duffy:recruiting update

[6NCsMORE2Go]

I like what I see on tape about Amida but I'm with HBBF on this one. There's a reason he's still available and not chased after by the other big boys. Flaws in his games I'm sure but I hope Ollie has inherited Calhoun's ability to unearth gems. He's a big kid but being big isn't every thing once you play at this level. I'd like him and I hope he can be very serviceable.

 

[caw]

Assuming everyone is back and no more recruits, give me five things by next year and UConn will be very good.

1. Daniels and Wolf adding a bit of usable muscle/strength
2. Boatright working on his change of speed and strength (think Kemba btw soph and junior year)
3. Omar working on his handle
4. Olander getting some confidence
5. One of Facey/Nolan/Tolksdorf emerging as a reliable backup 4/5

 

[aboogieee]

Is Tolksdorf really a 4 though? I think he is forced to play the 4 given the makeup of our team..

What I would like to see from Tolksdorf when he is in the game is coming off screens and shooting. I watched practiced video where he and Blaney were working on that..

 

[aceboon]

Is Tolksdorf really a 4 though? I think he is forced to play the 4 given the makeup of our team..

What I would like to see from Tolksdorf when he is in the game is coming off screens and shooting. I watched practiced video where he and Blaney were working on that..

not sure if he's quick enough to guard college 3s. he hasn't had any minutes there so far so we really can't judge(or minutes at all really) but he seems more like a stretch 4 to me.

 

[UConNation]

I respect Duffy for his work. That said, I do not think that conference realignment will hurt basketball that much. ACC will likely have a stronger overall brand then than the BE and Big 10 will too. The SEC is weak outside of Kentucky and Florida. The ACC is going to be raided hard by the Big 10 and possibly SEC for its remaining good football schools; FSU, UNC, Clemson, U Miami by the end of this year. If anything it confuses recruits but there is not a stable conference out there for basketball.

Something I heard a few weeks ago, that I completely agree with, is that 10 or 15 years ago conference brand was huge in recruiting. However, today, when you walk into a 5 star recruit's house, you better be able to say "I've gotten "X" kids into the NBA, and this is how I'm going to get you in." Sure, I agree that playing tough teams in a good conference (like the BE of the early days) helps develop players and gets you media exposure, but the kids that are getting offers from all the top D1 programs want to know how their college coach is going to get them into the NBA. All of that being said, let's just give KO a year or two to get this machine going. He's a winner; everyone on this site knows that, and I guarantee he'll be able to sell that to recruits.

 

[Inyatkin]

Chad Ford draft rankings:

Shabazz: Overall Rank: 208 Position rank: 39
Boatright: Overall rank: 207 Position rank: 38

Not that this means anything at all, and is only one man's opinion, but I found it interesting that both are ranked incredibily low.

The fact that he has teammates ranked right next to each other on a list with that many names is a sign it's not all that considered. Really, there's no one in the country above Bazz but below Boat?

 

[ctchamps]

Like Omar but can't say I'm sold on him being a "big time" scorer with any consistency...........has a long way to go!!

I was thinking the opposite. He's taking a very similar path to Jeremy. Jeremy had a lot of ups and downs his freshman year. Both players have a three point shot which is streaky and both have a mid game albeit Jeremy was more into floaters.

I like OC's development. He's not getting lost on defense nearly as badly as early in the season and he's quicker to recover on screens. He's improved on his turnovers. The big difference between OC and Jeremy is rebounding imo.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Like Omar but can't say I'm sold on him being a "big time" scorer with any consistency...........has a long way to go!!

Interesting you should say that. I was just looking at Omar against two other wings freshman seasons. Here is Omar's offensive efficiency rating by game vs. JLambs vs. Stanleys. Whats really interesting is how they all bunch up at the beginning of the big east season. Have a look:

Omar is the where do I fit in stage. He can blossom like Lamb did or he can fade like sticks. We'll see.

 

[mauconnfan]

I like the potential Leon shows........could be a Niels-type only a better scorer........a year in the US can make a huge difference in understanding what it takes to make yourself better and these kids look like they are loyal and dedicated!!!

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I really hope that Omar shows a steep improvement curve. I think he is getting his playing time based on his rep rather than his performance. His passing and ball handling have not improved, his shooting is very inconsistent after his awesome start in the exhibition games, his defense is still not very good IMO, and he gets few rebounds. I would really like to see Giffey get more minutes at the 3 and continue to bring Omar along, but at a lower number of minutes. I wonder if it is difficult for him to be undersized at the 3...he gets lots of shots blocked. Jeremy had a definite drop off in his play during his freshman year, but he also showed a lot of flashes of his talent and his shooting form and touch was always apparent.