All is not lost

[EASTFLA]

I hear a lot of gloom and doom here right now. Most probably saw or read about Iowa St. last year. They came into this season off a 2-22 season the year before. They finished 0-18 in Big-12 Conference games. Most players transferred out including their top 3 scorers. This year they made it to the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed and beat LSU and Wisconsin on their way to the sweet 16. We aren’t anywhere near that bottom, it can be done. Let’s go Danny. You have some work to do. Make us proud.

 

[bendm]

Idk what people here are smoking. We know Newton, Hawk, AJ, Karaban, Clingan and Sanogo are on board so Assuming Samson stays and Castle reclasses, then Our top 8 is already better than last year…

and Hurley isnt don’t yet. One more starting caliber transfer like Ramey and we’re preseason top 25 with sweet 16 aspirations

Perception is really out of whack with reality on this board right now

 

[EASTFLA]

So how do we get there:

Last year Cole, Martin, and Sanogo gave us 40-45 points a game. Can we get that out of Sanogo, Hawkins, and Jackson this year? Sanogo should be good for 20 a night because he is going to have to score. That would mean we need 10-12 a night from Hawkins. The rest of our team last year was spotty and inconsistent. I think beyond the 3 mentioned, transfers coming in, and freshman coming in are better than contributors we lost. What they lack is experience. Certainly there are a lot of if’s, but there is a path to be better. There is also roster spots that aren’t filled yet except 1 and he is a proven scorer. There may be others that could make being better more or less likely. The guys we lost in the portal were not going to make us better. The guys we have on the roster now and those not here yet could make us better. When the ball goes up in November, I predict we have a more talented roster than we did a year ago. That doesn’t necessarily mean more wins, we might be young. A lot will be on Hawkins and Jackson taking it to the next level. They have the talent to do so.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Sanogo would be the absolute Hardest player we have to replace and he's coming back. He is someone to build a team around. Guards can be picked up via transfer although preferably they would already know the system. If we can grab one more wing that can shoot and drive to the rim to go along with Hawkins we would really be set for next season. Any Rudy Gay type players out there?

 

[JonnyRI]

Sanogo would be the absolute Hardest player we have to replace and he's coming back. He is someone to build a team around. Guards can be picked up via transfer although preferably they would already know the system. If we can grab one more wing that can shoot and drive to the rim to go along with Hawkins we would really be set for next season. Any Rudy Gay type players out there?

Why set the bar that low? How bout donyell Marshall types?

 

[runner11]

We have a very good core and it's easier than ever to pick up good role players with the portal. The team will have a higher ceiling regardless and very well may be as good or better. The players we are losing are all going to drop down a level, save for Floyd who seems bound for PC. My biggest concern is coaching and Hurley's rotations but he may have no choice but to develop AK and SJ, which is a good thing.

We are just going to have to get used to experiencing anxiety in spring because that is the new reality. Things can still go awry but I have confidence in our staff to put together a talented roster. I remember him as a pessimist but I think @Tenspro2002 has the correct outlook on the recent developments.

 

[Tenspro2002]

We have a very good core and it's easier than ever to pick up good role players with the portal. The team will have a higher ceiling regardless and very well may be as good or better. The players we are losing are all going to drop down a level, save for Floyd who seems bound for PC. My biggest concern is coaching and Hurley's rotations but he may have no choice but to develop AK and SJ, which is a good thing.

We are just going to have to get used to experiencing anxiety in spring because that is the new reality. Things can still go awry but I have confidence in our staff to put together a talented roster. I remember him as a pessimist but I think @Tenspro2002 has the correct outlook on the recent developments.

Tenspro picking up endorsements all over the board.

Good day for Tenspro.

 

[ThabeetDown]

Good day for Tenspro.

And thus the world!

 

[Scoe]

We got work to do but were not as far off as people on this board make it seem.

 

[runner11]

Tenspro picking up endorsements all over the board.

Good day for Tenspro.

Tenspro inspires optimism as a voice of reason and the best way to "farm likes" is to bash Fishy. Weird.

 

[Chin Diesel]

So how do we get there:

Last year Cole, Martin, and Sanogo gave us 40-45 points a game. Can we get that out of Sanogo, Hawkins, and Jackson this year? Sanogo should be good for 20 a night because he is going to have to score. That would mean we need 10-12 a night from Hawkins. The rest of our team last year was spotty and inconsistent. I think beyond the 3 mentioned, transfers coming in, and freshman coming in are better than contributors we lost. What they lack is experience. Certainly there are a lot of if’s, but there is a path to be better. There is also roster spots that aren’t filled yet except 1 and he is a proven scorer. There may be others that could make being better more or less likely. The guys we lost in the portal were not going to make us better. The guys we have on the roster now and those not here yet could make us better. When the ball goes up in November, I predict we have a more talented roster than we did a year ago. That doesn’t necessarily mean more wins, we might be young. A lot will be on Hawkins and Jackson taking it to the next level. They have the talent to do so.

Mark it down. Sanogo won't average 18 points next year. I'll go on a limb and say 17-17.5 ppg.

 

[CL82]

Idk what people here are smoking. We know Newton, Hawk, AJ, Karaban, Clingan and Sanogo are on board so Assuming Samson stays and Castle reclasses, then Our top 8 is already better than last year…

and Hurley isnt don’t yet. One more starting caliber transfer like Ramey and we’re preseason top 25 with sweet 16 aspirations

Perception is really out of whack with reality on this board right now

I was with you until the last two words of your last sentence, which seem to imply that there are times the board is not out of whack with reality.

 

[uconngb]

Mark it down. Sanogo won't average 18 points next year. I'll go on a limb and say 17-17.5 ppg.

It's extremely difficult to average 20ppg in college, especially as a big man. I think you are on with this and that's all we need from him. It would be great if we could figure out a way to get 10ppg out of Jackson because I think we can get 10ppg out of Hawkins. Lawson is obviously a wild card, but if he can pick up where Cole left off, that's decent production out of those four and hopefully we find another decent scorer in the portal.

 

[HooperScooper]

It's extremely difficult to average 20ppg in college, especially as a big man. I think you are on with this and that's all we need from him. It would be great if we could figure out a way to get 10ppg out of Jackson because I think we can get 10ppg out of Hawkins. Lawson is obviously a wild card, but if he can pick up where Cole left off, that's decent production out of those four and hopefully we find another decent scorer in the portal.

Did we pick up another transfer? Man, I can't even keep up.

 

[AzHusky]

At my age I know I have trouble keeping up, but who is Lawson?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Did we pick up another transfer? Man, I can't even keep up.

You don't know about Lawson? Jesus I thought you were a fan. Kid is a stud. Huge pickup.

 

[Horatio]

We just had a mass exodus that we’ve never seen before. We lost five guards in two weeks and three players in 24 hours. We gained one player in exchange. The situation is correctable but the panic is understandable. And yes, we can absolutely have a far better team after all this chaos.

 

[NH Husky]

The Boneyard is nuts sometimes.
Cole, Martin. What possible good could come to them from playing another year of college hoops? Injury?
Diggins, Floyd. You guys haven’t proven nothing since you’ve been in Storrs. And your feelings are hurt because more solid options are being pursued? Afraid to actually compete for minutes? Yeah, that sounds like leadership skills. Thanks but no thanks.
Akok. The real tragedy here. It’s happened to us before. His best chance of landing something overseas is to get it a lower program and accumulate playing time. It just couldn’t happen at the expense of a improving top 25 program.
The walk on. Seriously?
Polley, Whaley. Sincere thanks for your dedication to UCONN. I think both learned a lot from their time here and improved the prospects of playing professional ball.

 

[imno1]

For those who thought our starters next year would include CFjr, Diggins, Gaffney, and Akok take a pause and see how the lineup shakes out. I believe Newton is better than the 4 mentioned above so we are off to a good start. With room now Castle can reclassify if he qualifies. That's another win. With Akok gone that really opens playing time for Samson (i hope he stays) and I suspect we sign another guard. I think in the end we should have a better team than we would have if the 4 had stayed.

 

[Lefty2one]

This situation reminds me of the heated debates a year ago about whether or not Bouknight should go pro. Half the board thought it was still 1995 and couldn't wrap their head around the fact that Bouk had to go pro, that he was already old for a lottery pick. The reasons they gave for him to stay were nonsensical to anyone who knows how the modern NBA and NBA draft work. Anyone who reads this board frequently knows there's a good amount of NBA-bashing and posters proclaiming that they haven't watched the NBA in 20 years. Well, I'm not interested in what those people have to say about a situation like Bouknight's because they are out of the loop.

The same thing applies here: plenty of our fans don't understand that this is the new normal in college basketball but because UConn has never gone through it before it's new and scary and half the fanbase is freaking out. The timing and chain of events can be scary: you have to lose players before gaining players.

We lost three players who wouldn't be in the rotation next season and a RS freshman who we've never seen play. We added one of the top, if not the best, available guards in the portal. We're linked to several other transfers who have proven to be better than the guys who left the program. These aren't HS recruits we're talking about here where there will be busts and it's a crapshoot, these are guys who've had success at the D1 level.

Think about all transfers we've had recently who came in with any level of hype. How many of them have been busts? I'm not talking about David Onorah, Eric Cobb, and Antwoine Anderson, who were desperation adds by lazy coaching staff on their last legs.

• Cole
• Martin
• Purvis
• Miller
• Larrier
• Kromah

They ranged from 1st team All-Conference to key role players.

If we sign a Fordham transfer whose peak season was 11 & 3, I'll start to panic. Until then, I'm trusting this staff and the new process.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

At my age I know I have trouble keeping up, but who is Lawson?

Fig Lawson, like the cookie.

 

[UconnFanDC]

Idk what people here are smoking. We know Newton, Hawk, AJ, Karaban, Clingan and Sanogo are on board so Assuming Samson stays and Castle reclasses, then Our top 8 is already better than last year…

and Hurley isnt don’t yet. One more starting caliber transfer like Ramey and we’re preseason top 25 with sweet 16 aspirations

Perception is really out of whack with reality on this board right now

Haven't seen these guys play together to see the chemistry. We just don't know but will have November- March to get it together.

 

[NH Husky]

Haven't seen these guys play together to see the chemistry. We just don't know but will have November- March to get it together.

But you’ve seen Diggins, Gaffney, Floyd, and Akok play together and are convinced their chemistry is better?

 

[UconnFanDC]

But you’ve seen Diggins, Gaffney, Floyd, and Akok play together and are convinced their chemistry is better?

The point was made that the incoming 8 are already better then last year. What proof? My point, we have not seen the incoming 8 play so we don't know if they are better

 

[huskyniner]

Man, I forgot about Shonn Miller. Would've been an all-time fan favorite Husky if we had him for 4 years.