amore: stone update

[intlzncster]

Well, I guess there's the Bill Cosby method. That's where KO gives him a drink of water and he wakes up in Storrs in a Husky uniform.

Hey, if it works, I'm all for it.

 

[upstater]

I've travelled a lot for work in the past, I quickly lost interest. I can't imagine a guy with Ray's wealth viewing being an assistant as appealing. It is a lot of miles and overnights away from home. When you can literally do anything you want with your time, that's not very appealing.

And yet Donyell Marshall does it. He didn't do so badly in his NBA career.

 

[intlzncster]

Trying to think of who has had success by mining the JuCo ranks. Cleanthony Early from Wichita State, certainly. Marquette found some guys there. We have Okwandu and Cassell, who were at least 3-year guys. Heck, Okwandu might be the only JuCo to win a ring since Larry Johnson (I'm sure there's been another role player like Okwandu along the way). But Chap wants us to join the A10, so clearly he's not very interested in winning titles.

There has to be another Johnny Selvie out there. Has to be.

One can always dream.

 

[CTBasketball]

The AAC is the reason. Don't kid yourselves. Opposing recruiters know this and use it against us. To think that the fan bases are fueling this rumor is unbecoming. Its the other way around.

 

[Jluc]

I understand the point about the conference hurting recruiting, its obvious. However, Tevin Mack and Derrick Jones chose to go to teams where the conference is no better than the AAC. Some kids see it as an issue, some don't. Hopefully Stone doesn't.

 

[mauconnfan]

I understand the point about the conference hurting recruiting, its obvious. However, Tevin Mack and Derrick Jones chose to go to teams where the conference is no better than the AAC. Some kids see it as an issue, some don't. Hopefully Stone doesn't.

Thank you, we didnt lose any of those guys because of the conference. Hey reality is it will be a difference maker in a few but there's always something with 17-18-19 year olds right?

 

[metsfan2323]

Can we recruit with the likes of Arizona, Syracuse, NC State, Florida State, etc., right now? No.

WTF is wrong with you? You are not really that stupid so why are you trolling this board?

 

[David 76]

[QUOTE="Hoophound, post: 1152085, member: 27 The AAC is not the reason Diamond Stone hasn't committed yet. Is it the reason we didn't get Mack or Jones? Maybe, but it could also be Purvis, Hamilton, Calhoun, Cassell, Samuel and Adams.[/QUOTE]

Maybe half right. I doubt there is a recruit in the country afraid to come here because of Cassell, Calhoun or Samuel. We can only hope Purvis becomes intimidating to recruits. Sometimes people sound like they think we have great depth while in reality we are looking to find a second guard who can handle the ball when pressed and a big who can score.

 

[Hoophound]

Nobody knew Sam Cassell wasn't a great player until two games ago. I think he's just in a shooting slump but that's another thread.

We have depth, we have a number of guards and wings. Just now we are finding out some of their limitations. Recruits are just now seeing our team play and assessing where they might fit in. Up until the season started we looked stacked on paper. And just as I said in 2011 and 2014, there is plenty of time for this team to turn into a well oiled machine and plenty of time for these players to start clicking. It's amazing how every year we "can't shoot" or "we're too short"or we "don't have ball handlers" then at some point in the season, it all comes together. Shots start falling and unexpected heroes emerge.

No way I am looking at this roster and lamenting how far we've fallen on December 4 and no way am I buying that recruits looked at our roster and thought "lots of minutes available".

 

[David 76]

Because we are fans we all got pumped up about the team. Some of us more than others. I agree that there is time to turn it around,
I just can't see a recruit saying "UCONN? isn't that where Terrence Samuel is? I'll pass." Or "Calhoun was a 4 star 2.5 years ago and while he fell of the face of the earth, I don't want to compete for playing time with him." With Adams and Hamilton you might get that reaction or.. you might not (see KY, Duke, Kansas, etc)
I would not want a player who is afraid of competing with Omar or Terrence. I'd actually prefer a player not intimidated by Hamilton and Adams

 

[UConn990411]

If you don't think the conference is a detriment, holy cow, I don't know what you're thinking.

Can we recruit with the likes of Arizona, Syracuse, NC State, Florida State, etc., right now? No.

Are they better programs? No.

Sooooo...where do you think the problem is?

Yes, the conference is definitely a factor, but I don't think it's the only problem.

Winning a NC and opening a practice facility should've mitigated the conference factor in the short term. It's looking more and more like this staff can't recruit.

 

[upstater]

Yes, the conference is definitely a factor, but I don't think it's the only problem.

Winning a NC and opening a practice facility should've mitigated the conference factor in the short term. It's looking more and more like this staff can't recruit.

How is Jalen Adams, Enoch, Daniel Hamilton, different than the Calhoun years?

That first championship team was stocked with Voskuhl, Ricky Moore, Khalid El-Amin, Rip Hamilton, Kevin Freeman. When you look at those names and compare them to the kids that this staff has brought in, there's not a great deal if difference. Moore, Voskuhl and Freeman were not top blue chips, while Rip and Khalid are not above the level of Jalen Adams and Daniel Hamilton as far as recruiting goes.

More than anything, the team lacks another guard for ball handling. You might say strategic recruiting is a problem for them.

But then again, I'm one of the few with threads posted here that the team absolutely needs ballhandlers, and I note that several of the people bitching and moaning the most right now told me I was crazy for writing that we need more guards.

Here's a thought: Boatright is gone next year!

 

[UConn990411]

Not sure what Daniel Hamilton has to do with anything.

And I'm a HUGE Jalen Adams fan - I think he's gonna be a top 10 player in his class. But people on here seem to want to ignore that the only big-time recruit the staff landed is a local kid who was a UConn fan growing up. Even with the NC/facility, they whiffed on every other big-time recruit they went after...and lost out to some middle-tier schools in the process. Is it the end of the world? No, but it's not something that should be ignored, either.

And let's not lump Enoch in with Hamilton/Adams. He's an excellent pickup and a heck of a talent, but he's also a complete unknown at this point.

 

[David 76]

I'm not blaming anyone, but the role players in 99 and 04 were far better than any role player we have now and better than a couple of our starters. I always knew our front court was weak, I didn't realize that our back court would look so bad even with Boat (minus the Yale game) being so good
I hope Purvis becomes a good starter and I hope Omar becomes a force off the bench. But right now a Kromah or even an Evans would be a big relief.

 

[intlzncster]

I'm not blaming anyone, but the role players in 99 and 04 were far better than any role player we have now and better than a couple of our starters. I always knew our front court was weak, I didn't realize that our back court would look so bad even with Boat (minus the Yale game) being so good
I hope Purvis becomes a good starter and I hope Omar becomes a force off the bench. But right now a Kromah or even an Evans would be a big relief.

The role players in 99 were also a lot older and experienced than the role players this year. Big difference.

 

[upstater]

Not sure what Daniel Hamilton has to do with anything.

And I'm a HUGE Jalen Adams fan - I think he's gonna be a top 10 player in his class. But people on here seem to want to ignore that the only big-time recruit the staff landed is a local kid who was a UConn fan growing up. Even with the NC/facility, they whiffed on every other big-time recruit they went after...and lost out to some middle-tier schools in the process. Is it the end of the world? No, but it's not something that should be ignored, either.

And let's not lump Enoch in with Hamilton/Adams. He's an excellent pickup and a heck of a talent, but he's also a complete unknown at this point.

I didn't add Enoch with Hamilton and Adams. I added him as the type of athletic raw young man with potential that we've had in the past with the likes of Josh Boone. In other words, a cut above Hilton Armstrong and Gavin Edwards, etc.

As for not being sure why Hamilton is relevant, I'm not getting you. UConn usually brings in one top 20 player. He's that player. Prior to him it was Deandre Daniels.

For the record, I do think the talent level is much lower this year. But I don't think that speaks to recruiting as much as it speaks to cycles in the program. Now, if you we do nothing else this year in recruiting, I do think that's a problem, because the cycle will be broken once Hamilton leaves early. Last year's team survived the departure of Jeremy Lamb but you can't count on that going forward.

 

[Stainmaster]

How is Jalen Adams, Enoch, Daniel Hamilton, different than the Calhoun years?

Since Adams and Enoch are local, it's obvious that it took absolutely no effort to recruit them...they were totally coming here regardless of any effort the staff put in...

 

[David 76]

The role players in 99 were also a lot older and experienced than the role players this year. Big difference.

Cassel, Nolan, Calhoun and Purvis are not young. You mean Lubin? T Sam? (same grade as Saunders and Mooring)

 

[upstater]

Cassel, Nolan, Calhoun and Purvis are not young. You mean Lubin? T Sam? (same grade as Saunders and Mooring)

Where was Rickety when he was Soph? Rashamel? I don't remember Rash being a lot better than Samuel. Voskhul developed into his position as a junior and senior. Nolan is the type of backup we've had for awhile here. Sometimes they've been better, like Souley Wane, and other times about the same, like Okwandu. Calhoun looked like he was going to be excellent as a freshman. I loved the kid's intermediate game, he never missed. It is crazy that this has happened to his career, but there we are.

As for Purvis, it's my take that the real Purvis we saw is the one who scored 20 points a few games ago, not the guy with the high ankle sprain.

Purvis can't make the offense work himself, but if they start moving the ball quickly and spacing the floor, he is going to be what we thought he was, a Jerome Dyson type.

 

[intlzncster]

Cassel, Nolan, Calhoun and Purvis are not young. You mean Lubin? T Sam? (same grade as Saunders and Mooring)

They've got a collective 4 years (approx) of D1 college basketball between them. It's experience (not DOB) that I was getting at here.

 

[mauconnfan]

Where was Rickety when he was Soph? Rashamel? I don't remember Rash being a lot better than Samuel. Voskhul developed into his position as a junior and senior. Nolan is the type of backup we've had for awhile here. Sometimes they've been better, like Souley Wane, and other times about the same, like Okwandu. Calhoun looked like he was going to be excellent as a freshman. I loved the kid's intermediate game, he never missed. It is crazy that this has happened to his career, but there we are.

As for Purvis, it's my take that the real Purvis we saw is the one who scored 20 points a few games ago, not the guy with the high ankle sprain.

Purvis can't make the offense work himself, but if they start moving the ball quickly and spacing the floor, he is going to be what we thought he was, a Jerome Dyson type.

Wasn't rash our leading scorer as a soph? And Ricky was playing great until the incident with Kirk King?

I agree on Rodney and hope you are correct!

 

[upstater]

Wasn't rash our leading scorer as a soph? And Ricky was playing great until the incident with Kirk King?

I agree on Rodney and hope you are correct!

Rash was a big recruit actually who did well when he was young, but then he lost his shot and became a really good defender. Which Samuel can also become. I don't remember Rash giving them anything other than glue minutes as an upperclassman.

As for Ricky he was a whipping buy for awhile. Just like Taliek, Shabazz and Boatright.

 

[David 76]

Upstater, we were comparing role players in 99 vs 14. That team had depth I would long for on this team. Ricky won a championship game for us. Okwandu is way better than Nolan (so far). Rash could shoot and T Sam can't Would you switch young Ed Saunders for Lubin? Albie for Jr.? I would. With Purvis not 100% we don't have a second ball handler.
I guess I don't get the point. You think the bench is better this year than in 99?

 

[UConn990411]

As for not being sure why Hamilton is relevant, I'm not getting you. UConn usually brings in one top 20 player. He's that player. Prior to him it was Deandre Daniels.

I was criticizing the staff for whiffing on everyone after winning the NC and opening the practice facility.

 

[upstater]

I was criticizing the staff for whiffing on everyone after winning the NC and opening the practice facility.

They whiffed on Jalen Adams and Enoch?