2026 Recruiting: Colben Landrew Official Visit (10/3)

[Mooch82]

He will let us know 10/15 on CBS who he chooses!

Where you seeing this?

 

[ec33]

Need a true 4, 10-12 minute guy. Sort of a big version of Malachi. 1 year of eligibility from a high mid major who desperately wants a real chance at a championship ring. Trust in staff.

UConn has the guy you want on the roster -- Koroma. But you won't see play serious minutes at the 4 because at UConn that guy in a 5.

UConn 4's are slow 3's with a little muscle. They handle the ball well and knock down 3's. They guard on the perimeter.

 

[DogMania]

It makes no sense to tske guys ranked 50-100 for development or roster filler. We’ll just recruit over them and they’ll portal out anyway. If we miss out on our main targets, I’m assuming we’ll try to jump in some others or just go portal crazy and try again next year.

I figured I'd chime in here.

The entire college hoops roster building is a cluster mess. I used to love following and celebrating the whole HS recruiting process as the staff added an array of young recruits that we get to see over a few years develop into talented players and likable young men.

Although UConn's turnover hasn't been nearly as bad as other programs, the fact that they clearly will have a bunch of open scholarships next year , but can't add but a couple to a few high school recruits who might not even stick around very long.

I have enjoyed watching some of the transfers develop and contribute at a high level such as Spencer, Tristen and others. Even though Cam was here for just 1 season, he gave us a ton of lasting memories and a NC.

We are extremely fortunate that many of our recruits have decided to stay for multiple years, but I just don't know if that's going to continue. I understand the importance of adding experienced transfers for important positions such as the point guard and center position. Having freshmen playing lead roles at those positions is not a formula for success. Freshmen centers usually foul at an alarming rate and young lead guards usually struggle when it comes to handling adversity and big moments, such as in win-or-go-home tournaments.

High school recruiting has lost its luster to some degree. This is simply the new reality.

 

[mauconnfan]

He will let us know 10/15 on CBS who he chooses!

Guess his announcement to be a Husky will be my 66th Birthday present then huh?😉

 

[navery12]

I figured I'd chime in here.

The entire college hoops roster building is a cluster mess. I used to love following and celebrating the whole HS recruiting process as the staff added an array of young recruits that we get to see over a few years develop into talented players and likable young men.

Although UConn's turnover hasn't been nearly as bad as other programs, the fact that they clearly will have a bunch of open scholarships next year , but can't add but a couple to a few high school recruits who might not even stick around very long.

I have enjoyed watching some of the transfers develop and contribute at a high level such as Spencer, Tristen and others. Even though Cam was here for just 1 season, he gave us a ton of lasting memories and a NC.

We are extremely fortunate that many of our recruits have decided to stay for multiple years, but I just don't know if that's going to continue. I understand the importance of adding experienced transfers for important positions such as the point guard and center position. Having freshmen playing lead roles at those positions is not a formula for success. Freshmen centers usually foul at an alarming rate and young lead guards usually struggle when it comes to handling adversity and big moments, such as in win-or-go-home tournaments.

High school recruiting has lost its luster to some degree. This is simply the new reality.

Genuine question, do you get less enjoyment from watching a guy like Tristen Newton for 2 years as a transfer than Jordan Hawkins for 2 years as a HS recruit?

 

[Huskyforlife]

He will let us know 10/15 on CBS who he chooses!

Source?

 

[Mr. French]

Genuine question, do you get less enjoyment from watching a guy like Tristen Newton for 2 years as a transfer than Jordan Hawkins for 2 years as a HS recruit?

Me personally (he did say he enjoyed some transfers' developmental paths) I do feel a bit differently. I like a home grown guy, as silly as that may seem.

I wouldn't say I like the transfers LESS, but I just root for the home grown recruits MORE, if that makes sense.

I gotta be honest.

 

[TheHorde]

Me personally (he did say he enjoyed some transfers' developmental paths) I do feel a bit differently. I like a home grown guy, as silly as that may seem.

I wouldn't say I like the transfers LESS, but I just root for the home grown recruits MORE, if that makes sense.

I gotta be honest.

Same here

 

[navery12]

Me personally (he did say he enjoyed some transfers' developmental paths) I do feel a bit differently. I like a home grown guy, as silly as that may seem.

I wouldn't say I like the transfers LESS, but I just root for the home grown recruits MORE, if that makes sense.

I gotta be honest.

Fair enough. I can't say I can understand that mindset at all but I suspect you're not alone. I'm just not sure why I should care if someone spends a year at Monteverde or Texas A&M before coming here

 

[RuffRuff]

Fair enough. I can't say I can understand that mindset at all but I suspect you're not alone. I'm just not sure why I should care if someone spends a year at Monteverde or Texas A&M before coming here

Really great point. The players are equally important and in most cases, coming from places where UConn has massive impact on their development.

There is simply more pageantry with HS recruiting. The courtship is very different. The announcement is staged. With the portal, it’s a 30 day compact window that floods with names and it’s during the best time of year to be focusing on the games. It’s like speed dating versus a serenade.

But once the kid is here it really shouldn’t feel any different. They’re just as important.

 

[ec33]

Me personally (he did say he enjoyed some transfers' developmental paths) I do feel a bit differently. I like a home grown guy, as silly as that may seem.

I wouldn't say I like the transfers LESS, but I just root for the home grown recruits MORE, if that makes sense.

I gotta be honest.

One of the nice things of having Furphy coming in and now County is that we are going to be able to have 4 years of Cam Spencer and watch them fully develop. Maybe not the fire, but BBIQ (and after their Hurleyization over that time, I am going to bet much of the fire is there, too).

 

[HW611]

Me personally (he did say he enjoyed some transfers' developmental paths) I do feel a bit differently. I like a home grown guy, as silly as that may seem.

I wouldn't say I like the transfers LESS, but I just root for the home grown recruits MORE, if that makes sense.

I gotta be honest.

I think the process of watching a kid come here first as a freshman and get better over time is super satisfying. Especially when they go lottery like Hawkins.

In a case like Cam, it was fun watching him play. But there’s less of a journey to be involved in. There wasn’t any growth to watch.

 

[navery12]

I think the process of watching a kid come here first as a freshman and get better over time is super satisfying. Especially when they go lottery like Hawkins.

In a case like Cam, it was fun watching him play. But there’s less of a journey to be involved in. There wasn’t any growth to watch.

Cam is a case I can agree with. But was it not fun watching Hassan Diarra grow from a guy who was stuck on the bench to a leader on a tournament team? Or Tristen Newton becoming an All American? Or Tyrese Martin go from a guy at URI to an NBA draft pick?

 

[Huskyforlife]

I think the process of watching a kid come here first as a freshman and get better over time is super satisfying. Especially when they go lottery like Hawkins.

In a case like Cam, it was fun watching him play. But there’s less of a journey to be involved in. There wasn’t any growth to watch.

Cam is a case I can agree with. But was it not fun watching Hassan Diarra grow from a guy who was stuck on the bench to a leader on a tournament team? Or Tristen Newton becoming an All American? Or Tyrese Martin go from a guy at URI to an NBA draft pick?

The truth is somewhere in the middle here. Watching freshmen grow is probably more satisfying than a transfer, but watching a transfer hit strides for us that he never hit at his previous stops still hits hard.

 

[RuffRuff]

Cam is a case I can agree with. But was it not fun watching Hassan Diarra grow from a guy who was stuck on the bench to a leader on a tournament team? Or Tristen Newton becoming an All American? Or Tyrese Martin go from a guy at URI to an NBA draft pick?

How about taking a beast like Tarris out of a totally dysfunctional situation and seeing him potentially grow into a game changing 5? Or giving a talented kid like Silas an opportunity to make a run for a championship. Reality is kids develop at different rates and it's highly variable in that 17-19 age range, so why not grab a kid that worked hard enough to upgrade their platform or development to get to that next level. Just as satisfying in my book. Whether a freshman or an incoming junior is irrelevant.

Feels like some here would rather adopt a puppy at 10 weeks rather than 6 months. Both need love.

 

[DogMania]

Genuine question, do you get less enjoyment from watching a guy like Tristen Newton for 2 years as a transfer than Jordan Hawkins for 2 years as a HS recruit?

It depends on the player, not how he got here. Tristen was such a clutch player and winner, leaving a lasting impression in my mind. As for Hawkins, I can barely remember he played at UConn. Does that answer your question?

 

[ju6381]

It depends on the player, not how he got here. Tristen was such a clutch player and winner, leaving a lasting impression in my mind. As for Hawkins, I can barely remember he played at UConn. Does that answer your question?

And I have a running loop in my head of Jordan getting fouled on three point attempts lol. love both

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Genuine question, do you get less enjoyment from watching a guy like Tristen Newton for 2 years as a transfer than Jordan Hawkins for 2 years as a HS recruit?

I've added consideration of a single year of Stephon Castle and Cam Spencer, and it brings a nice smile from deep inside to my face.

 

[DogMania]

Genuine question, do you get less enjoyment from watching a guy like Tristen Newton for 2 years as a transfer than Jordan Hawkins for 2 years as a HS recruit?

Looking at some of the posts after mine, I don't know how it turned into enjoying one player over another based on how they got here. My post had more to do with the HS recruiting ecosystem not being as exciting and fun as it once was. Once they get here, however they got here, doesn't matter. They're all Huskies that I root for and root for them to succeed.

 

[superjohn]

I honestly can't think of a player I enjoyed watching more at UConn than Cam. There's maybe a handful or so players all-time I enjoyed watching as much but nobody I enjoyed watching more.

 

[bendm]

I’d rather have a team full of transfers like SJU than a team full of one and done frosh like Duke. But We’ll always be somewhere in between so who cares.

 

[aceboon]

Source?

CBS Sports scheduled it on their YT channel

 

[Fan1978]

I think the process of watching a kid come here first as a freshman and get better over time is super satisfying. Especially when they go lottery like Hawkins.

In a case like Cam, it was fun watching him play. But there’s less of a journey to be involved in. There wasn’t any growth to watch.

The back end is equally frustrating. Hawkins left a very unfinished product and has struggled mightily. I suspect his nba career would have been more successful with an additional year of seasoning. Unfortunately, you have to take life changing money if handled correctly. Clearly, castle was ready but hawikns, andre and even donovan would have benefited from staying another year.

 

[aburks41]

Need that first crystal ball

 

[husky429]

The back end is equally frustrating. Hawkins left a very unfinished product and has struggled mightily. I suspect his nba career would have been more successful with an additional year of seasoning. Unfortunately, you have to take life changing money if handled correctly. Clearly, castle was ready but hawikns, andre and even donovan would have benefited from staying another year.

Andre was done developing. He is the player he is, basically. He just isn't wired to score.

Donovan is killing it in the league.

Hawkins not being able to shoot in the league was a surprise to most folks. He's just not big enough for the league. A year at UConn wouldn't have changed that.