Darius Adams Decommits from UConn

[Zonepress]

Then you should stay I can’t blame a kid for wanting PT, and it’s become fashionable to blow off your commitment late if you don’t like your situation. Clearly winning doesn’t mean a thing.

This is gen is so soft. What message does that send a kid? Don’t honor or work, go path of least resistance with a losing team. I wish him well but also dont care how it turns out for him.

based on your line of thinking, I guess it would be safe to assume that if you were in a job where
“ you don’t like your situation” then you would stay there out of loyalty to your employer?
I think it would be prudent to remember that major college basketball is a job in which you get paid handsomely and it is not college

 

[Mr. French]

No more than any other kid I'd wish well. He's not a former Husky in my eyes.

Thanks for telling me?

 

[REB1094]

So he's still behind four guards?

Their four guards are significantly worse than our four guards, but kind of

I’d imagine he could play his way into some backup minutes if any of the transfers aren’t great, but there’s no super apparent chunk of minutes for him

 

[David 76]

Sounds like it's out of the frying pan and into the fire.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

One of the worst MCD AA performances I've seen in years. Kid was overmatched as Maryland will be if they are depending on him. I can't remember the last time I was less upset about a decommitment. Good luck to him and I hope he develops!

That "good luck" sounds pretty sincere.

 

[TRest]

That "good luck" sounds pretty sincere.

Having said all that, I wish the young man well.

 

[Mr. French]

That "good luck" sounds pretty sincere.

It’s so weird how people are going out of their way to tell others they’re rooting against him or just not rooting for him. Cool!

This isn’t a kid for whom I have any animosity, but even if I did I find it weird to proudly claim you’re not rooting for a kid to do well.

 

[DRBackup]

That "good luck" sounds pretty sincere.

Indeed. I wish him as much "good luck" as any of the other 8 billion people on Earth.

 

[willie99]

A nomad who spent several years at each of his last 3 jobs so I guess the meaning of nomad is now flexible.
6 yrs at Marquette
5 years at V Tech
6 at Texas A&M

Exactly, the man's a nomad, thank you

 

[Lafayette]

Sounds like it's out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Too bad Lonesome Sue wasn't in love with him - she would take him from the fire to the frying pan.

 

[Umami Zen]

At the end of the day-Adams made the right decision for himself and it simplified Dan's management of rotations and PT allocations. Win-Win. Buzz needs players-Adams needs PT. Win-Win. Time to turn the page.

 

[gtcam]

Exactly, the man's a nomad, thank you

Maybe look up nomad in the dictionary
If that's the case, then Hurley and 90% of college coaches are also nomads
You don't have to thank me.

 

[RuffRuff]

based on your line of thinking, I guess it would be safe to assume that if you were in a job where
“ you don’t like your situation” then you would stay there out of loyalty to your employer?
I think it would be prudent to remember that major college basketball is a job in which you get paid handsomely and it is not college

Does Furphy need to stay with us? Could Reibe go somewhere and start?

Do we really think this was a money play? What can Adams realistically be getting?

At some point if it’s about PT all freshmen beyond the top 10 should go a second rate program as a frosh for the PT if there is no desire to win.

 

[Scottzer]

Does Furphy need to stay with us? Could Reibe go somewhere and start?

Do we really think this was a money play? What can Adams realistically be getting?

At some point if it’s about PT all freshmen beyond the top 10 should go a second rate program as a frosh for the PT if there is no desire to win.

I’m kinda split between both of your thoughts. In the new era, a player like Adams is probably more valuable to a top program by developing elsewhere, getting up to speed faster at a lower tier, and upgrading his sophomore or junior season. I don’t think it means he doesn’t care about winning. I think his fastest way to contribute to a winner is starting in the minor leagues.

 

[Waquoit]

I’ll root for the kid. He was the first to commit. He got the ball rolling! I appreciate that.

 

[RuffRuff]

I’m kinda split between both of your thoughts. In the new era, a player like Adams is probably more valuable to a top program by developing elsewhere, getting up to speed faster at a lower tier, and upgrading his sophomore or junior season. I don’t think it means he doesn’t care about winning. I think his fastest way to contribute to a winner is starting in the minor leagues.

I hear yeah - but as someone mentioned he committed at a point his pt status was similar to what it is now. I do believe there is no substitute for PT, but there is also no substitute for the resolve to earn it:

 

[UC0NN]

Adams had a clear path to 10-15+ minutes per game, the caveat being if he was adequate or better.

One of Hurley's biggest weakness last year was backup point guard play. Adams clearly got recruited over with Smith. Adams playing time just went to 0, no path to any playing time.

Hurley did the right thing here. And since it is 2025, Adams did the right thing as well in this day and age. Even more so since he probably got a good bag while at it.

 

[superjohn]

I hear yeah - but as someone mentioned he committed at a point his pt status was similar to what it is now. I do believe there is no substitute for PT, but there is also no substitute for the resolve to earn it:

No he didn't, we didn't even have a point guard on the roster when he committed. He knew Liam, Hass, and Samson would be gone. Mullins, Reibe, Silas, Malachi, Furphy weren't at UConn yet.

 

[woodchuck68]

Just curious. Who here would turn down a significant bump up in pay if it meant moving to a diff city? Mayne not now but in your teens and early 20s? Does that make you a bag chaser?

Money aint the only thing in life, but it IS kind of important.

And the level of condescension around here - towards young men trying to legally make a buck today given that tomorrow's buck is not exactly guaranteed - is pretty wild.

This concludes my Ted Talk.

 

[Lafayette]

No he didn't, we didn't even have a point guard on the roster when he committed. He knew Liam, Hass, and Samson would be gone. Mullins, Reibe, Silas, Malachi, Furphy weren't at UConn yet.

He committed in October last year. He knew Diarra was out of eligibility and Nowell was at that time the PG for next year, while Ball and Mullins would be 2s (I think Mullins was not too far after Adams).

Thing is, all 3 (Adams, Mullins, Reibe) played at the McDAA and only after Silas and Malachi came in did Darius exit.

 

[RuffRuff]

No he didn't, we didn't even have a point guard on the roster when he committed. He knew Liam, Hass, and Samson would be gone. Mullins, Reibe, Silas, Malachi, Furphy weren't at UConn yet.

He thought Nowell and Mahaney would be here, and the other targets were widely known. It’s all a wash.

 

[Inyatkin]

Doesn't care about winning -- he's going to Maryland, not Southeast Texas State or whatever

 

[HooperScooper]

He thought Nowell and Mahaney would be here, and the other targets were widely known. It’s all a wash.

And before someone says that Demary/Smith are better than Mahaney/Nowell, I'd point out that in September 2024 everyone thought Mahaney (only 1 month later he was on the Jerry West award watch list and was a 3rd team preseason Big East) and Nowell (top 35 recruit coming in) would be really good. So I agree, it's a wash. Did the addition of Mullins and Furphy tip the scales?

 

[HooperScooper]

No he didn't, we didn't even have a point guard on the roster when he committed. He knew Liam, Hass, and Samson would be gone. Mullins, Reibe, Silas, Malachi, Furphy weren't at UConn yet.

Nowell wasn't a point guard? Mahaney was expected to be. Reibe has nothing to do with Adams. So again I ask, did the addition of Mullins and Furphy tip the scales?

 

[Umami Zen]

Nowell wasn't a point guard? Mahaney was expected to be. Reibe has nothing to do with Adams. So again I ask, did the addition of Mullins and Fury tip the scales?

Do you mean Furphy?

 

[Zonepress]

Does Furphy need to stay with us? Could Reibe go somewhere and start?

Do we really think this was a money play? What can Adams realistically be getting?

At some point if it’s about PT all freshmen beyond the top 10 should go a second rate program as a frosh for the PT if there is no desire to win.

I think he should go wherever he wants to
and never understood why people question someone’s motivation

 

[pj]

Nowell wasn't a point guard? Mahaney was expected to be. Reibe has nothing to do with Adams. So again I ask, did the addition of Mullins and Fury tip the scales?

I think the most likely explanation is that Adams is not a point guard but a combo guard and a year ago Hurley was thinking he could develop scoring combo guards into point guards; now after the Mahaney experiment he's decided it's better to go with a proven point guard. He may also want to go with proven portal players over high schoolers who need to develop. Maybe his view of how much development Adams needs changed as well.

Whatever the explanation, this was a mutual decision and it's not a case of Adams reneging on a commitment.

 

[superjohn]

Nowell wasn't a point guard? Mahaney was expected to be. Reibe has nothing to do with Adams. So again I ask, did the addition of Mullins and Fury tip the scales?

Mahaney was never a point guard and Nowell isn't good enough for this level. The staff brought in Silas and Malachi, two legit proven point guards and they brought in Mullins and Furphy who will get minutes at guard and forward. Adams and the staff knew he wasn't going to be in the rotation next season, it was a mutually beneficial decision for him to leave.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think the most likely explanation is that Adams is not a point guard but a combo guard and a year ago Hurley was thinking he could develop scoring combo guards into point guards; now after the Mahaney experiment he's decided it's better to go with a proven point guard. He may also want to go with proven portal players over high schoolers who need to develop. Maybe his view of how much development Adams needs changed as well.

Whatever the explanation, this was a mutual decision and it's not a case of Adams reneging on a commitment.

My sense is he would have been tailored to be a Newton type - tall combo/PG. I’m sure he was sold on that. It just wasn’t going to happen in year 1.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

That "good luck" sounds pretty sincere.

Quite frankly, I wasn't sold until he closed the post with an exclamation point.