Entering the portal - 2026 | Page 13 | The Boneyard

Entering the portal - 2026

NJHusky said:
True but don’t forget the key transfers…TNew, Joey,Cam,Haas,Allene,Tarris,Silas
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Oh of course. But we have a four year starter, three juniors, and a 2nd year center. Hurley has done a brilliant job of retaining pieces and putting the right players around them be them quick fix seniors, freshmen studs, or his really, really smart targeting of underclassmen portal guys to build some continuity. Michigan has five transfer starters

Now the days of long-term retention may be dead after our juniors do their thing. But at least we have had some carryover.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
The funny thing is that many coaches like the current system much better. It is a lot less work and a lot less time and effort spent on kids who will never come to the school.

Old days: follow teenagers around for years; try to project what the kid will look like in 4 years when he is and adult; work coaches, shoe execs, family members, and the kid himself; and then lose when a slimy assistant for a Calipari or Pearl shows up with an envelope at the end.

Now: watch some game film of a much more physically and emotionally mature 21 year old that has played 3 years in college already; talk to the player’s agent, discuss a pay package, quickly figuring out if the player is delusional or worth it; move on quickly if not a fit.

I know which way I would prefer.
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They highly prefer it - you don't have to spend 3 years courting a player to get him to come. It's more transactional, and it's said that in many cases the player recruits the school.
 
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mauconnfan said:
Ross isn’t close to a 2, not a speck of a 2 in his game. He’s getting better but his handle and passing isn’t there yet, and he’ll be a senior. Honestly I know everyone loves him but much like Diarra his last year, we are better if he’s our 6th man next year still, an impactful sixth man!
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Ross was a PG who grew to 6’7” so had to learn the wing but likely can reliably dribble…if he creates off the dribble he obtains the lofty 3 level scorer and plus defender attributes
 
Jay-Ross-Bird-App-Profile.png
 
I read an article on the Illinois team before the game against UConn. No player on the current Illinois roster was on the team when we had the 30 point run against them. That was two years ago.
 
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Blackwell from Wisconsin is awesome but we probably won't need a SG and I'm guessing he will be pricey. He has to be a top10-15 player in the portal.
 
Both Bidunga and Tiller gone from Kansas. That’s brutal

I’d love one of them here but assuming we’re not willing to dish out what they will demand in NIL. Considering they’re both starters on KANSAS and still transferring; assuming they aren’t the type of character that Hurley would go hard for anyway
 
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mauconnfan said:
Let me explain my viewpoint, it’s simple. Tell me what proof on any of Ross, Stew, Landrew or Furphy (not a wing), Ball (not a wing) we have of definite impact?? I’m waiting for the numbers. I mean I’m not being a dlck it’s a fact.
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The proof is that we are in the title game this year and we bring back all our wings plus we add Landrew. I mean how simple of an explanation can there be.
 
boog204 said:
Right, Mullins. Up and down as he was, Mullins is much better than any of those four prospective returnees and was our starting 3.

I’d be very wary assuming Landrew can immediately be your guy, if Furphy possesses the athleticism for this level, or the three year refrain kd Ross and Stew “making the jump.” Literally four questions marks when there could be a plug and play starting wing out there.
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And Mullins at this point is still on the team next year. We'll see what he decide to do. Landrew is a great player. Should be a 5 star. He has the physicality and the tools to contribute right away. Stewart(senior), Ross(senior), Landrew is better than Stewart(junior), Ross(junior), Mullins.
 
This portal year looks like it's going to be insane. How long will it be until there are multiple teams in the $25M+ range for a roster? If you believe the rumors, a lot of these guys are asking for $5M or more...I think it was reported that our NIL budget was between $10-12M for this current team? No way could we afford to spend half of the budget on one guy
 
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RuffRuff said:
We were looking at this kid last year.



It's really filling up today, on the eve of.

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Monroe has played 4 years, where is the extra year of eligibility coming from?? I remember all the noise last offseason about him turning down lucrative offers to stay at Quinnipiac
 
nelsonmuntz said:
The funny thing is that many coaches like the current system much better. It is a lot less work and a lot less time and effort spent on kids who will never come to the school.

Old days: follow teenagers around for years; try to project what the kid will look like in 4 years when he is and adult; work coaches, shoe execs, family members, and the kid himself; and then lose when a slimy assistant for a Calipari or Pearl shows up with an envelope at the end.

Now: watch some game film of a much more physically and emotionally mature 21 year old that has played 3 years in college already; talk to the player’s agent, discuss a pay package, quickly figuring out if the player is delusional or worth it; move on quickly if not a fit.

I know which way I would prefer.
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The problem I see with this for UConn is that the school relies on recruiting players who can endure demands for toughness, who can survive acerbic personalities like Hurley or Calhoun. So the coaches have to really seek out kids like Tristen Newton and Silas Demary, who have those traits. The emotional load on a player like Tarris is something that Hurley has discussed repeatedly for 2 straight years now.

I imagine that many of the top players who have transferred once or twice and who already view it solely in terms of their own development and not the team's, would not fit in. It's much easier bringing freshman along to adopt a UConn mentality than it would be in the portal where players are already accultured to coaches with much more lax demands.
 
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