Drummond decision expected today

[Connrack]

It is too bad if he leaves imo, for him more so than the program. While his unique physical talents ensure that he will be a lottery pick on potential alone, he is not remotely close to being ready emotionally. I am convinced he would be staying but for the post-season ban. Although that has little to do with the continued development he would have next year, it will undoubtedly affect his exposure, as most of the storylines are written in March, and if the ban holds no one will be paying attention to us. I don't blame him and those who are advising him for factoring that in, but I really do think this increases significantly the odds that he will fail to have a notable NBA career.

In my opinion, this is more collateral damage from the APR debacle. If we had a scholarship to give, we probably could have enticed Kris Dunn to join the team. With Dunn as a member, the Dunn-Drummond friendship would have been a significant draw to keep Drummond at UConn. Is this the first time, we haven't offered a Mac All-American from Connecticut?

 

[Scot-e]

This thread proves once agin that many UCONN fans are spoiled whiney biatches.

When you recruit a "one and done" player- you are getting a "one and done player". That is it. He never said he was going to stay more then one year and he picked UCONN over every other school in the country.

It is not his fault we had a below average year nor is it his fault that he was not as ready to contribute as we had hoped. AB skipped college all together to play for the Lakers and this board said he would never make it in the NBA. AD is going to do great int he NBA and I am fine with him doing the right thing and looking out for his family. If it was me- I would go as well.

 

[8893]

In my opinion, this is more collateral damage from the APR debacle. If we had a scholarship to give, we probably could have enticed Kris Dunn to join the team. With Dunn as a member, the Dunn-Drummond friendship would have been a significant draw to keep Drummond at UConn. Is this the first time, we haven't offered a Mac All-American from Connecticut?

I agree that it is collateral damage from the APR, but not for that reason. We're all just reading the tea leaves here, but I don't think he needed the draw of a significant friendship to stay. I think he quite liked it here, but he (and especially the people influencing his decision) needed to believe there was an upside to him staying that was at least equal to, if not better than, the guarantee he is going to get by leaving now. If we were not banned from post-season play next year, I believe he could be sold on the prospect of making another run, as well as the exposure he would get in the process. It is a given (imo) that he would develop far better by staying another year irrespective of the ban, but in the end I'm guessing he came to believe that it was unwise to risk injury and lack of exposure, with so little upside beyond better development.

 

[Taco]

I hope if he does opt for the NBA that he mentions the post season ban as a deciding factor - would like that on the record as add'l damage the NCAA has inflicted. At some point you'd hope the powers that be would take serious notice of them basically picking the winners and losers.

 

[8893]

This thread proves once agin that many UCONN fans are spoiled whiney biatches.

When you recruit a "one and done" player- you are getting a "one and done player". That is it. He never said he was going to stay more then one year and he picked UCONN over every other school in the country.

It is not his fault we had a below average year nor is it his fault that he was not as ready to contribute as we had hoped. AB skipped college all together to play for the Lakers and this board said he would never make it in the NBA. AD is going to do great int he NBA and I am fine with him doing the right thing and looking out for his family. If it was me- I would go as well.

I don't necessarily disagree, but you do realize that Bynum is by far the exception, not the rule, right?

 

[Cheddie]

Gavin Edwards would be an example of a big that DID develop well. He was not a high major recruit by any stretch of the imagination.

Gavin was so raw that Calhoun said it was a mistake not to redshirt him as a freshman.

 

[upstater]

I said developed to a high level. I forgot Adrien, but there's no way you can consider Oriakhi, Edwards, Okwandu, and co. one of the 3 best players on theirs teams (expect for AO sophomore year) and have legitimate NBA careers in store. I just think we can do better for an elite team.

??? Do you know where these guys started from? Okwandu came out of the blue, Edwards didn't start for his high school team, and didn't even manage to land an offer from Sam Houston St. and the like. I don't know what Karl Hobbs saw in him, but whatever he saw, it showed that Hobbs could detect skills for big men. As for Oriakhi, he was the biggest force down low in the 2011 NCAA tournament.

 

[Wolferowski]

Gavin Edwards would be an example of a big that DID develop well. He was not a high major recruit by any stretch of the imagination.

Didn't Gavin hurt our APR? IMO Hilton is a better example.

 

[upstater]

Let me start by saying i'm as big a UConn homer as there is. I always see the bright side in every player, even our boy Dyson when this board was imploding. With that said, I cannot name a single memorable thing, other than his tweet committing to UConn, that AD accomplished during his one year here. Yes, it's a small sample size, but I can't think of one (I went to every home game BTW).

Other than Majok (who shouldn't have been as hyped as he was, clearly), I can't think of another more disappointing year from a Fr. or So. with the amount of hype that he came in with. He was rated #2 in his class, and if you're not expecting much from the #2 player then what do you expect from any freshman? A lot of the disappointment resulted from the overall poor performance of the team, as well as his inability to mess with a player at the 4. The mask also hurt him as well.

I don't think he is remotely ready for the NBA, and I wish we had him another year so we could watch him develop into a special player. He's clearly a great kid, with exceptional basketball skills. And I can't be more happy than to have had the chance to watch him for 1 year in a Husky uniform, I just hope he can succeed in taking the path that has shown over the years to be very difficult for raw big men.

Good luck AD!

I can think of a lot of memorable things he did.

Too many to list, numerous highlight moves, from is incredible spin move on the baseline for a jam, to numerous alley-oops, to jump shots raining down on West Virginia in his best performance of the year.

 

[Cassius Klaiber]

Farewell Andre. It would've been great to have one more year, but when the money calls I guess you have to listen. Can't blame him for that. Thanks for all the dunks that got everyone with a pulse out of their seats, the occasional made free throw that brought raucous applause, and that smile that you wore on the court. The team never got it all together this year, but it was clear that you love basketball, and that made me love watching you play. All the best in the NBA.

 

[cordeodato]

If Andre is gone, good luck to him. He seems like a real nice kid.
Since we almost all agree that big men take longer to mature maybe you want to
shy away from signing a one and done big man. Andre had a decent year but to be honest
he didn't blow anyone away this year, especially vs the higher caliber teams.
That's not a knock on him. I hope he exceeds his presumed upside

 

[Robertelamin]

Nothing smacks of a petty personality more than sour grapes over unrequited devotion.

Andre gave us, minimally, a year of his basketball life.

As far as I can tell, the kid was nothing but positive about UConn through all the crap that has happened in the last year.

When he wasn't getting a lot of PT early, he didn't pout, complain, it, or otherwise do anything self-centered or destructive to the team.

He played with a broken nose, in a mask.

Can we just say "thank you for being a Husky", and leave the sour-grape, we got dumped nonsense in Junior High School, where it belongs?

Ironic. Maybe you should do the same with Dyson.

 

[M_Funkhauser43!]

I don't necessarily disagree, but you do realize that Bynum is by far the exception, not the rule, right?

Bynum is by no means the exception. Plenty of other post players who left college after a year or skipped it all together for the draft have had lucrative NBA careers.

AD could make $100,000,000 for his career without ever playing in all-star game, and people around here would still shake their heads and say it's a shame he left early. It's easy to make that call when dollars and cents aren't part of the equation for us.

 

[freescooter]

Bynum is by no means the exception. Plenty of other post players who left college after a year or skipped it all together for the draft have had lucrative NBA careers.

AD could make $100,000,000 for his career without ever playing in all-star game, and people around here would still shake their heads and say it's a shame he left early. It's easy to make that call when dollars and cents aren't part of the equation for us.

don't disagree. He might well have a lucrative NBA career. that doesn't really change the fact that his UCONN "career" was as decidedly pedestrian as it was brief. I guess in 5-10 years if he's a star, or even a journeyman NBA player, sme people will try to make a big thing out of his UCONN connection, but he didn't really have much of one. He might as well list Thomas Moore or Capital Prep as his school as UCONN.

 

[Rico444]

don't disagree. He might well have a lucrative NBA career. that doesn't really change the fact that his UCONN "career" was as decidedly pedestrian as it was brief. I guess in 5-10 years if he's a star, or even a journeyman NBA player, sme people will try to make a big thing out of his UCONN connection, but he didn't really have much of one. He might as well list Thomas Moore or Capital Prep as his school as UCONN.

Stop whining. I'm sorry Andre didn't make the best choice for your enjoyment as a fan, but it doesn't give you a right to passive-aggressively bash the kid.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Stop whining. I'm sorry Andre didn't make the best choice for your enjoyment as a fan, but it doesn't give you a right to passive-aggressively bash the kid.

Is this the first freescooter post you've read?

 

[Taco]

Don't know how KY deals with this 1yr (hello and goodbye) stuff - don't know about anyone else, but it feels dirty to me.

 

[HeGotGame]

Gavin Edwards would be an example of a big that DID develop well. He was not a high major recruit by any stretch of the imagination.

Edwards is my least favorite Husky ever. He killed our APR because he was too lazy to finish up his last three weeks of school and on the court he was the softest player we have had in the last two decades.

But this thread is not about Gavin. Good luck to Andre, I think it is the right decision for him, he has the potential to be a star at the next level I just hope his sake it all clicks for him mentally and he develops the toughness and work ethnic needed to be great.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Don't know how KY deals with this 1yr (hello and goodbye) stuff - don't know about anyone else, but it feels dirty to me.

Nah, we just need to bid high enough to get the good ones instead of Kentucky.

 

[UCweCONN]

I'd compare AD at this point to Stanley Robinson - both freak athletes who can jump out of the gym to get to any ball tossed up to them, but with otherwise limited offensive games. To me as a Husky fan, they both hold a similar place to me in terms of the roll call of Husky players. However, I will always hold Sticks in higher regard because he spent a career here and went to a Final Four. If Drummond hadn't come to Storrs as the second coming of Dwight Howard with huge potential while Robinson was less heralded, people would think it was crazy for him to leave now. I think this is a case of hype over substance. We'll never have a true comparison to Sticks now that he's leaving but if I had to guess, I'd say AD would have had a similar enigmatic Husky career. Remember, the NBA is filled with freak athletes but the ones with longevity have basketball skills which set them apart in some way. I don't really mind him being a one and done because I expected that when he signed. I'm just disappointed with the way the season went and the terrible shape his and other departures and the lack of recruits puts us in for next season. It's a very bleak picture.

 

[nomar]

He was a scoundrel, a cancer, and a loser.

UConn's record with Drummond: 20-14.

He did nothing while at UConn.

I don't care anymore- I'm done talking about Drummond.

Is this a joke?

I was just kidding! I want ALL huskies to be my bff!

Funny joke

 

[hungry husky]

??? Do you know where these guys started from? Okwandu came out of the blue, Edwards didn't start for his high school team, and didn't even manage to land an offer from Sam Houston St. and the like. I don't know what Karl Hobbs saw in him, but whatever he saw, it showed that Hobbs could detect skills for big men. As for Oriakhi, he was the biggest force down low in the 2011 NCAA tournament.

Begs the question why the staff is recruiting guys like this in the first place?

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Begs the question why the staff is recruiting guys like this in the first place?

Guys like Edwards, Okwandu, and Oriakhi? Probably to be part of Final Four and National Championship teams.

 

[upstater]

Begs the question why the staff is recruiting guys like this in the first place?

Because they have an eye for talent. The record is obvious: from Travis and Jake to Josh and Hilton and Hasheem and Emeka and Gavin and Okwandu. They find unheralded big guys who can play at high levels in the BE. Andrew Bynum and Andre Drummond are the only two top big men recruits I can think of at UConn, and yet UConn probably leads the NCAA in blocks in the last 10-15 years.

 

[hungry husky]

Because they have an eye for talent. The record is obvious: from Travis and Jake to Josh and Hilton and Hasheem and Emeka and Gavin and Okwandu. They find unheralded big guys who can play at high levels in the BE. Andrew Bynum and Andre Drummond are the only two top big men recruits I can think of at UConn, and yet UConn probably leads the NCAA in blocks in the last 10-15 years.

I do not deny that JC and co. are fantastic at developing big men defensively. Despite that fact, this year proved that you can't make a deep tourney run without offense from your big men.