Andy Katz AAC 2018-19 Preview

[BFieldHusky]

Not sure where to put this so figured this thread might be the best. Interesting article on Memphis.

"This Memphis thing is going to work, isn't it?" an SEC coach said to me as he stood a few feet from Hardaway and Miller while watching the Hoop City Basketball Club win the Las Vegas Summer Showcase this week.

I told him the early returns suggest it will.

And the reason, or at least one of the reasons, is because Hardaway and Miller took on the challenge of rebuilding Memphis already in possession of some of the most established and deepest connections to grassroots basketball programs any college coaches have ever had. In fact, the situation is literally unprecedented, and here's why: Five of the top-65 prospects in 247Sports' Class of 2019 composite rankings -- namely No. 1 James Wiseman, No. 14 Trendon Watford, No. 30 Kira Lewis, No. 37 DJ Jeffries and No. 65 Chandler Lawson -- have spent this month playing for a team that was, just four months ago, named for, and formally tied to, either Hardaway or Miller.

How Memphis' Penny Hardaway and Mike Miller became the most fascinating duo on the recruiting trail

 

[Chief00]

I'm going to be in that South Coutny area this weekend I will look for the 6'5" dude in the Inspector Clouseau trench coat so we can talk some basketball and maybe golf? LOL

My bro lives down there and he says it’s gotten pretty conspiracy crazy. Reality was that Danny was leaving - some people don’t seem to get it. Somehow Jimmy just can’t live quietly by the beach with no controversy swirling! - LOL

 

[mauconnfan]

My bro lives down there and he says it’s gotten pretty conspiracy crazy. Reality was that Danny was leaving - some people don’t seem to get it. Somehow Jimmy just can’t live quietly by the beach with no controversy swirling! - LOL

I was in George's of Galilee a couple weekends ago and was stopped after hitting the mens room by a couple URI fans at the bar, they said "you stole our fn coach you bastard" which led to a nice little fun discussion and a round of beers that made my wife hunt for me 10 minutes later ...all good! We were with other friends so don't think I left her there alone people c'mon LOL

 

[Chief00]

I was in George's of Galilee a couple weekends ago and was stopped after hitting the mens room by a couple URI fans at the bar, they said "you stole our fn coach you bastard" which led to a nice little fun discussion and a round of beers that made my wife hunt for me 10 minutes later ...all good! We were with other friends so don't think I left her there alone people c'mon LOL

Yeah that sounds like South County.

 

[willie99]

We're always at our best when we're overlooked, or at least we used to be. If we're going to MUGA, then we might as well start with being disrespected

I like it

 

[Chief00]

Who was that opposition coach who use to say Calhoun woke up mad? Looking to fight someone.
I don’t know if Danny wakes up mad but he wakes up intense after he takes care of meditation or whatever.

 

[BFieldHusky]

Borges did his mid summer's prediction today. He had it as:

1. Cincinnati
2. UCF
3. Houston
4. Witchia State
5. UConn
6. Temple
7. SMU
8. Memphis
9. Tulsa
10. Tulane
11. East Carolina
12. USF

A midsummer’s look at American Athletic Conference men’s basketball

 

[HuskyHawk]

Borges did his mid summer's prediction today. He had it as:

1. Cincinnati
2. UCF
3. Houston
4. Witchia State
5. UConn
6. Temple
7. SMU
8. Memphis
9. Tulsa
10. Tulane
11. East Carolina
12. USF

A midsummer’s look at American Athletic Conference men’s basketball

I don't understand where people are coming from on some of these. It's a very tough league to predict, because so many teams lost good players.

1. UCF deserves the 1. spot based on what they have back, but I think they may blow it
2. Houston. Solid team even after losing Gray.
3. UConn
4. Wichita State. Never sell Marshall short, but they lost a lot.
5. Memphis. New talent, new energy from Penny.
6. Cinci. Lost almost the whole team but Mick will get them to play D.
7. Tulsa. Solid team. May be higher.
8. Temple.
9. SMU. Not sure what they have really.
10. Tulane.
11. ECU
12 USF

But the top 9 could slide almost anywhere. I may have WSU too high. Tulsa too low, perhaps SMU too. The whole league is up for grabs. There isn't an obvious tournament team in the mix, and only three teams are likely to be truly bad, maybe just two.

 

[Slasher]

I don't understand where people are coming from on some of these. It's a very tough league to predict, because so many teams lost good players.

1. UCF deserves the 1. spot based on what they have back, but I think they may blow it
2. Houston. Solid team even after losing Gray.
3. UConn
4. Wichita State. Never sell Marshall short, but they lost a lot.
5. Memphis. New talent, new energy from Penny.
6. Cinci. Lost almost the whole team but Mick will get them to play D.
7. Tulsa. Solid team. May be higher.
8. Temple.
9. SMU. Not sure what they have really.
10. Tulane.
11. ECU
12 USF

But the top 9 could slide almost anywhere. I may have WSU too high. Tulsa too low, perhaps SMU too. The whole league is up for grabs. There isn't an obvious tournament team in the mix, and only three teams are likely to be truly bad, maybe just two.

Cincinnati has never finished worse than 3rd in the conference. They've made the tournament the last eight years. They're not finishing outside the top four in the conference.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Cincinnati has never finished worse than 3rd in the conference. They've made the tournament the last eight years. They're not finishing outside the top four in the conference.

Cincinnati had much, much better teams in each of those years than they do this year. This is a crappy Cincinnati squad by comparison. They will play D, so may slide up if other teams falter. Everybody has a down year eventually, I think this is theirs.

 

[Slasher]

Cincinnati had much, much better teams in each of those years than they do this year. This is a crappy Cincinnati squad by comparison. They will play D, so may slide up if other teams falter. Everybody has a down year eventually, I think this is theirs.

I disagree completely. The teams from a few years ago were Sean Kilpatrick and a bunch of scrubs who couldn't score. This team has two senior PGs, a big-time scorer in Cumberland and the front court will be three juniors.

 

[CL82]

5. UCONN

Best player: Jalen Adams, who Dan Hurley wants (needs) to live up to that moniker every day in practice and in games.

Best newcomers: Brendan Adams, a freshman and brother of Jaylen (not Jalen), and A-10 Sixth Man of the Year Tarin Smith, a grad transfer from Duquesne who played for Hurley’s dad, Bob, at St. Anthony’s.

Biggest loss: Terry Larrier

Biggest question mark: Can Alterique Gilbert, after missing nearly all the past two seasons with shoulder woes, remain healthy? That’s the key to it all.

Hurley’s already turned around two other programs, and he’s got the talent here to do it again. Jalen Adams is the league’s best player. Alterique Gilbert could be AAC preseason Rookie of the Year a third straight season. Christian Vital averaged nearly 15 per game last season.

But there are question marks galore. Can Gilbert finally stay healthy? Can Adams be the best player on the court every night? Can a big man or two (Josh Carlton? Eric Cobb?) step up? Will a team dogged by bad habits and questionable poor work ethic the past couple of years buy into Hurley’s no-nonsense, high-energy style? (It’s telling that not a single player transferred after Hurley replaced Kevin Ollie).

 

[kobe]

Jon Rothstein‏Verified account @JonRothstein
Carleton beats Cincinnati by 19 in Canada. Bearcats now 1-1 on foreign tour. Ravens have beaten UC, Wisconsin, and others in past few years.

We suck

 

[Waquoit]

Calhoun inherited Cliff Robinson
Phil Gamble
Tate George
Steve Pikell
Gary Besselink
Jeff King

Hardly murderer's row. Especially since Cliff and Phil flunked off the team his first year. IMO, Cliff is the most overrated Husky player ever. There's a reason why he slipped out of the 1st round. And why the team got good after he left.

 

[Waquoit]

Right on most of them, but George and Pikiell were his first freshman class. Not sure he recruited them or if they were Perno commits.

Perno. JC's 1st recruit was Lyman De Priest

 

[Waquoit]

Perno was amazing People think we just weren’t competitive ,although partly true

The most amazing thing about Perno was his ability to keep his job. In 1982, his guys gave that Pat Ewing team that lost to Jordan their biggest loss of the year at Georgetown. By 11, on campus. That same team lost 7 out of their last 8 games, including a pathetic loss in the BET when it was held in Hartford fer cryin' out loud. Any self-respecting program would have sent him packing. UConn gave him four more years!

 

[Jaker]

I expect the Board will be in full meltdown half way through the season. LOL

 

[Madmannsucks]

I guess I am optimistic. Having said that, we will soon find out if coaching was the problem, or if these guys just aren't very good. One of the telling stats which MAY give us hope is the lack of assists. Time will tell.

 

[Guapo]

I don't understand where people are coming from on some of these. It's a very tough league to predict, because so many teams lost good players.

1. UCF deserves the 1. spot based on what they have back, but I think they may blow it
2. Houston. Solid team even after losing Gray.
3. UConn
4. Wichita State. Never sell Marshall short, but they lost a lot.
5. Memphis. New talent, new energy from Penny.
6. Cinci. Lost almost the whole team but Mick will get them to play D.
7. Tulsa. Solid team. May be higher.
8. Temple.
9. SMU. Not sure what they have really.
10. Tulane.
11. ECU
12 USF

But the top 9 could slide almost anywhere. I may have WSU too high. Tulsa too low, perhaps SMU too. The whole league is up for grabs. There isn't an obvious tournament team in the mix, and only three teams are likely to be truly bad, maybe just two.

I actually think you have WSU too low.

I can't imagine them finishing out of the top 3 in the league.

Marshall is far and away the best coach in this conference (until Hurley surpasses him, of course).

 

[Waquoit]

I guess I am optimistic. Having said that, we will soon find out if coaching was the problem, or if these guys just aren't very good. One of the telling stats which MAY give us hope is the lack of assists. Time will tell.

They didn't play team ball by choice. The Ollieista's called that the "isolation game." If Hurley can get them playing team ball it will lead to immediate improvement. Villanova played team ball.

 

[auror]

Re: the Cincinnati and Wichita St. can't finish outside the top 3 because they have the best coaches.

Do you guys remember in 2007 when UConn under Calhoun finished 12th in the Big East? Behind DePaul.
Or 2010 when UConn under Calhoun finished 11th in the Big East? Behind South Florida.
Or 2011 when UConn under Calhoun finished 9th in the Big East? Behind St. John's.

I'm not saying it will definitely happen, but generally when a team loses 9 rotation players like Wichita has, they tend to regress a bit.

 

[CL82]

I was a casual friend with Earl

Casual friend? I question your commitment.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Hardly murderer's row. Especially since Cliff and Phil flunked off the team his first year. IMO, Cliff is the most overrated Husky player ever. There's a reason why he slipped out of the 1st round. And why the team got good after he left.

They played two more years after that first year fiasco.
Cliff the guy who scored 20,000 pts in a very long NBA career.
Are you saying his UConn coaching never uncovered this potential ?
Does that career which also included at least one 6th man award and All Star appearance ,sounds overrated
With the exception of Ray,Rip and maybe one or two others no other Huskie achieved as much at the next level including a few fan favorites.
Cliff, & Phil would star , and maybe even Gary would start this year in league that can’t be compared to to the powerhouse that was the mid to late 80’s Big East.
Winning the NIT which those players did ,plus playing in that brutal conference enabled Calhoun ‘s future recruiting success.
Cliff had his foibles but being overrated as a basketball player certainly wasn’t one
In fact he was vastly unrated coming out of college ,going in the second round. He was the steal of the draft.
He did get the last laugh as he was by far the last player from that draft still making money in the NBA .
He is pretty far down on any list of over rated players in UConn history .

 

[Chief00]

Casual friend? I question your commitment.

LOL - Casual friend in this context was that I was just far enough removed from the full scene - I did not go to the Big House.

 

[StunningSteve]