). The culture is all talk and I’m left having my doubts about everything right now (even with good news from the portal). He seems over his head at this level.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Agree and disagree. If Cole and Martin came back, we could have been serious threats, but other than that relatively unrealistic situation, this coming year was going to be somewhat of a transition year.

I’ve had my sets on 2023-24 for awhile, and with hopefully another good class, that’s still the projection. If they patch the roster properly, which I’m confident in, and we also have a good balance on the roster, 2023 should be a big year.

No. Those guys weren't getting any more athletic or better. Their potential was tapped out. It was time to move on and hand the reigns to Hawkins and Andre Jackson. Guys with much higher ceilings to be the best player on the court NBA caliber players.

 

[SubbaBub]

Wake up and smell the new millennium. Kids who are pegged for the bench as upperclassmen are highly likely to transfer to a place they think they can play absent another reason to stay.

I would have loved to see Gaff and Akok stay as UConn culture guys. We've had dozens of guys who faded into bench roles over the years and still contributed to championships. That's not the way it works now. Every program has open scholarships and playing time to offer thr right match.

Diggins was a bust of his own making by not earning court time. He belongs at a different level and will do fine there. Floyd looked at least one upperclassmen transfer ahead of him and likely got wind of a better recruit (Castle) coming behind him and didn't want to compete or didn't like his odds to be the guy. We have no idea how good he will be, but a top 150 recruit can be the man at another program. It's not a certainty here.

I hope to see a lot of Jackson at the 3/4 so. Hurley only really needs a serviceable guard than can play point snd hopefully shoot.

Hopefully this ends the mud season.