2025 Recruiting: Dwayne Aristode

[husky429]

Totally disagree that he can’t start next year. It’s not ideal, but looking at where our other freshmen will be next year, he fits right in. And he has started this year and has held his own. He definitely needs to improve but he’s more than capable. I too think we need a better big, but Samson isn’t like having only Singare, that would be bad.

If Samson is our starting big, we are not a top-25 team. He's fouling over 8x a game per 40-minutes in conference play, doesn't draw fouls, can't make them when he does draw them, his rebounding rate is embarassing, and despite his length still doesn't block shots. He does nothing you need in a bench big, let alone a starting big.

Samson seems like an awesome kid and I hope he stays and gets his degree. He might have fit in during the KO era and backed up Amidah or something. We have moved on from his skill level.

 

[uconnfan68]

Yes, he is very far off from where Hilton was. You're bringing up Hilton because his improvement is practically unheard of. Expecting that is nuts.

Hilton also had a better rebounding rate, lower foul rate, hit a better FT% on a higher rate, had a better block rate, and double the assist rate of SJ his junior year. The foundation was there for Hilton to turn himself into a legit big (however rare the improvement) because he was a baller, not just an athlete.

^^^ this. Samson just doesn't seem to have the play-since-you-were-little skills. Also needs to be much stronger to hold that position. He gets moved out way too easy. Love his attitude and athleticism, but he needs more strength and skills.

 

[TheHorde]

5 and shooting guard.

I think Ross will develop into something very good in time.

 

[KemBuckets21]

Samson is well-suited for the role he has. Perhaps Singare develops into a player who warrants 10ish minutes a game, but not holding my breath. He looks like a 4 year player to me, perhaps a candidate to transfer if he is dissatisfied with his role. Reliable big man is key for next year.

 

[Kenny11]

^^^ this. Samson just doesn't seem to have the play-since-you-were-little skills. Also needs to be much stronger to hold that position. He gets moved out way too easy. Love his attitude and athleticism, but he needs more strength and skills.

Exactly. He should take some charges though because guys absolutely barrel into him and move him back. Might as well fall down.

I think if we had the experience of newton and Spencer he would be fine starting for us next season but without that we need to get an experienced and talented 5 and hope Samson provides a valuable bench role again.

 

[uconnever]

If Samson is our starting big, we are not a top-25 team. He's fouling over 8x a game per 40-minutes in conference play, doesn't draw fouls, can't make them when he does draw them, his rebounding rate is embarassing, and despite his length still doesn't block shots. He does nothing you need in a bench big, let alone a starting big.

Samson seems like an awesome kid and I hope he stays and gets his degree. He might have fit in during the KO era and backed up Amidah or something. We have moved on from his skill level.

I’m not claiming to know what he will look like next year, but players improve one year to next, usually and I expect him to. He is perfect for his role now, I agree, but I don’t expect us to be a top 25 team next year anyways, Hurley is the man but he can’t keep us in the top 25 every year. I expect next year to be more about our young players getting better and becoming studs so that the following year we can plug the holes and be at or in the top ten the following year. That’s why having Samson start and develop won’t be a stretch. Now if Hurley can plug all the holes next year and build a contender, then no he shouldn’t be a starter if we have solid pieces elsewhere, I just don’t think next year will be that kind of year.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

I hypothesized in my last post maybe he thought cooper and pat were the only freshmen he’d rather have than transfers. Do you buy that?

This is exactly what he said. I believe he said it at a clinic or something right after they both committed. Paraphrased "we only thought that there were a couple frosh that fit what we're trying to do. We went hard after them, but it didn't work out, so we'll go with transfers instead".

I dont remember the article, but it was within 2 weeks of the commitments.

 

[NJHusky]

Yes, he is very far off from where Hilton was. You're bringing up Hilton because his improvement is practically unheard of. Expecting that is nuts.

Hilton also had a better rebounding rate, lower foul rate, hit a better FT% on a higher rate, had a better block rate, and double the assist rate of SJ his junior year. The foundation was there for Hilton to turn himself into a legit big (however rare the improvement) because he was a baller, not just an athlete.

To be fair....Hilton also played more...this is SJ first season playing

 

[NJHusky]

Karaban's mom probably won't let him leave without a degree haha so I would bet he's back next season.

I have no idea what his plans are....but I'll post my previous .02. He got here a semester early, and he's been taking summer classes for 2 years and a full course load...my guess is he's close to graduating this semester, or maybe a few online classes away. If he comes back, I doubt it's because of a degree

 

[husky429]

To be fair....Hilton also played more...this is SJ first season playing

After his junior season, Hilton had played about 1000 minutes.

Samson will have played 700+ by the end of this season if we make a decent run. I get what you're saying, but he's had more than enough run this year to have shown improvement, but all we've seen is the same mistakes.

 

[superjohn]

I think Ross will develop into something very good in time.

Me too but I see him as a forward. He's a shooter but a small forward IMO. Ball is our only shooting guard. Really wish we had Cam for another season or could clone him.

 

[444JR]

^^^ this. Samson just doesn't seem to have the play-since-you-were-little skills. Also needs to be much stronger to hold that position. He gets moved out way too easy. Love his attitude and athleticism, but he needs more strength and skills.

Love your positivity, but I’ve noticed quite a lot of petulance and head shaking from Samson that’s been very frustrating to watch. Rooting for Samson and he’s electrifying to watch when he’s on, but his maturity level on the court is lacking and we will desperately need a starting big if Clingan does not come back(he won’t be back).

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

There is no way anyone would predict a summer where Samson improves enough to handle a starting position. That rate of improvement would be unbelievable. At this point, we need to be wondering if Samson is even able to handle a bench big role. A quality big in the portal and a strong off-season from Singare need to be priorities.

OK.
Now make the case for this being a prioritized argument for you to advance on March 8th

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

We definitely don't get enough of this all game long in the chat.

 

[husky429]

OK.
Now make the case for this being a prioritized argument for you to advance on March 8th

People are talking about recruiting for next season. I described why we need to recruit a big. Gasp

All you need to say is "Why are you saying this March 8th?" The ability to communicate concisely is a virtue brother. Put that noggin' to work, professor.

 

[upstater]

Yes, he is very far off from where Hilton was. You're bringing up Hilton because his improvement is practically unheard of. Expecting that is nuts.

Hilton also had a better rebounding rate, lower foul rate, hit a better FT% on a higher rate, had a better block rate, and double the assist rate of SJ his junior year. The foundation was there for Hilton to turn himself into a legit big (however rare the improvement) because he was a baller, not just an athlete.

To be fair, I was referring to Hilton's Soph. jump to Junior yr, not his junior to senior.

 

[Orc]

He’s a great culture fit and Hurley is going to invest in helping him reach his potential….he will most likely not be counted on next year like Ross was this year

He seems to be a project. Might take junior or senior year to see him contribute

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

People are talking about recruiting for next season. I described why we need to recruit a big. Gasp

All you need to say is "Why are you saying this March 8th?" The ability to communicate concisely is a virtue brother. Put that noggin' to work, professor.

Why not wait a month?

You know those who do the recruiting are thinking about it, and working on it, but it's not their priority.

It's your choice to participate in the discussion. Why now?

 

[husky429]

Why not wait a month?

You know those who do the recruiting are thinking about it, and working on it, but it's not their priority.

It's your choice to participate in the discussion. Why now? We're

We're on a UConn Mbb message board. We talk about things related to UConn basketball. It's really that simple.

If you're offended by talk of recruiting before the end of the season, feel free to ignore me.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

We're on a UConn Mbb message board. We talk about things related to UConn basketball. It's really that simple.

If you're offended by talk of recruiting before the end of the season, feel free to ignore me.

I wouldn't ask my question of someone who's dumb, uninformed, or unthoughtful on the matter.

I twice asked on the matter of priority. I accept that you've declined to go anywhere past the self-evident, "Because it's there" answer. And I've declined to engage on the several seeming 'invitations' to shrink or be correspondingly combative in tone.

I asked from a position of overall respect for what you offer here. Sorry if it caused offense.

 

[uconnfan68]

Me too but I see him as a forward. He's a shooter but a small forward IMO. Ball is our only shooting guard. Really wish we had Cam for another season or could clone him.

I thought we’d see more Apostolos at shooting guard.

 

[ctchamps]

Why not wait a month?

You know those who do the recruiting are thinking about it, and working on it, but it's not their priority.

It's your choice to participate in the discussion. Why now?

I'm waiting a month. There is some nuance in Samson's game I've observed that makes me believe he's starting to figure things out and is adjusting. Not enough yet for me to be conclusively certain but enough to want the remainder of this season to play out before dismissing him.

Besides this forum has made some predictions in the past that have been dismissive and inaccurate. Hassan for instance. The leap he's made from last season to this season on offense was not predicted. At best we thought him to be a player giving some rest to the starters. No one had him penciled in as a player to earn consideration for the 6th man award.

Then there was the prediction that Clingan should attend private school in order to be effective in college. Even the best posters come short occasionally with their certainties.

 

[navery12]

Maybe the people who don't want to talk about recruiting on March 8 shouldn't click on the thread titled Recruiting Visits

 

[JohnnyJr]

I'm waiting a month. There is some nuance in Samson's game I've observed that makes me believe he's starting to figure things out and is adjusting. Not enough yet for me to be conclusively certain but enough to want the remainder of this season to play out before dismissing him.

Besides this forum has made some predictions in the past that have been dismissive and inaccurate. Hassan for instance. The leap he's made from last season to this season on offense was not predicted. At best we thought him to be a player giving some rest to the starters. No one had him penciled in as a player to earn consideration for the 6th man award.

Then there was the prediction that Clingan should attend private school in order to be effective in college. Even the best posters come short occasionally with their certainties.

Diarra improved his shot dramatically which was a major thing holding him back last year. I still don’t think he should be our starter next year, maybe as a stopgap until Nowell is ready. SJ hasn’t shown anything since the beginning of the season. Sure he could improve to be a better backup but we’d be taking a massive risk betting on him improving to a starter

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Maybe the people who don't want to talk about recruiting on March 8 shouldn't click on the thread titled Recruiting Visits

Maybe.

Then again, increasingly forceful arguments about the suitability or prospects regarding a player we'd like to perform as well as possible for as many as 10 more games has a relationship to the title "Recruiting Visits," but wasn't likely what anybody reading the OP came here with that conversation in mind.

It took nearly 2 pages before any such mention appeared, and nearly another page before it got comment, and thereafter it has become a greater object of interest and discussion than the initial comment about visits & staff efforts during a part of the season when the staff & team are identifiably focused on the game tomorrow, the pre-season goal of the BET championship, and the subsequent goals of winning the East Regional and the National Championship.

As usually happens here, posters with thoughts & opinions that range from casually optimistic speculation to strongly voiced certainty that the optimistic notions are foolhardy create the familiar self-perpetuating loop that responds to a greater felt pressure to apply more force to seek resolution on a matter that is tangential to the title Recruiting Visits.

In that sense, the discussion moves more closely toward transfer speculation, though from a reverse angle that has arisen from how significant the Transfer Portal has become to roster construction in an age of multiple recruiting avenues. That shouldn't be hard to recognize.

 

[husky429]

Maybe.

Then again, increasingly forceful arguments about the suitability or prospects regarding a player we'd like to perform as well as possible for as many as 10 more games has a relationship to the title "Recruiting Visits," but wasn't likely what anybody reading the OP came here with that conversation in mind.

It took nearly 2 pages before any such mention appeared, and nearly another page before it got comment, and thereafter it has become a greater object of interest and discussion than the initial comment about visits & staff efforts during a part of the season when the staff & team are identifiably focused on the game tomorrow, the pre-season goal of the BET championship, and the subsequent goals of winning the East Regional and the National Championship.

As usually happens here, posters with thoughts & opinions that range from casually optimistic speculation to strongly voiced certainty that the optimistic notions are foolhardy create the familiar self-perpetuating loop that responds to a greater felt pressure to apply more force to seek resolution on a matter that is tangential to the title Recruiting Visits.

In that sense, the discussion moves more closely toward transfer speculation, though from a reverse angle that has arisen from how significant the Transfer Portal has become to roster construction in an age of multiple recruiting avenues. That shouldn't be hard to recognize.

I managed to read all of this and I don't see a convincing argument why a person who doesn't want to discuss recruiting would read this thread. Better yet, why respond at all when you see it turn in a direction you aren't interested in reading yet?

Your claim that we're moving towards x'fer speculation is weak.

 

[Jbirdp5]

Maybe.

Then again, increasingly forceful arguments about the suitability or prospects regarding a player we'd like to perform as well as possible for as many as 10 more games has a relationship to the title "Recruiting Visits," but wasn't likely what anybody reading the OP came here with that conversation in mind.

It took nearly 2 pages before any such mention appeared, and nearly another page before it got comment, and thereafter it has become a greater object of interest and discussion than the initial comment about visits & staff efforts during a part of the season when the staff & team are identifiably focused on the game tomorrow, the pre-season goal of the BET championship, and the subsequent goals of winning the East Regional and the National Championship.

As usually happens here, posters with thoughts & opinions that range from casually optimistic speculation to strongly voiced certainty that the optimistic notions are foolhardy create the familiar self-perpetuating loop that responds to a greater felt pressure to apply more force to seek resolution on a matter that is tangential to the title Recruiting Visits.

In that sense, the discussion moves more closely toward transfer speculation, though from a reverse angle that has arisen from how significant the Transfer Portal has become to roster construction in an age of multiple recruiting avenues. That shouldn't be hard to recognize.

I cannot really understand the point you are trying to make here, and I read it like 3 times…..but are you trying to say this thread could distract people actually on the team from their goal of winning the big east tournament?

 

[UCfor3]

I can walk and chew gum at the same time. You can bet the coaches can too. Recruiting is a year round thing. Duke just got a major recruit the other day. Kansas may steal the Indiana recruit. I'm sure their fans have aspirations for this season as well. Planning ahead is what programs do so it's going to be discussed. Just don't speculate on transfers and don't be disrepectful to the student athletes.

 

[UCTitleTown]

I can walk and chew gum at the same time. You can bet the coaches can too. Recruiting is a year round thing. Duke just got a major recruit the other day. Kansas may steal the Indiana recruit. I'm sure their fans have aspirations for this season as well. Planning ahead is what programs do so it's going to be discussed. Just don't speculate on transfers and don't be disrepectful to the student athletes.

Duke has gotten as many top recruits in 2024 than we have in the past 10 years. I honestly don't get it.

 

[Sole]

Duke has gotten as many top recruits in 2024 than we have in the past 10 years. I honestly don't get it.

We win it again this year…that might change