Freshmen meet the press

[Ricker]

Love Sool's full interview. Wants to win, thinks team, personality, leadership, and evidently in Clingan's ear, (hopefully Karaban as well). Stunned that Samson had never met Hurley before he got to campus but I guess with covid it is 2020 recruiting. Sool may or may not leave with accomplishments, but he definitely has the El Amin attitude of a winner.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I love the mention of Hawkins pull up jumper. If he can be a good 3 point shooter with a good pull up game he can have a big impact for us. I don't think anyone on the team including Bouknight last year had a good pull up jumpshot. Having a shooter/scorer like Hawkins can be a great fit next to someone like Andre who should be more of a slashing point forward.

 

[tjhusky]

Incoming freshmen ballers for some reason always puts a smile on my face. Could be the deer in headlights thingy, or just fresh faces ready to be indoctrinated. Anyway, keep them coming!

It is fun listening to them and how they interpret what they have experienced so far.
Andrea Hurley real summed it up in her Ball is Wife podcast (worth a listen if you haven’t heard it). She said the when the freshman come in “they are babies”. And she sees them grow into men by the time they leave.

It is easier for me to see that now as a grandfather that despite their basketball talent these guys are really kids still growing up and now making that leap into a bigger world.

 

[Umami Zen]

Sool is going to be a sound- bite machine for the media during his college career.

The straw that stirs the drink

Already talking like the coach on the floor.

 

[HooperScooper]

Here is the video of the interview with Diggins:

 

[HooperScooper]

Here is the video of the interview with Hawkins:

 

[HooperScooper]

Here is the video of the interview with Johnson:

 

[husky429]

Sool is really comfortable in front of the camera already. Acts like an upperclassmen. Some really good insights too. Rare quality for a kid.

 

[husky429]

Sool also mentioned he's gotten a lot bigger in the last month... hopefully that's a good sign about our new SnC coach.

Hawkins has a lot of confidence. The adjustment doesn't even seem to be that hard for him. Hurley seems to have a lot of confidence in him too... he's going to be a big piece of this team.

The articles are still lying anout Hawkins HS stats, lol.

Language is a little bit ofna barrier for Samson but he looked more comfortable than I would've thought. Will be interesting to look back at this his junior/senior year and see his growth

 

[Austin316]

Sool also mentioned he's gotten a lot bigger in the last month... hopefully that's a good sign about our new SnC coach.

Hawkins has a lot of confidence. The adjustment doesn't even seem to be that hard for him. Hurley seems to have a lot of confidence in him too... he's going to be a big piece of this team.

The articles are still lying anout Hawkins HS stats, lol.

Language is a little bit ofna barrier for Samson but he looked more comfortable than I would've thought. Will be interesting to look back at this his junior/senior year and see his growth

This is going to be a very special class.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Sool is really comfortable in front of the camera already. Acts like an upperclassmen. Some really good insights too. Rare quality for a kid.

All three appear to be confident, smart, personable - and very comfortable expressing themselves. I cannot wait to see what they bring to the team this season.

 

[Nebraskan18]

First thing I think i was ever right about on this site lol

 

[Watchdog]

What a gem he is.
Thoughtful, respectful, motivated to win, and not be embarrassed on defense (which is a below the radar motivator for a lot of people that care a great deal about someone or something).
He will be special here and in life.

 

[Watchdog]

Now that's a quote that says a lot about his motivation and gives good vibes about his character.

 

[HooperScooper]

In the meantime, Diggins will probably be tweeting, trying to pull more players into his new basketball world.

“He thinks he’s a recruiter,” freshman Samson Johnson said. “That’s crazy. He has something that just makes you feel special. I don’t know how he does it. He’s funny. You just feel good being around him.”

UConn freshman Rahsool Diggins brings big personality — and recruiting skills

Freshman point guard Rahsool Diggins brings North Philadelphia personality to UConn. One...

www.ctinsider.com

 

[Husky Alien]

Sool is really comfortable in front of the camera already. Acts like an upperclassmen. Some really good insights too. Rare quality for a kid.

I think this is what Coach Hurley mentioned when he got here regarding "CULTURE". We are seeing it people.

 

[mussels]

In an ideal world all boneyarders would watch these interview’s, and then think for a second about the person before making some gratuitous nasty comment after one of our sure to come sky-is-falling losses

 

[Husky Alien]

In an ideal world all boneyarders would watch these interview’s, and then think for a second about the person before making some gratuitous nasty comment after one of our sure to come sky-is-falling losses

Yep! It will happen. It is the Boneyard however. Selective muscle memory.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Yep! It will happen. It is the Boneyard however. Selective muscle memory.

Sool slander will never be tolerated here. Go Liam Neeson on ya A.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Sool is going to be a sound- bite machine for the media during his college career.

The straw that stirs the drink

Already talking like the coach on the floor.

If he could walk the walk half as well as he could talk the talk
He could become a special PG.

 

[Son of Robert]

Rahsool got it going on, has some Magic Johnson to him, Such positive energy, young man is a blessing for this program.

 

[Umami Zen]

If he could walk the walk half as well as he could talk the talk
He could become a special PG.

Trust me-Sool can back it up on the court.

Will be the BE assist leader before he ends his CBB career

 

[HooperScooper]

“Everybody goes hard,” Johnson said. “Everybody pushes each other. I’m ready for that. I enjoy it. They push me every day to be the best I can be. It’s a lesson to me to be around them. It was really important for me to go to a school that fit, and UConn has everything I need to help me be successful.”

UConn men freshman forward Samson Johnson gaining confidence, asserting himself as he joins crowded Huskies frontcourt

For a year, Samson Johnson was a face on a computer screen, a voice on a phone, a bit of a mystery, and that’s what UConn and its coaches were to him. The campus was something he could only e…

www.courant.com

Free access link: Samson Johnson gaining confidence, asserting himself as he joins crowded Huskies frontcourt

 

[HooperScooper]

And another one on Johnson.

“I can stretch the floor,” he noted. “Defensively, I can block shots, stay on my feet and play defense hard, and bring energy to the team.”

UConn’s Samson Johnson is tallest, maybe most talented of Huskies’ freshman trio

Samson Johnson may be the most soft-spoken of UConn’s talented trio of freshmen, but he...

www.ctinsider.com

 

[HooperScooper]

"Not a lot of people where I'm from get this opportunity to play at somewhere like UConn with such a legendary background," Hawkins said. "It's honestly a blessing. I'm still taking it all in. I'm just glad to be here."

UConn's Hawkins arrives from DeMatha with confidence, motivation

Storrs — Jordan Hawkins draws motivation from the banners of former UConn basketball greats hanging on the wall of the team's practice facility. "I look up there every day, saying to myself I'm going ...

www.theday.com