Entering the portal - 2026

[RuffRuff]

 

[TrueBlue22]

He'd be a get, 3 years left. Hurley likes players he's seen in person. Wonder if there was a wink wink in the handshake line after.

He’s from Massachusetts also. Or at least born there.

 

[Brochacho]

@RuffRuff Every Big East team is terrible and the conference is a mid-major.

Also @RuffRuff Some rando guard who averaged 25 mpg game and I don't recall at all despite having watched about 8 SHU games this year is a big loss for the Pirates.


Clark and Hines are decent players that will also not have a lot of options unless they want to sit at the end of a bench at a bigger program, probably for less money. The VTech/Syracuse/Pitt caliber schools that may show interest are not upgrades and are unlikely to pay much more than SHU.

You're severely underrating Hines. Freshman center who shot 60% from the field while being 19th in OR% and 2nd in Block% in a power league. Beast.

 

[DRBackup]

Look at the player rosters for some of those agents.

They’d move a kid for a few hundred extra dollars.

Yeah, at this point they're making bank on volume alone.

 

[HW611]

I feel like basically everyone is going to be told to enter the portal because these agents are looking to max their prospects. It’s gonna be a disaster for some.

The entire MAAC is going to be in the portal. I would say that the top 30-40 players in that conference are gone.

I wonder if the trend in college football carries over to CBB.

Guys entered the winter portal in CFB just to drive their value up in negotiations with the school they were transferring from. A lot of cases of guys coming back.

 

[DRBackup]

Suffice to say, at this point, there will be OODLES of talent available in the portal and we can trust in Hurley to do right by the team in getting the right guys to come. And who in their right mind doesn't want to get on this train ?

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Do we need a "shooter" there?

I would be shocked if we don’t get someone that can shoot there. It would wildly change our offensive system.

 

[RuffRuff]

I would be shocked if we don’t get someone that can shoot there. It would wildly change our offensive system.

Alongside Reibe, I feel like it's lower priority especially if we have shooting at the 1-3, and a 5 that can shoot it from 3.

This guy - we get it Cal, you don't like the portal. You want the system to go back to how you prefer it, hoarding OAD's with the promise of NBA dreams. Rolling it out there and giving them finance classes.

 

[navery12]

Alongside Reibe, I feel like it's lower priority especially if we have shooting at the 1-3, and a 5 that can shoot it from 3.

We're going to have a guy that can shoot at the 4. Reibe took 13 3's all year and 5 of them were against Arizona. It's a nice skill that hopefully teams will have to respect, but it's not something we're going to be relying on in our offense

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Alongside Reibe, I feel like it's lower priority especially if we have shooting at the 1-3, and a 5 that can shoot it from 3.

This guy - we get it Cal, you don't like the portal. You want the system to go back to how you prefer it, hoarding OAD's with the promise of NBA dreams. Rolling it out there and giving them finance classes.

A. What @navery12 said

B. Just replacing AK’s threes with threes from Reibe (which won’t happen) is not close to the entirety of it. They’re not running Reibe through complex actions and defenses won’t have to defend him nearly the way they do AK.

 

[businesslawyer]

I wonder if the trend in college football carries over to CBB.

Guys entered the winter portal in CFB just to drive their value up in negotiations with the school they were transferring from. A lot of cases of guys coming back.

Doesn’t it has to go that way? Even if you want to go back to your current school, don’t you owe it to yourself to learn if someone else would offer you three times the amount?

 

[tuvent08]

Alongside Reibe, I feel like it's lower priority especially if we have shooting at the 1-3, and a 5 that can shoot it from 3.

This guy - we get it Cal, you don't like the portal. You want the system to go back to how you prefer it, hoarding OAD's with the promise of NBA dreams. Rolling it out there and giving them finance classes.

So, Cal is saying he could have coached BYU in 1995. Okay.

 

[Fan1978]

The money is insane, fairfield offered brandon benjamin 600k to stay and he is in the portal. The second big freshman is signed and staying

 

[Fan1978]

Syracuse board says Tyler Betsey has entered the portal. #1 prospect in Connecticut in 2024. Hasn’t done much at Cincy or Cuse?

Hard pass

 

[husky429]

Do we need a "shooter" there?

Yes. Glad I could clear that up for ya.

 

[RuffRuff]

didn't see this kid play a lick, but nice numbers and size.

 

[HW611]

Doesn’t it has to go that way? Even if you want to go back to your current school, don’t you owe it to yourself to learn if someone else would offer you three times the amount?

Yeah it’s the smart thing to do.

I feel like when players hit the portal in previous year they were gone. That wasn’t the case in college football this winter. So I’m curious to see if we see the same for college hoops this spring.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Is Patrick Ngongba really a first round draft pick? Reed dominated him completely. I just don't think he's all that great, but it is a weak class for centers.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Is Patrick Ngongba really a first round draft pick? Reed dominated him completely. I just don't think he's all that great, but it is a weak class for centers.

Ngongba was far from 100% in our matchup. I wouldn’t take that game as indicative of his ability.

 

[Inyatkin]

Not entering the portal: Tommy Lloyd, apparently

 

[auror]

Ngongba was far from 100% in our matchup. I wouldn’t take that game as indicative of his ability.

And Reed is several years older, which is great for college basketball, but Ngongba has more room to grow and is more projectable to shoot at the next level.

 

[RuffRuff]

Ngongba was far from 100% in our matchup. I wouldn’t take that game as indicative of his ability.

Not sure how weak this class is for 5's

Steinbach
Quaintenance
Krivas
Mara
Ngongba
Vassaer

 

[Brochacho]

And Reed is several years older, which is great for college basketball, but Ngongba has more room to grow and is more projectable to shoot at the next level.

Yup. Just like how Edey outplayed DC in the title game but DC is the better pro.

 

[auror]

Not sure how weak this class is for 5's

Steinbach
Quaintenance
Krivas
Mara
Ngongba
Vassaer

Maaaaybe 1 lottery guy there? Steinbach probably more of a PF in the NBA, too. Not all those guys are a lock to leave, either.

 

[NewBlood]

COLE CLOER just decomitted from NC State

Give me Cole, Baduinga, and Wilkins

 

[gsmooth]

Not sure how weak this class is for 5's

Steinbach
Quaintenance
Krivas
Mara
Ngongba
Vassaer

Maaaaybe 1 lottery guy there? Steinbach probably more of a PF in the NBA, too. Not all those guys are a lock to leave, either.

I have seen Chris Cenac in some projections being in the 15-20 range. Cenac, according to many recruiting services, was the #1 high school center in the 2025 high school class. To provide perspective, Eric Reibe was listed at #2.

 

[NewBlood]

He’s from Massachusetts also. Or at least born there.

Bring him in. We have a history of legendary NE guards, if he can adapt to Danny’s O. It could be a great pick up

 

[ec33]

Why do I feel like I already knew this?

 

[Inyatkin]

Why do I feel like I already knew this?

I thought they said the new guy convinced everyone else to stay?

 

[ec33]

Bidunga is getting absurd money in the portal. I don't know if our staff will be willing to invest like that.

Also, where are the 6'8 220+ shooters? We need an AK replacement.

I think tomorrow's game against the Slavic Republic of Illinois might provide some clues where UConn can find some 6'8"+ shooters familiar with running Euro-style offenses.