Freshmen vs Transfers

[HuskyWarrior611]

My desire for players is based on whether I think they move the needle to contend for championships whether they are freshman or transfers. Bouknight, Akok, Jackson, Sanogo, Hawkins, Floyd, Johnson, Clingan, Karaban, and all 5 of our new guys have seemed like worthy freshman investments to me. I really don't have the same view of our 2024 prospects. Admittedly, I have only gone in and out of games watching our top prospects, but, sign me up for a heavier dose of transfers for next year's team. I liked Carlton who showed well with Houston, and Ngongba seems like a player of that ilk. I think adding any actual 2024 impact player will need to come from the portal or a 2025 reclass.

You have really good evaluations Rick so this is interesting about 2024.

I could agree that they don’t look as impressive as 2023 so far too. But that’s a hard thing to do as 2023 is just stacked.

I could definitely see us needing a transfer guard next year as things are projected because I don’t think Ahmad should handle things that early. Going to need someone to play next to Solo if Castle is really a one and done.

Not as high on a kid like Abraham as of today?

 

[HooperScooper]

"A lot of freshmen don't want to be patient," an SEC coach told CBS Sports. "Used to be that I'd come here looking for three or four high school players. Now it's maybe one or two."

How transfer portal, NIL reshaping college basketball recruiting has dropped value of high school prospects

'Freshmen are a bad investment. They're all rentals,' one Division I coach told CBS Sports

www.cbssports.com

 

[Nick2005]

I’m just starting this thread because I feel like this topic takes a lot of threads off track. So this could help keep it contained in one place.

There’s a discussion going on in the Ahmad thread that Rutgers would’ve preferred to have Cam Spencer over the #1 and #2 freshman in the country for 2024. Do people think transfer experience really matters THAT much??

I want Spencer over everyone except castle types. I expect Spencer to win us games. He will make awesome shots when we need them. I expect castle to be our best player immediately. Our first game will be like wow uconn just won championship and added this guy castle, oh no. We get both bc we have good coaches. Normal guys that coach and care.

 

[superjohn]

I want Spencer over everyone except castle types. I expect Spencer to win us games. He will make awesome shots when we need them. I expect castle to be our best player immediately. Our first game will be like wow uconn just won championship and added this guy castle, oh no. We get both bc we have good coaches. Normal guys that coach and care.

You shouldn't expect Castle to be our best player immediately.

 

[caw]

You shouldn't expect Castle to be our best player immediately.

Nope going full Wemby-hype on him. Do it.

 

[Samoo]

I would’ve been okay with us rolling with Ross and Stewart. I’m a big Ross fan as everyone knows and thought he could’ve been the shooter we’re looking for while also being a high level defender.

My worry is, what if one of them comes out and does play like a Karaban, Bouknight, etc.? Are we going to keep rolling with Cam because he’s older and stunt their growth? How do we handle that situation? Because talent wise they are better. We just don’t know how productive they can be yet.

It seems like there’s now a cap on how good those guys can be this year.

Danny made it work last year with 4 transfers; I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that he can figure it out with one.

 

[EZPass]

I expect Castle to pass the eye test immediately. Looking forward to seeing him play in person for the first time.

My hot take: He’ll be in the running for leading scorer on the team.

Nope going full Wemby-hype on him. Do it.

 

[mauconnfan]

I expect Castle to pass the eye test immediately. Looking forward to seeing him play in person for the first time.

My hot take: He’ll be in the running for leading scorer on the team.



View attachment 89560

I think we’ll have a few guys running for leading scorer, game to game depending on match ups. I mean Newton, Clingan, Karaban, Spencer and Castle will all have their games. Expectations are these guys all in the 9-15 pts a game area for average with maybe someone jumping to 16-17. Just not sure how but it will work it’s way out successfully.

Who knows if a freshman other than Castle jumps in as well?

 

[NJHusky]

It’s just a whole bunch of circles. It’s a pointless discussion.

Is this your first time here? Isn’t that that our raison d'etre?

 

[navery12]

My desire for players is based on whether I think they move the needle to contend for championships whether they are freshman or transfers. Bouknight, Akok, Jackson, Sanogo, Hawkins, Floyd, Johnson, Clingan, Karaban, and all 5 of our new guys have seemed like worthy freshman investments to me. I really don't have the same view of our 2024 prospects. Admittedly, I have only gone in and out of games watching our top prospects, but, sign me up for a heavier dose of transfers for next year's team. I liked Carlton who showed well with Houston, and Ngongba seems like a player of that ilk. I think adding any actual 2024 impact player will need to come from the portal or a 2025 reclass.

Didn't you say the same thing last year about our 2023 class? I feel like you were talking about how it was a step down and they weren't good enough to win games at UConn

 

[HooperScooper]

"A lot of freshmen don't want to be patient," an SEC coach told CBS Sports. "Used to be that I'd come here looking for three or four high school players. Now it's maybe one or two."

How transfer portal, NIL reshaping college basketball recruiting has dropped value of high school prospects

'Freshmen are a bad investment. They're all rentals,' one Division I coach told CBS Sports

www.cbssports.com

If you follow recruiting then you should read this article. I guess I should have given it a more proper introduction. Lots of quotes from coaches about how they're dealing with recruiting high school players versus taking transfers and the benefits and negatives of each.

 

[NJHoops]

If you follow recruiting then you should read this article. I guess I should have given it a more proper introduction. Lots of quotes from coaches about how they're dealing with recruiting high school players versus taking transfers and the benefits and negatives of each.

Agreed, really good piece.

The coaches who succeed will be the ones who stay flexible and adjust and don’t spend time complaining about how different things are. I think they almost all went through a time like that- some left coaching and some are still complaining- but most are choosing to figure it out and work it.

UConn’s incoming class of five freshmen is fairly unusual in today’s game but individually they all make sense. I do think some coaches (including Danny) will strive to get the right match of a likely four year player (Ross may have been recruited as such, Abraham might fit that mold) for one of their spots. There’s a benefit to that if everyone can stay happy, so if takes the right kind of kid.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I expect Castle to pass the eye test immediately. Looking forward to seeing him play in person for the first time.

My hot take: He’ll be in the running for leading scorer on the team.



View attachment 89560

I agree. Can’t wait. Expect him to be the top perimeter guy while Karaban and Clingan are the lead scorers. Clingan being #1.

What I really am excited for most is seeing his passing ability. It seems like he’s great at making guys around him better.

 

[Punkbo]

Loyalty is out the door. The “college experience” is no longer important to these kids. First, there was the “one and done” movement with Kentucky and Duke. Now, we’re seeing schools like UNC and Nova using the portal more than they use freshman recruiting to build their roster. It’s the new reality in the NIL era. With that being said, I love what Hurley is doing. A great mix of incoming freshmen and opportunistic use of the portal. I think this is the best formula.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

"A lot of freshmen don't want to be patient," an SEC coach told CBS Sports. "Used to be that I'd come here looking for three or four high school players. Now it's maybe one or two."

How transfer portal, NIL reshaping college basketball recruiting has dropped value of high school prospects

'Freshmen are a bad investment. They're all rentals,' one Division I coach told CBS Sports

www.cbssports.com

Players transferring out seem like a problem for stepping stone programs. Must suck to recruit a guy and then think “if he’s too good he might leave for bigger and better.”

I don’t think we’d personally have that issue. Only reason a kid would have to leave us is if he didn’t play. At this point our program is so strong we have Samson Johnson back for a third year. Don’t necessarily think we need to be like everyone else and we can really be program builders if we wanted too investing in a mix of immediately NBA caliber guys and guys who will be here 3-4 years then be NBA caliber (Sanogo, Andre, Karaban, Ahmad would probably fit this).

UCLA was pretty good this year with a roster full of their players. We completely dominated the first year with Hurley’s guys completely leading the roster. Would like to keep growing that imo.

 

[navery12]

Players transferring out seem like a problem for stepping stone programs. Must suck to recruit a guy and then think “if he’s too good he might leave for bigger and better.”

I don’t think we’d personally have that issue. Only reason a kid would have to leave us is if he didn’t play. At this point our program is so strong we have Samson Johnson back for a third year. Don’t necessarily think we need to be like everyone else and we can really be program builders if we wanted too investing in a mix of immediately NBA caliber guys and guys who will be here 3-4 years then be NBA caliber (Sanogo, Andre, Karaban, Ahmad would probably fit this).

UCLA was pretty good this year with a roster full of their players. We completely dominated the first year with Hurley’s guys completely leading the roster. Would like to keep growing that imo.

I think that's pretty naive, we've already seen it applies to us. Rahsool Diggins didn't play and he transferred. Corey Floyd Jr was openly told he wouldn't play and he transferred. We're not gonna have the problem of guys transferring up if they're good, but we absolutely will have guys transferring out if they don't play. It's why I've been so adamant that I don't want us recruiting a backup big man from the transfer portal this year.

It's time to accept that transfers are good sometimes, especially after it just helped UConn win a national championship. To say that was all Hurley's guys is insane

 

[Ricker]

Didn't you say the same thing last year about our 2023 class? I feel like you were talking about how it was a step down and they weren't good enough to win games at UConn

No, you may be recalling that last Peach Jam Ball had good games but never when I watched Melo so my first impression wasn't good and I posted what I saw. I changed my mind 100% when I saw him several times in person at Brewster and posted that as well last fall. Singare I liked very much when I saw him bear down defensively and win a game over the final couple of minutes of a big game. (Hated his foul shooting but loved his play). Castle I loved instantly as a star. Ross I saw as an adequate role player and my opinion has increased significantly after seeing him at Hoophall. Stewart I always saw as an excellent player that places at a deliberate pace that may or may not translate. But he clearly had skills and touch. My opinion of both Ross and Ball has increased, but I don't recall being negative on our class. I think it has been generally acknowledged by recruiting services that the overall prospects in 2023, and especially 2024, don't measure up to other years, and I agree with that and may have endorsed that statement. The kid #20 on Meanstreet going to Iowa State is one of the few players that turned my head flipping through games the past few days. Dylan Harper I liked in a previous session but was shocked he was at the top of the 2024 class. No comparison to a Flagg or the other 2025 kids, or 2022 top players. I think covid disruptions set these kids back in terms of development.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I think that's pretty naive, we've already seen it applies to us. Rahsool Diggins didn't play and he transferred. Corey Floyd Jr was openly told he wouldn't play and he transferred. We're not gonna have the problem of guys transferring up if they're good, but we absolutely will have guys transferring out if they don't play. It's why I've been so adamant that I don't want us recruiting a backup big man from the transfer portal this year.

It's time to accept that transfers are good sometimes, especially after it just helped UConn win a national championship. To say that was all Hurley's guys is insane

I think 2021 is a year Hurley has learned from to keep a situation like that from happening again, I hope.

It wasn’t all Hurley guys of course. But they did a lot of the heavy lifting.

Transfers definitely serve a purpose when filling holes on a roster. Just not bringing them in to play over guys is all. Imagine if we brought in Landers Nolley to play over an unproven Karaban last year?

He had his struggles during the middle of the year too that he was allowed to work through. And we’re THAT much better off this year because of that.

 

[navery12]

No, you may be recalling that last Peach Jam Ball had good games but never when I watched Melo so my first impression wasn't good and I posted what I saw. I changed my mind 100% when I saw him several times in person at Brewster and posted that as well last fall. Singare I liked very much when I saw him bear down defensively and win a game over the final couple of minutes of a big game. (Hated his foul shooting but loved his play). Castle I loved instantly as a star. Ross I saw as an adequate role player and my opinion has increased significantly after seeing him at Hoophall. Stewart I always saw as an excellent player that places at a deliberate pace that may or may not translate. But he clearly had skills and touch. My opinion of both Ross and Ball has increased, but I don't recall being negative on our class. I think it has been generally acknowledged by recruiting services that the overall prospects in 2023, and especially 2024, don't measure up to other years, and I agree with that and may have endorsed that statement. The kid #20 on Meanstreet going to Iowa State is one of the few players that turned my head flipping through games the past few days. Dylan Harper I liked in a previous session but was shocked he was at the top of the 2024 class. No comparison to a Flagg or the other 2025 kids, or 2022 top players. I think covid disruptions set these kids back in terms of development.

Yeah that's what I was thinking of, this Peach Jam post. You were definitely really down on our class, said we have no chance to win the Big East or championships with them as core players. Implied none of them were top 100 recruits (obviously excluding Castle there). Glad you've come around on that class, I suspect you'll do the same on this year's recruits as well. We're after a ton of really good players. Obviously have to close on them but this is shaping up to be another really good class, so much like I responded with last year in that thread I think you're being overly negative here

Peach Jam Sunday 7/17

Can watch Scotty Middleton 《Brad Beal Elite ) against Solo Ball and Jayden Ross ( Team Melo ) @ 11:00 am. Sunday Game streamed on EYbl site. Not sure if Tafara Gaspare will be playing with BBE or not..

the-boneyard.com

 

[navery12]

I think 2021 is a year Hurley has learned from to keep a situation like that from happening again, I hope.

It wasn’t all Hurley guys of course. But they did a lot of the heavy lifting.

Transfers definitely serve a purpose when filling holes on a roster. Just not bringing them in to play over guys is all. Imagine if we brought in Landers Nolley to play over an unproven Karaban last year?

He had his struggles during the middle of the year too that he was allowed to work through. And we’re THAT much better off this year because of that.

He has learned, just not in the way you think or will make you happy. He's learned to embrace the transfer portal

 

[metsfan2323]

Depends on the players involved. The portal helped UConn win a championship in 2023 and SDSU and FAU used it to make the final four. Imagine what Sanogo's NIL value would have been if he put himself in the portal. I expect Spencer to be just as important as Castle on next year's team. Spencer is basically a 5 star transfer recruit for UConn, we needed that three point sharpshooter and he also appears to be a good facilitator.

So far the portal has been a beautiful thing for UConn basketball, no more rebuilding years, just reload.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

He has learned, just not in the way you think or will make you happy. He's learned to embrace the transfer portal

Hasn’t he been embracing the transfer portal?

Before this year, we were leaning on two transfer portal guys as our top players. This was the first year that they were just role players.

Now we only have 1 guy coming in. It seems as if he’s trying to go away from the portal more and more.

 

[NJHoops]

It’s always going to be both- taking transfers and getting freshmen and developing everyone on the roster no matter how they got there. Hurley has always taken transfers at all 3 of his stops, and the staff is going to keep doing this. A starting line-up of four recruits and one veteran transfer, with a balanced bench won a championship. It’s both.

 

[navery12]

Hasn’t he been embracing the transfer portal?

Before this year, we were leaning on two transfer portal guys as our top players. This was the first year that they were just role players.

Now we only have 1 guy coming in. It seems as if he’s trying to go away from the portal more and more.

That's an interesting and unsurprising way for you to spin it. Newton was one of our best players last year as a transfer, it's OK to admit that

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

That's an interesting and unsurprising way for you to spin it. Newton was one of our best players last year as a transfer, it's OK to admit that

What do you define best player as?

To me, your top 3 players would be your best players. Maybe we see it differently.