See, this is something we have definitely talked about in the past, and it's a touchy subject. I recall
@aceboon saying I had an "agenda" regarding our big man recruiting, but last nights game actually brought some other posters to bring the topic up again.
UConn can return to "UConn basketball" in two ways: recruit bigs that come in with a true skillset right away (these guys tend to get drafted early so this enters the top 25/one and done game) or raw, athletic bigs who actually develop and improve year by year to become major players nationally by the time they are upperclassmen. Under KO we have had neither of these two things. What we are currently doing is bringing in raw, athletic big men but they aren't on the upward trajectory needed to compete for final fours or chanpionships, hell we can't even win the American regular season yet. Our front court was just significantly out-rebounded by Wagner, let that sink in for a minute. Look at the front courts the teams competing for titles each year are rolling out, how are we supposed to compete with that with our current system of developing the front court???
One big thing holding most fans back from accepting this reality was the unexpected title in 2014. The memory of that "magic" is still fresh, and many seem to think it's something that can be, and has, been bottled by the coaching staff in Storrs, but looking at the situation from a purely logical and statistical view makes that seem very unlikely. 2014, and even 2011, were quite literally carried by transcendent players. The way Napier was shooting in the tournament that year was other-worldly, guys that hot from that range simply cannot be stopped at the college level. Yet unless Ollie can show that he can BRING IN and develop a Napier or Walker of his own, this strategy can't be relied on. I know, this thinking that Napier wasn't KO's player is hard to buy as UConn fans because we know how involved KO was throughout both guys' development throughout their whole careers but it has some merit. Anyway...
I love the guards and wings KO has been
prioritizing on th recruiting trail, and it's true that in today's game an All-American guard is more valuable than an AA big man. Yet at the college level, having a reliable defensive
and offensive presence from your front court provides an invaluable anchor on those nights when your backcourts shots just aren't falling, or when they aren't reliable finishers (something else we suffer from).
I stand by my point that Ollie needs to bolster the front court right now, even if the 2017 class is basically wrapped up now. Guys like Durham are steps in the right direction but his lack of strength still makes him a project with a top ranking based largely on his potential for improvement down the line, as evidenced by the fact that he wasn't on any NBA radars for a freshman, he was still seen as a project albeit an elite one.
