Hartford Courant on Diarra

[johnhuskies95]

He's raw and a late bloomer - not all that different from Steve Enoch. Time will tell if he shoots up the rankings as drastically as Enoch did.

Bottom line is if the staff is willing to take him this early, we should feel pretty good about him.

Also not insignificant - his buddy Diallo in the class of 2017 is supposed to be the real deal.

Exactly, I get the sense that UConn could get him almost whenever they want, so taking him in May is a good sign.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

I think what HuskyBballFan says is the most accurate - Diarra is a late bloomer. Also, I'm not sure how much he played on the summer AAU circuit last year, either, which could contribute to not many knowing about him.

As for offers, among the mid-majors, I found reported offers from Temple, Providence, Seton Hall, Minnesota, and St. John's too. He seems like the kind of player who is going to blow up over the summer, similar to how Enoch did.

Edit: Looks like he only joined Putnam Science Academy in January of 2014 and was relatively unknown prior to that.

Not that I don't want this kid, or don't think he looks promising.

But when was the last big man that we landed that didn't fit this description?

Is it asking too much that we recruit a big man who can come in and contribute right away? And it doesn't have to be a top 5 guy like Stone where the odds are against us.

Enoch, Facey, Brimah, Nolan..Lubin (sort of). All of them raw, late blooming, upside type guys. Heck even Andre. I guess Oriakhi was the last one and even he was more of an athlete and didn't have much (if any) low post game to speak of.

Its great to get guys like that, but it would be huge if we could mix in a proven skilled low-post performer as well to give these guys a year or two to develop.

Edit: without looking it up, therefore the opportunity for oversight and looking stupid, but I guess the last proven big man we got was Jeff Adrien, and that was 10 years ago now. That's crazy

 

[aceboon]

Not that I don't want this kid, or don't think he looks promising.

But when was the last big man that we landed that didn't fit this description?

Is it asking too much that we recruit a big man who can come in and contribute right away? And it doesn't have to be a top 5 guy like Stone where the odds are against us.

Enoch, Facey, Brimah, Nolan..Lubin (sort of). All of them raw, late blooming, upside type guys. Heck even Andre. I guess Oriakhi was the last one and even he was more of an athlete and didn't have much (if any) low post game to speak of.

Its great to get guys like that, but it would be huge if we could mix in a proven skilled low-post performer as well to give these guys a year or two to develop.

Edit: without looking it up, therefore the opportunity for oversight and looking stupid, but I guess the last proven big man we got was Jeff Adrien, and that was 10 years ago now. That's crazy

there's only so many big men out there that have low post games and/or are skilled(shooting, dribbling), hell, you had people last year arguing that Cliff Alexander had either closed the gap on Okafor or even passed him a prospect and dude went to Kansas and didn't really do much. Maybe I'm in the minority, but when it comes to bigs I don't really have a problem with the staff recruiting raw players who are expected to get better over time and with upside, my only thing is I just hope they come in physically ready to compete in college and not on the thin side like Facey and Brimah so it doesn't take them 2 years to get their bodies together. From looking at video Diarra looks to be well put together in addition to being a good athlete + long limbed(the anti Lubin) so i don't really have a problem with the staff zeroing in on him. Guards and wings are where I expect guys to be ready to contribute on both ends of the floor, it would be nice to be able to have both and not be so reliant on the development side when it comes to bigs, but other than UK and a handful of others there really aren't too many teams getting big men with ready made games.

 

[superjohn]

there's only so many big men out there that have low post games and/or are skilled(shooting, dribbling), hell, you had people last year arguing that Cliff Alexander had either closed the gap on Okafor or even passed him a prospect and dude went to Kansas and didn't really do much. Maybe I'm in the minority, but when it comes to bigs I don't really have a problem with the staff recruiting raw players who are expected to get better over time and with upside, my only thing is I just hope they come in physically ready to compete in college and not on the thin side like Facey and Brimah so it doesn't take them 2 years to get their bodies together. From looking at video Diarra looks to be well put together in addition to being a good athlete + long limbed(the anti Lubin) so i don't really have a problem with the staff zeroing in on him. Guards and wings are where I expect guys to be ready to contribute on both ends of the floor, it would be nice to be able to have both and not be so reliant on the development side when it comes to bigs, but other than UK and a handful of others there really aren't too many teams getting big men with ready made games.

I was one of those fools who thought Cliff Alexander had caught up or even passed Okafor off of my time watching them play in high school, boy was I wrong. What's not to like about Diarra? Guy is a beast on the glass, dunks everything, has a good frame to pack on muscle and has long arms. Somebody said he looked like Montrezl and I can see the resemblance in their style and look.

 

[Stainmaster]

I think what HuskyBballFan says is the most accurate - Diarra is a late bloomer. Also, I'm not sure how much he played on the summer AAU circuit last year, either, which could contribute to not many knowing about him.

As for offers, among the mid-majors, I found reported offers from Temple, Providence, Seton Hall, Minnesota, and St. John's too. He seems like the kind of player who is going to blow up over the summer, similar to how Enoch did.

Edit: Looks like he only joined Putnam Science Academy in January of 2014 and was relatively unknown prior to that.

Also, the former PSA was not very highly touted among NEPSAC schools. Scoochie Smith of Dayton is the only player to come out of there in the past 6-7 years to go to even a top mid major, no P5 guys. Perusing NERR's profile on them, they've had only 5 other D1 guys in that time frame, and they've gone on to play for Quinnipiac, Maine, Rider, Charleston Southern, and Norfolk State. So I don't think that many coaches see them as a hotbed of talent, and therefore they don't spend as much time there. If he played for even a Class AA or A school he'd have a lot more eyes on him.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Not that I don't want this kid, or don't think he looks promising.

But when was the last big man that we landed that didn't fit this description?

Is it asking too much that we recruit a big man who can come in and contribute right away? And it doesn't have to be a top 5 guy like Stone where the odds are against us.

Enoch, Facey, Brimah, Nolan..Lubin (sort of). All of them raw, late blooming, upside type guys. Heck even Andre. I guess Oriakhi was the last one and even he was more of an athlete and didn't have much (if any) low post game to speak of.

Its great to get guys like that, but it would be huge if we could mix in a proven skilled low-post performer as well to give these guys a year or two to develop.

Edit: without looking it up, therefore the opportunity for oversight and looking stupid, but I guess the last proven big man we got was Jeff Adrien, and that was 10 years ago now. That's crazy

If Drummond and Oriakhi don't meet your definition of bigs who came in and contributed right away, I don't know who will - unless you think guys like Okafor and Towns grow on trees.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Not that I don't want this kid, or don't think he looks promising.

But when was the last big man that we landed that didn't fit this description?

Is it asking too much that we recruit a big man who can come in and contribute right away?

Shonn Miller

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

If Drummond and Oriakhi don't meet your definition of bigs who came in and contributed right away, I don't know who will - unless you think guys like Okafor and Towns grow on trees.

I meant can come in and we can give it to them in the post and they can actually score. Neither of those 2 had any low post moves when they got here. Not saying we need to get D Stone, but just a guy who can actually keep a defense honest down low

 

[tcf15]

I meant can come in and we can give it to them in the post and they can actually score. Neither of those 2 had any low post moves when they got here. Not saying we need to get D Stone, but just a guy who can actually keep a defense honest down low

Probably Charlie Villanueva then.

 

[johnhuskies95]

I meant can come in and we can give it to them in the post and they can actually score. Neither of those 2 had any low post moves when they got here. Not saying we need to get D Stone, but just a guy who can actually keep a defense honest down low

You're not going to find very many guys like that outside of the top 15.

 

[Kitaman]

If he couldn't take KO imagine if he ever played for JC? Need to be thick skinned and man up in any big time program. I am sure KO is capable of breaking down any individual player at any given time as well he should be.

Funny but I thought him playing for Bob Knight when I read your post.

 

[UconnFanDC]

At the risk of getting my head bitten off, why are there no high end programs in on this kid?

He seems like he's a major project.

 

[mauconnfan]

He seems like he's a major project.

I don't see "major" project at all. Let's remember he has another year to prep and his skill set to rebound the ball and block shots is almost there. That's pretty much where Amida is/was and he played a lot and had an impact. A lot depends on how much he wants to improve and how much he understands the game. Good body, length - I think he could be a real good one.

 

[Tampahusky]

Diarra has a Louisville Montrezl Harrell type game. I do like he has quick hops.

 

[CL82]

Because of the insufferable amount of diarrhea jokes that come with his recruitment.

Well that was a crappy thing to say.

 

[sledog]

Here come the clotso jokes.

 

[3rdbass]

He seems like he's a major project.

If you watch the tapes I see an athletic player who is very active and he isn't a beanpole like most of our current players. It would be nice to get a guy with an actual physique that can play down low. Nothing against Facey and Brimah but they definitely don't have top division 1 physiques like this guy.

The staff seems to be at least going for big guys that have the body to play down low in SE and MD after seeing how living on beanpoles isn't really working for us. I mean basically Diarra is rated a little bit higher than AB so that is fine in my book.

I mean I would prefer an Andre Drummond or Charlie Villanueva but it doesn't seem like we are having much luck landing top big men anymore.

 

[UconnFanDC]

If you watch the tapes I see an athletic player who is very active and he isn't a beanpole like most of our current players. It would be nice to get a guy with an actual physique that can play down low. Nothing against Facey and Brimah but they definitely don't have top division 1 physiques like this guy.

The staff seems to be at least going for big guys that have the body to play down low in SE and MD after seeing how living on beanpoles isn't really working for us. I mean basically Diarra is rated a little bit higher than AB so that is fine in my book.

I mean I would prefer an Andre Drummond or Charlie Villanueva but it doesn't seem like we are having much luck landing top big men anymore.

I got you and I just watched a tape. I honestly cant remember any of our big men other then the 2 you named every being ranked top 100 coming out of high school anyway. All were project turnarounds. Im with it I suppose

 

[johnhuskies95]

I got you and I just watched a tape. I honestly cant remember any of our big men other then the 2 you named every being ranked top 100 coming out of high school anyway. All were project turnarounds. Im with it I suppose

Adrien, Thabeet, Majok, and Facey were all top 100 kids, and the first three were top 50 kids.

 

[Walker11]

Adrien, Thabeet, Majok, and Facey were all top 100 kids, and the first three were top 50 kids.

And Oriakhi was top 20. And Sticks and Roscoe were both top 30 (even though RS especially thought he was a 3).

 

[johnhuskies95]

And Oriakhi was top 20. And Sticks and Roscoe were both top 30 (even though RS especially thought he was a 3).

I forgot about AO. And Sticks and Roscoe were listed as SFs on Rivals even though they spent a lot of time at the 4 at UConn.

 

[Danzz]

I like Samuel a lot, but he earned a vote of no confidence. There were plenty of minutes to be won last year, and he got a lot of chances to win them. When he got opportunities, he played poorly.

TSam played hard but the fact is he wasn't good enough in any area to warrant minutes at the major Div. l level. His PT would be about 5 minutes a game on next years team so I think it was the best decision for him to transfer somewhere where he can play more.

 

[B1GEast]

Regarding T Sam, It's KO's job to out recruit the talent on the team, you're either going to get better or ride the pine, it's not personal

 

[CallMeBruce]

Robinson was a 3. He spent most of his time with Thabeet and Adrien also on the floor.

 

[johnhuskies95]

Robinson was a 3. He spent most of his time with Thabeet and Adrien also on the floor.

Sure, but after Curtis Kelly basically went missing during the middle of '08, Robinson was the 4th(and sometimes third) big for the rest of his career.

 

[Walker11]

Sure, but after Curtis Kelly basically went missing during the middle of '08, Robinson was the 4th(and sometimes third) big for the rest of his career.

True, but Robinson was recruited as a 3 and played more 3 than 4. I was wrong including him as a big.

 

[Gurleyman]

Sure, but after Curtis Kelly basically went missing during the middle of '08, Robinson was the 4th(and sometimes third) big for the rest of his career.

Not really. In 2009, Adrien + Thabeet + Edwards = 80 minutes (not counting blowouts or 6 OT games). In 2010, Majok and Okwandu backed up Edwards and AO - I'm sure there were times we were trailing and went small, but more out of desperation than strategy.

Always felt Sticks and Rudy would be great college stretch 4s but we never really used them in that role. It wasn't until personnel dictated that we had to try Roscoe at the 4 that we really had a 4 with wing skills (post-Marshalls).

 

[johnhuskies95]

Not really. In 2009, Adrien + Thabeet + Edwards = 80 minutes (not counting blowouts or 6 OT games). In 2010, Majok and Okwandu backed up Edwards and AO - I'm sure there were times we were trailing and went small, but more out of desperation than strategy.

Always felt Sticks and Rudy would be great college stretch 4s but we never really used them in that role. It wasn't until personnel dictated that we had to try Roscoe at the 4 that we really had a 4 with wing skills (post-Marshalls).

That's why I said 4th big. Saying he played there a lot is too much, but he slid over there for stretches, especially his senior year.