Hassan Diarra Commits to UConn

[CL82]

Calipari lost to St Peter’s, would you not trust him?

As an X’s and O’s guy? Not really.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Calipari lost to St Peter’s, would you not trust him?

I wouldn't trust Calipari with your wallet.

 

[80shusky]

Poor Hassan. His commitment thread has become more polluted than the Housatonic River in the 60s & 70s.

But not as bad as the Naugatuck.

 

[80shusky]

Welcome aboard Hassan!

 

[BlueMAB]

Games are much different than practice. Hurley was calling Samson a pterodactyl and a lottery pick after practices last year and then he never played.

Here's what he said:

“They’re (Hawkins and Johnson) so talented and they have so many traits that project to the NBA level, athletically and from a skill standpoint. They’re going to have a chance to make a big impact. ... Both of those guys have potential to get on the lottery wall here.”

“Samson is what you would hope your stretch four man to look like,” Hurley said. "He’ll eventually be able to guard all five positions. He’s eventually going to be a competent to good 3-point shooter. The stuff he does above the rim, with his cutting and ball screen game, is elite.”

He never said they'd have a big impact last year, and be a lottery pick this year.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

Here's what he said:

“They’re (Hawkins and Johnson) so talented and they have so many traits that project to the NBA level, athletically and from a skill standpoint. They’re going to have a chance to make a big impact. ... Both of those guys have potential to get on the lottery wall here.”

“Samson is what you would hope your stretch four man to look like,” Hurley said. "He’ll eventually be able to guard all five positions. He’s eventually going to be a competent to good 3-point shooter. The stuff he does above the rim, with his cutting and ball screen game, is elite.”

He never said they'd have a big impact last year, and be a lottery pick this year.

I know what he said. How many lottery picks don't play at all their freshman year?

 

[Waquoit]

I wouldn't trust Calipari with your wallet.

He's always worn jackets with the sleeves too long, like a magician. Who knows what he's got up there.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Here's what he said:

“They’re (Hawkins and Johnson) so talented and they have so many traits that project to the NBA level, athletically and from a skill standpoint. They’re going to have a chance to make a big impact. ... Both of those guys have potential to get on the lottery wall here.”

“Samson is what you would hope your stretch four man to look like,” Hurley said. "He’ll eventually be able to guard all five positions. He’s eventually going to be a competent to good 3-point shooter. The stuff he does above the rim, with his cutting and ball screen game, is elite.”

He never said they'd have a big impact last year, and be a lottery pick this year.

Only this fanbase would have an athletic 6'10" highly rated recruit, who is already elite dunking, scoring at the rim in on cuts and blocking shots, and is above average as ball handler and shooter for his size and would mentally consign him to bench duty because he didn't play much as a freshman over a super senior and junior. People should be excited as hell for this kid to show what he can do. The guy on the team who can improve the most on what he contributed last year isn't Jackson, and it certainly isn't Sanogo. It's Samson Johnson (with Hawkins next in line because we saw him start to show it already).

 

[husky429]

Only this fanbase would have an athletic 6'10" highly rated recruit, who is already elite dunking, scoring at the rim in on cuts and blocking shots, and is above average as ball handler and shooter for his size

We actually don't have much of any evidence of this. He didn't handle the ball in HS. He wasn't a particularly excellent shotblocker in HS (I distinctly remember writing "not nearly as natural of a shotblocker as Akok" when watching his hs games). He definitely was not a great shooter, but developing. I think 30-33% is probably likely... Whaley-ish.

I would absolutely not expect plus ball handling from him at all. Maybe a little baseline drive... he had that in his bag before but it was sloppy.

I think some solid defense with occasional IQ errors, a couple attempts from 3 a game on 30-33%, and some basic backdoor cuts and lobs could be a very effective way to use him. Something like 6 points and 4 rebounds would be GREAT. I don't think you can expect much more from a kid who couldn't earn any meaningful minutes last year. I'd be happy to be proven wrong though.

 

[HuskyHawk]

We actually don't have much of any evidence of this. He didn't handle the ball in HS. He wasn't a particularly excellent shotblocker in HS (I distinctly remember writing "not nearly as natural of a shotblocker as Akok" when watching his hs games). He definitely was not a great shooter, but developing. I think 30-33% is probably likely... Whaley-ish.

I would absolutely not expect plus ball handling from him at all. Maybe a little baseline drive... he had that in his bag before but it was sloppy.

I think some solid defense with occasional IQ errors, a couple attempts from 3 a game on 30-33%, and some basic backdoor cuts and lobs could be a very effective way to use him. Something like 6 points and 4 rebounds would be GREAT. I don't think you can expect much more from a kid who couldn't earn any meaningful minutes last year. I'd be happy to be proven wrong though.

He didn't get minutes because Hurley had an irrational fascination with Whaley. He should have played much, much more. I think you'll be wrong, to our mutual benefit. He's a much better shooter than Whaley. Shot better than 33% from 3 in HS. I think Akok has better timing on shot blocking, but less length. Both are more natural shot blockers than Sanogo was when he got here, so I expect some improvement. We teach it well. As for ball handling, good for a 6'10" guy is my expectation.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Here is Hawkins's Game Log, the left-most number is minutes.

Even if you ignore the cupcake games, he played 15, 18, 13, 28, and 20 minutes against good teams in November and December.


View attachment 76342

Context is important. That Auburn game he played 15 minutes in double overtime when he had 16 points. All those games he got 20+ minutes was when Tyrese was hurt so he was forced to play. Soon as he came back look at the minutes he got.

Hurley doesn’t like to trust freshman more than this board cares to admit.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

OP said to start the season. I think the point is it has often taken Hurley some time to trust the freshman even when they are clearly our top talents.

100% I really really hope this changes with Castle. He should get 25+ minutes a game out the gate. Ryan Boatright kind of minutes. It shouldn’t take an injury to get it either.

 

[BlueMAB]

I know what he said. How many lottery picks don't play at all their freshman year?

Apparently you don't know what he said. He didn't call him a lottery pick.

Look up the definition of the word "potential", it should help clear up your confusion.

 

[husky429]

He didn't get minutes because Hurley had an irrational fascination with Whaley. He should have played much, much more. I think you'll be wrong, to our mutual benefit. He's a much better shooter than Whaley. Shot better than 33% from 3 in HS. I think Akok has better timing on shot blocking, but less length. Both are more natural shot blockers than Sanogo was when he got here, so I expect some improvement. We teach it well. As for ball handling, good for a 6'10" guy is my expectation.

You cannot trust HS stats. Andre shot "45%" from 3 in high school too, remember. All we really know is that in 14 games listed online, he made 9 3s as a senior. That shouldn't give you too much excited. His solid form and height should, though.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

Apparently you don't know what he said. He didn't call him a lottery pick.

Look up the definition of the word "potential", it should help clear up your confusion.

I would love for him to be a lottery pick, but Hurley is using "potential" very loosely here.

 

[bendm]

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of role he plays. I’m banking on being mostly a floor spacer.

i think he will start over samson/karaban, until conference play at least, and as our 5th option on offense it would be ideal if all he needed to do was catch and shoot open 3s while defending the opposing team's best guard.

 

[BlueMAB]

We actually don't have much of any evidence of this. He didn't handle the ball in HS. He wasn't a particularly excellent shotblocker in HS (I distinctly remember writing "not nearly as natural of a shotblocker as Akok" when watching his hs games). He definitely was not a great shooter, but developing. I think 30-33% is probably likely... Whaley-ish.

I would absolutely not expect plus ball handling from him at all. Maybe a little baseline drive... he had that in his bag before but it was sloppy.

I think some solid defense with occasional IQ errors, a couple attempts from 3 a game on 30-33%, and some basic backdoor cuts and lobs could be a very effective way to use him. Something like 6 points and 4 rebounds would be GREAT. I don't think you can expect much more from a kid who couldn't earn any meaningful minutes last year. I'd be happy to be proven wrong though.

I believe what kept him off the floor is his defense. Like Jackson as a freshman, he had a hard time defending without fouling. His first two games he had a combined 15 minutes and 5 fouls.

His last 7 games he had a combined 18 minutes and 5 fouls.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I believe what kept him off the floor is his defense. Like Jackson as a freshman, he had a hard time defending without fouling. His first two games he had a combined 15 minutes and 5 fouls.

His last 7 games he had a combined 18 minutes and 5 fouls.

Yes, and part of that was Hurley mostly using him as a backup 5. He'd get pushed around (like Akok in the same role) and foul because he gave up position. I do think he will be a backup 5 for us as well as a 4, but I'm hopeful he's put on some muscle and has been practicing against Sanogo.

 

[jchusky]

Calipari lost to St Peter’s, would you not trust him?

you mean the guy who has had 20 nba players and can't beat Kansas st, Auburn, St Peter's. Go look at the Kentucky forum after the loss and how many boosters were saying they wouldn't drop another dime on the program if he stayed.

 

[HooperScooper]

you mean the guy who has had 20 nba players and can't beat Kansas st, Auburn, St Peter's. Go look at the Kentucky forum after the loss and how many boosters were saying they wouldn't drop another dime on the program if he stayed.

Is Calipari ditching the one and done model? What's it been, 10 years since he won a championship with all the talent he has had?

I wondered then, if we were seeing a philosophical shift in John Calipari’s views of roster construction. He had built his brand at Kentucky around the one-and-done model, won a national championship with it in 2012, and been to four Final Fours in five years between 2011 and 2015.

Since 2015 though, Kentucky had continued to recruit at an elite level – finishing with one of the top two classes in the country each season since – and yet they had not returned to a Final Four.

Is Kentucky moving away from the one-and-done strategy?

It was a nationally televised game in December, Kentucky was up big, but as I watched I couldn’t help but ask myself one question. ‘How many of these guys are

247sports.com

 

[huskymedic]

-> Being closer to home was one of the reasons Diarra chose to leave Texas A&M. He has a familial tie too. Diarra’s older brother is Mamadou Diarra, who played for UConn from 2017 to 2019 before injuries sidelined him. He’s worked as a student/graduate assistant the past three seasons, and supported his brother through the recruiting process. It’s unclear yet if Mamadou will be in Storrs this upcoming season, but his brother will be excited if that pans out.

Diarra loved the relationships he built with the other coaches as they recruited him, saw himself easily fitting in with UConn players and was impressed with his campus visit. “Gampel (Pavillion) is a special place,” said Diarra, who visited with his parents and siblings. Mamadou didn’t have the inside scoop into his brother’s decision, learning about the commitment at the same time as other coaches on the visit. <-

-> “I know I can bring to a team my leadership, my competitiveness, just by bringing it every day,” Diarra said. “Those are just the little things I can bring. Putting me around guys like Andre (Jackson), Tristen and Jordan (Hawkins). Guys like me who can shoot, dribble, pass, and they can do the same.”

With Hurley planning to implement a four-out, one-in offensive style, there’s a talented and lengthy group of guards around 6-9 big Adama Sanogo and the Huskies’ other frontcourt players. “I feel like all of us can do those things,” Diarra said. “That’s why we’re going to be good.”<-

 

[August_West]

But not as bad as the Naugatuck.

The route 8 corridor from Shelton to Waterbury looks like one of those drone flyover documentaries of Chernobyl

 

[UconnU]

Bigger land than most think. As pointed out his trajectory was on the up and up, was trusted to play late meaningful minutes. Tough competitive kid who will fit right in. Someone earlier in the thread said he won’t make the rotation. I expect 20+ minutes. What he doesn’t help with, which the team still desperately needs, is shooting. Another shooter, maybe a combo forward or a big wing, has to be the next domino to fall.

 

[UCLJ0211]

Bigger land than most think. As pointed out his trajectory was on the up and up, was trusted to play late meaningful minutes. Tough competitive kid who will fit right in. Someone earlier in the thread said he won’t make the rotation. I expect 20+ minutes. What he doesn’t help with, which the team still desperately needs, is shooting. Another shooter, maybe a combo forward or a big wing, has to be the next domino to fall.

I think he’s a better shooter than it looks on paper. If you look at his game-by-game 3 pt. numbers from last year, he seemed to have improved as the season went on - and he isn’t afraid of taking the big shots at the end of games.

Also, with Hawkins, Newton, Alleyne, Karaban and, to a lesser extent, Andre I think we have a decent amount of shooters.