C Zach Brown

[Stainmaster]

Based on that writeup id say theres a slim chance he comes here. I like the UConn connection with his coach but its a moot point when him and his handler repeatedly mention the importance of being a top pick, which UConn hasnt been able to do consistently for some years now, and his belief that Duke is right for him because of Okafor. Okafor did what he did because he's Okafor, not because of Duke, and if he doesnt see that then I really dont anticipate him being a Husky, here to hoping im wrong.

But do I hear a "next"? If not then we still have hope!

 

[JimHurley]

Based on that writeup id say theres a slim chance he comes here. I like the UConn connection with his coach but its a moot point when him and his handler repeatedly mention the importance of being a top pick, which UConn hasnt been able to do consistently for some years now, and his belief that Duke is right for him because of Okafor. Okafor did what he did because he's Okafor, not because of Duke, and if he doesnt see that then I really dont anticipate him being a Husky, here to hoping im wrong.

I agree. Based on his quotes alone, I'd say he's leaning towards Duke. But, can you blame him. Okafor just had great and will almost definitely be a top 3 pick. I'm assuming Brown is going to be a one and done which UConn doesn't produce very many of.

 

[superjohn]

Based on that writeup id say theres a slim chance he comes here. I like the UConn connection with his coach but its a moot point when him and his handler repeatedly mention the importance of being a top pick, which UConn hasnt been able to do consistently for some years now, and his belief that Duke is right for him because of Okafor. Okafor did what he did because he's Okafor, not because of Duke, and if he doesnt see that then I really dont anticipate him being a Husky, here to hoping im wrong.

You're insufferable, so you've come to the conclusion today that Gilbert is Texas bound and Zach Brown isn't coming here.

 

[BUConn10]

You're insufferable, so you've come to the conclusion today that Gilbert is Texas bound and Zach Brown isn't coming here.

And in the chance they both do end up going elsewhere, what will you have to say then?

Look, Im not commenting here to bring doom and gloom, but I'm simply presenting things how I see them based on the recent trends. All of our recent recruits have had an x-factor reason for their commitments, whether it be due to their relationship with Ollie, good visits, are local, or like the program on a personal level. In Alterique's latest few series of comments, he has stopped mentioning Ollie by name and is now all about Shaka's connection with Richmond, VA, his home town, as well as his delight at all the big time offers hes getting. You all seem to look at everything through National Flag Blue shaded glasses, Im commenting on this issue from a more neutral point of view, the reality is UConn is not as attractive to elite recruits like Zach Brown like you all think. Guys like Gilbert though are our bread and butter so I am more positive on his outlook.

As of late, the trend for top guys who are legit NBA prospects, much like Brown, is that they desire the following: exposure (strongly correlated with conference and branding), recent history in the draft, and getting the "star treatment". All three of those factors are not UConn's forte. Our forte is winning when it matters, and that is probably the fifth thing being considered by these guys. Izzo said it best: "When it comes to recruiting, a recent lottery pick goes miles beyond a recent national championship" in terms of pull. UConn wins a title in '14 and all that happens is we take a step back. Prince Ali saw himself blow up and subsequently decommitted from UConn quite quickly and went to UCLA following the torrent of offers. Ask yourself "Why?" Because he didnt see UConn as "big time" enough for his standards, and made his decision accordingly, and this was following our 4th title, and he isnt even that highly rated of a prospect. The way recruits view UConn is vastly different than how we all do on the boneyard, and I look at how recruits talk about their "desires/wants at the college level" to determine if a kid has a chance of coming here. Clearly, when I saw Diamond Stone's twitter handle as "alleyesonme", I nexted the kid faster than I could blink.

Think of it this way, you are a top high school student academically nationwide in the field of biology. You are getting full rides from schools all over the country, and at the end of the day your goal is to get the best, highest paying job offer upon graduation. Do you choose UWashington who has been a skyrocketing up-and-comer in the field of medicine (UConn) or do you choose Harvard/Princeton. Pretty easy if your goal is a good job in my eyes.

Whatever, I dont want to be the arbiter of bad news, especially if we live in a fantasy land filled with rainbows and sprinkles like the yard. Ill just keep reading ridiculous posts like scrappy's claim that next year with Gibbs will be our most talented team ever and giving him "likes", people here eat that s*** right up.

 

[ctchamps]

Based on that writeup id say theres a slim chance he comes here. I like the UConn connection with his coach but its a moot point when him and his handler repeatedly mention the importance of being a top pick, which UConn hasnt been able to do consistently for some years now, and his belief that Duke is right for him because of Okafor. Okafor did what he did because he's Okafor, not because of Duke, and if he doesnt see that then I really dont anticipate him being a Husky, here to hoping im wrong.

I agree. Based on his quotes alone, I'd say he's leaning towards Duke. But, can you blame him. Okafor just had great and will almost definitely be a top 3 pick. I'm assuming Brown is going to be a one and done which UConn doesn't produce very many of.

Duke slant because it's a Duke interviewer if I understand this correctly.

 

[Huskies4ever]

I like how his guardian mentions UConn first in the schools that have shown interest.

 

[RipCity]

And in the chance they both do end up going elsewhere, what will you have to say then?

Look, Im not commenting here to bring doom and gloom, but I'm simply presenting things how I see them based on the recent trends. All of our recent recruits have had an x-factor reason for their commitments, whether it be due to their relationship with Ollie, good visits, are local, or like the program on a personal level. In Alterique's latest few series of comments, he has stopped mentioning Ollie by name and is now all about Shaka's connection with Richmond, VA, his home town, as well as his delight at all the big time offers hes getting. You all seem to look at everything through National Flag Blue shaded glasses, Im commenting on this issue from a more neutral point of view, the reality is UConn is not as attractive to elite recruits like Zach Brown like you all think. Guys like Gilbert though are our bread and butter so I am more positive on his outlook.

As of late, the trend for top guys who are legit NBA prospects, much like Brown, is that they desire the following: exposure (strongly correlated with conference and branding), recent history in the draft, and getting the "star treatment". All three of those factors are not UConn's forte. Our forte is winning when it matters, and that is probably the fifth thing being considered by these guys. Izzo said it best: "When it comes to recruiting, a recent lottery pick goes miles beyond a recent national championship" in terms of pull. UConn wins a title in '14 and all that happens is we take a step back. Prince Ali saw himself blow up and subsequently decommitted from UConn quite quickly and went to UCLA following the torrent of offers. Ask yourself "Why?" Because he didnt see UConn as "big time" enough for his standards, and made his decision accordingly, and this was following our 4th title, and he isnt even that highly rated of a prospect. The way recruits view UConn is vastly different than how we all do on the boneyard, and I look at how recruits talk about their "desires/wants at the college level" to determine if a kid has a chance of coming here. Clearly, when I saw Diamond Stone's twitter handle as "alleyesonme", I nexted the kid faster than I could blink.

Whatever, I dont want to be the arbiter of bad news, especially if we live in a fantasy land filled with rainbows and sprinkles like the yard. Ill just keep reading ridiculous posts like scrappy's and giving him "likes", thats really the key here.

The only "trend" you're actually following is people reporting new offers or quotes where the player would never bash the school of topic. You're perpetuating pessimism, not bringing anything of substance into what you say.

Also, Prince Ali decommitted because we kept on offering guards and he committed very young, not because we aren't big time. UCLA isn't more big time than we are in 2015.You're talking out of your ass.

 

[johnhuskies95]

And in the chance they both do end up going elsewhere, what will you have to say then?

Look, Im not commenting here to bring doom and gloom, but I'm simply presenting things how I see them based on the recent trends. All of our recent recruits have had an x-factor reason for their commitments, whether it be due to their relationship with Ollie, good visits, are local, or like the program on a personal level. In Alterique's latest few series of comments, he has stopped mentioning Ollie by name and is now all about Shaka's connection with Richmond, VA, his home town, as well as his delight at all the big time offers hes getting. You all seem to look at everything through National Flag Blue shaded glasses, Im commenting on this issue from a more neutral point of view, the reality is UConn is not as attractive to elite recruits like Zach Brown like you all think. Guys like Gilbert though are our bread and butter so I am more positive on his outlook.

As of late, the trend for top guys who are legit NBA prospects, much like Brown, is that they desire the following: exposure (strongly correlated with conference and branding), recent history in the draft, and getting the "star treatment". All three of those factors are not UConn's forte. Our forte is winning when it matters, and that is probably the fifth thing being considered by these guys. Izzo said it best: "When it comes to recruiting, a recent lottery pick goes miles beyond a recent national championship" in terms of pull. UConn wins a title in '14 and all that happens is we take a step back. Prince Ali saw himself blow up and subsequently decommitted from UConn quite quickly and went to UCLA following the torrent of offers. Ask yourself "Why?" Because he didnt see UConn as "big time" enough for his standards, and made his decision accordingly, and this was following our 4th title, and he isnt even that highly rated of a prospect. The way recruits view UConn is vastly different than how we all do on the boneyard, and I look at how recruits talk about their "desires/wants at the college level" to determine if a kid has a chance of coming here. Clearly, when I saw Diamond Stone's twitter handle as "alleyesonme", I nexted the kid faster than I could blink.

Whatever, I dont want to be the arbiter of bad news, especially if we live in a fantasy land filled with rainbows and sprinkles like the yard. Ill just keep reading ridiculous posts like scrappy's and giving him "likes", thats really the key here.

Good Lord, he was talking to a Duke website. Of course his quotes are going to make Duke look good. There are no "trends" based off of one article.

And I love how you mention "x-factors" about the kids Ollie's gotten. Newsflash, that's how recruiting works. You exploit your advantages. Don't you think that other schools recruit based off of the relationship with the coach and good visits?

 

[Leebo]

And in the chance they both do end up going elsewhere, what will you have to say then?

You would probably have been right for the wrong reasons.

 

[BUConn10]

The only "trend" you're actually following is people reporting new offers or quotes where the player would never bash the school of topic. You're perpetuating pessimism, not bringing anything of substance into what you say.

Also, Prince Ali decommitted because we kept on offering guards and he committed very young, not because we aren't big time. UCLA isn't more big time than we are in 2015.You're talking out of your ass.

Talking out of my ass? And you arent doing just that with some claim about him leaving because we offerred too many guards? And your proposed solution for this problem was for Ali to go to UCLA which only has a mere 5 guards on scholarship, 2 of which are the coaches sons? Ali is coming into UCLA with Aaron Holiday, another guard recruit. So he was more threatened by Will Jackson than Holiday, who has two brothers in the NBA both of whom were college stars? Right, im talking out of my ass.

 

[johnhuskies95]

Talking out of my ass? And you arent doing just that with some claim about him leaving because we offerred too many guards? And your proposed solution for this problem was for Ali to go to UCLA which only has a mere 5 guards on scholarship, 2 of which are the coaches sons? Ali is coming into UCLA with Aaron Holiday, another guard recruit. So he was more threatened by Will Jackson than Holiday, who has two brothers in the NBA both of whom were college stars? Right, im talking out of my ass.

He said "kept on offering guards". He said nothing about Will Jackson.

 

[superjohn]

And in the chance they both do end up going elsewhere, what will you have to say then?

Look, Im not commenting here to bring doom and gloom, but I'm simply presenting things how I see them based on the recent trends. All of our recent recruits have had an x-factor reason for their commitments, whether it be due to their relationship with Ollie, good visits, are local, or like the program on a personal level. In Alterique's latest few series of comments, he has stopped mentioning Ollie by name and is now all about Shaka's connection with Richmond, VA, his home town, as well as his delight at all the big time offers hes getting. You all seem to look at everything through National Flag Blue shaded glasses, Im commenting on this issue from a more neutral point of view, the reality is UConn is not as attractive to elite recruits like Zach Brown like you all think. Guys like Gilbert though are our bread and butter so I am more positive on his outlook.

As of late, the trend for top guys who are legit NBA prospects, much like Brown, is that they desire the following: exposure (strongly correlated with conference and branding), recent history in the draft, and getting the "star treatment". All three of those factors are not UConn's forte. Our forte is winning when it matters, and that is probably the fifth thing being considered by these guys. Izzo said it best: "When it comes to recruiting, a recent lottery pick goes miles beyond a recent national championship" in terms of pull. UConn wins a title in '14 and all that happens is we take a step back. Prince Ali saw himself blow up and subsequently decommitted from UConn quite quickly and went to UCLA following the torrent of offers. Ask yourself "Why?" Because he didnt see UConn as "big time" enough for his standards, and made his decision accordingly, and this was following our 4th title, and he isnt even that highly rated of a prospect. The way recruits view UConn is vastly different than how we all do on the boneyard, and I look at how recruits talk about their "desires/wants at the college level" to determine if a kid has a chance of coming here. Clearly, when I saw Diamond Stone's twitter handle as "alleyesonme", I nexted the kid faster than I could blink.

Think of it this way, you are a top high school student academically nationwide in the field of biology. You are getting full rides from schools all over the country, and at the end of the day your goal is to get the best, highest paying job offer upon graduation. Do you choose UWashington who has been a skyrocketing up-and-comer in the field of medicine (UConn) or do you choose Harvard/Princeton. Pretty easy if your goal is a good job in my eyes.

Whatever, I dont want to be the arbiter of bad news, especially if we live in a fantasy land filled with rainbows and sprinkles like the yard. Ill just keep reading ridiculous posts like scrappy's claim that next year with Gibbs will be our most talented team ever and giving him "likes", people here eat that s*** right up.

That was a few paragraphs of nothing, if you don't realize we are in a very good place with Zach Brown and Gilbert than I don't know what to tell you.

 

[RipCity]

Talking out of my ass? And you arent doing just that with some claim about him leaving because we offerred too many guards? And your proposed solution for this problem was for Ali to go to UCLA which only has a mere 5 guards on scholarship, 2 of which are the coaches sons? Ali is coming into UCLA with Aaron Holiday, another guard recruit. So he was more threatened by Will Jackson than Holiday, who has two brothers in the NBA both of whom were college stars? Right, im talking out of my ass.

Holiday is a 6' point guard. At that point we we're offering wings like Adel and Mack, we were close with Adams, and we had Jackson committed. Those are all guys capable of playing the 2 or 3 in his class alone. And what I said has been discussed before, I didn't just blurt it out today like you did because Texas made someone's top 5 or a player talked about Duke in an interview with a Duke columnist.

 

[BUConn10]

Word. So would a team with Gilbert, Taytum, Brown, and V.J. King in 2017 be our most talented roster ever? Please hit the like button at the bottom.

Honestly ive had a long day and dont have to energy to argue with each and every one of you to support my point. Ill just retract my statement and get back in line with the others.

 

[superjohn]

Word. So would a team with Gilbert, Taytum, Brown, and V.J. King in 2017 be our most talented roster ever? Please hit the like button at the bottom.

Honestly ive had a long day and dont have to energy to argue with each and every one of you to support my point. Ill just retract my statement and get back in line with the others.

You don't have a point, that's been established.

 

[Stainmaster]

And in the chance they both do end up going elsewhere, what will you have to say then?

You all seem to look at everything through National Flag Blue shaded glasses, Im commenting on this issue from a more neutral point of view, the reality is UConn is not as attractive to elite recruits like Zach Brown like you all think.
----
As of late, the trend for top guys who are legit NBA prospects, much like Brown, is that they desire the following: exposure (strongly correlated with conference and branding), recent history in the draft, and getting the "star treatment". All three of those factors are not UConn's forte. Our forte is winning when it matters, and that is probably the fifth thing being considered by these guys. Izzo said it best: "When it comes to recruiting, a recent lottery pick goes miles beyond a recent national championship" in terms of pull.
----
The way recruits view UConn is vastly different than how we all do on the boneyard.

I think you're way off the mark in terms of "nexting" Brown, a kid who has two years of high school ball remaining. But a couple of points you made are valid.

The NBA thing is an issue - our presence in the league has been on a sharp decline since our peak in the mid-2000s. We don't have Ray, Rip, Emeka, and young Caron anymore. Our only all-star caliber players currently on rosters are Drummond and maybe Kemba (if he stays healthy), I don't see Rudy gaining that accolade anytime soon. Our selection of pros isn't as appealing as it once was.

Mainly, though: we're all UCONN fans. We're subjective in our analysis of college basketball because we believe UCONN to be superior for nostalgic, familial, or emotional reasons. 99% of these kids don't have a predisposition to be particularly connected to the program. Obviously, diehard fans and alumni are going to have an extremely rosy view compared to any other non-included subgroup of the population. People cite statistics and title counts all the time in an attempt to objectively prove UCONN's superiority, but that only happens because those numbers support our subjective biases. You'll never see people on Duke or UK or other blue blood programs' message boards saying "Well, those Huskies did win 4 in 16 so they have us beat there..." because that doesn't support their own personal proclivities.

Bottom line, the average high school player will not view our program in the same light that we do. Sorry if it bothers some of you, but BU is on the money in that regard.

 

[BUConn10]

I think you're way off the mark in terms of "nexting" Brown, a kid who has two years of high school ball remaining. But a couple of points you made are valid.

The NBA thing is an issue - our presence in the league has been on a sharp decline since our peak in the mid-2000s. We don't have Ray, Rip, Emeka, and young Caron anymore. Our only all-star caliber players currently on rosters are Drummond and maybe Kemba (if he stays healthy), I don't see Rudy gaining that accolade anytime soon. Our selection of pros isn't as appealing as it once was.

Mainly, though: we're all UCONN fans. We're subjective in our analysis of college basketball because we believe UCONN to be superior for nostalgic, familial, or emotional reasons. 99% of these kids don't have a predisposition to be particularly connected to the program. Obviously, diehard fans and alumni are going to have an extremely rosy view compared to any other non-included subgroup of the population. People cite statistics and title counts all the time in an attempt to objectively prove UCONN's superiority, but that only happens because those numbers support our subjective biases. You'll never see people on Duke or UK or other blue blood programs' message boards saying "Well, those Huskies did win 4 in 16 so they have us beat there..." because that doesn't support their own personal proclivities.

Bottom line, the average high school player will not view our program in the same light that we do. Sorry if it bothers some of you, but BU is on the money in that regard.

Thank you Stairmaster. This is basically what my overall point was, I may have gotten overzealous in the write up and not conceptualized my words well enough.

I hope you guys realize that when a kid like Brown commits to UConn, I have a solid week-long high, so I really hope im wrong. But when I make a negative point in regards to a recruit, its because I am intentionally playing the desperately needed role (on this board at least) of Devil's Advocate. Its good seeing the issue from the other side, sometimes recruiting threads here turn into 300+ long strings of overly cocky comments basically anointing kids as Huskies or bashing lesser programs, then when the kid goes elsewhere everyone is surprised. We forget everyone here is a diehard UConn fan.

Go Huskies.

 

[caw]

Thank you Stairmaster. This is basically what my overall point was, I may have gotten overzealous in the write up and not conceptualized my words well enough.

I hope you guys realize that when a kid like Brown commits to UConn, I have a solid week-long high, so I really hope im wrong. But when I make a negative point in regards to a recruit, its because I am intentionally playing the desperately needed role (on this board at least) of Devil's Advocate. Its good seeing the issue from the other side, sometimes recruiting threads here turn into 300+ long strings of overly cocky comments basically anointing kids as Huskies or bashing lesser programs, then when the kid goes elsewhere everyone is surprised. We forget everyone here is a diehard UConn fan.

Go Huskies.

Brown and Gilbert will go where they go, but Ali is not a blueprint for them at all. JFYI, of all the bs coming out about why Ali decommitted, I haven't heard it was bc UConn wasn't big time enough.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Best thing that can happen for our recruitment of him is for Amida to bulk up and blow up. Kid's too young to remember Emeka in his prime.

Why does a kid like Zach Brown give a duck about player development? He is very likely one and done, no? He wants a school that features their bigs. He wants to be on the low block and dominate. That's not really happening at UConn; the guards clearly run the show here. Does Zack see himself fitting in with the offensive schemes?

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Why does a kid like Zach Brown give a duck about player development? He is very likely one and done, no? He wants a school that features their bigs. He wants to be on the low block and dominate. That's not really happening at UConn; the guards clearly run the show here. Does Zack see himself fitting in with the offensive schemes?

Times change. Obviously we're going through a period of heavy guard play, whih has won us two titles in four years. But, since '99 we've had a good amount of heavy post playing teams too. Emeka, Boone, Charlie, Adrien, Thabeet, etc. Who's to say that won't be in the near future?

 

[Huskyforlife]

Zach brown is the type of guy who makes you change your scheme for a year. I wouldn't worry about that.

 

[RipCity]

Times change. Obviously we're going through a period of heavy guard play, whih has won us two titles in four years. But, since '99 we've had a good amount of heavy post playing teams too. Emeka, Boone, Charlie, Adrien, Thabeet, etc. Who's to say that won't be in the near future?

I would blame that more on our inability to close many talented big-bodied recruits. AO had potential, but never made the jump to a college stud. Drummond was a one and done talent. Since then we hit big on a sleeper in Brimah, but we haven't had any bruiser type bigs that could contribute major minutes.

It's also worth noting that if your guards aren't a threat to score from outside, it limits your bigs. Hopefully we can prove to Brown that our style of play would be conducive to a talented big man. Enoch's results will be telling in that regard IMO. When you pair a couple capable guards with a big man like Brown, your team should have an efficient and well-rounded offense. If in 2016 Adams, Purvis, and *2016 PG recruit* prove that they can mesh with Enoch, I think it would ease Brown's mind in terms of fit.

Plenty of schools would be a good fit for someone like Brown, and most would build their offense around him. He's more likely just going to have to decide which school he can see himself calling his home for a year. Hopefully Boo steers him our way a bit.

 

[James]

I think KO can feature anybody... people say guards run the show here, but maybe thats just the product of not having talented bigs. Hamilton was put in a position last year to put up a lot of points, but was a below average shooter. I think KO would have no problem running lob plays and post ups for brown. He's familiarity with the staff/ alum is very encouraging

 

[azescobar]

There is a lot of truth in what @BUHusky10 originally posted. What we have to hope for in the next few years (starting immediately this year) is to change the modern perception of UConn to recruits. It isn't the 90s or mid 2000s anymore. We're not in the Big East. Every other school whispers to recruits that Ollie is leaving any second, and Connecticut is still cold as in the winter.

All that being said, there still is a ton to sell, including - Ollie as perhaps the best player coach in the game, new facilities, a rabid fan base, proximity to Boston/NYC, a great campus life, a national TV audience (still), connections to the NBA (through Ollie and a number of alums), player development, and a real family concept (led by Ambassador Purvis).

I'm cautiously optimistic about the 2016 and 2017 classes, and getting Gibbs to help showcase an improved UConn team next year would be huge. Hopefully the dominoes start falling our way..Miller may have been just the first piece.

 

[Matrim55]

Fantastic read on why the post-up is still essential: CLICKY!

Certainly brought Brown to mind. And - going off topic here - I think it's another reason why Okafor might be a better top pick than Townes. He's a clear No. 1 option who will always command a double-team, and has shown advanced understanding of court spacing to pick his passes.

Anywa... I sure hope we get Brown.