Hurley’s Deepest UConn Team

[HW611]

To be fair, for those saying we say this every year, we had some unbelievable depth 2 of the past 3 years. Last year’s “depth” is pretty clearly different than this year. And really depth wasn’t the issue last year, it was the starters, which had a trickle down effect to the bench.

To me at least, the one question mark for this team is center. If Tarris can’t stay out of foul trouble, it puts a lot of pressure on a freshman who at this point, we have no clue what he’ll be. After that, if Koroma ends up getting meaningful minutes, we’ll either be really good or really bad.

Tbh, Reibe should eventually be fine because we need him and he’ll get a chance to play through mistakes.

It may not start off pretty, but he’ll eventually get better learning from the mistakes because we’ll need him.

 

[superjohn]

To be fair, for those saying we say this every year, we had some unbelievable depth 2 of the past 3 years. Last year’s “depth” is pretty clearly different than this year. And really depth wasn’t the issue last year, it was the starters, which had a trickle down effect to the bench.

To me at least, the one question mark for this team is center. If Tarris can’t stay out of foul trouble, it puts a lot of pressure on a freshman who at this point, we have no clue what he’ll be. After that, if Koroma ends up getting meaningful minutes, we’ll either be really good or really bad.

This year is going to be about the starters again. We probably have the best starting 5 in the country. We were deep in '24 but we had by far the best starting 5. They were so good Solo never played once we were at full strength.

 

[TheShot1990]

I agree that the biggest unknown is center. They are going to test Eric every time Tarris comes off the floor. I think Florida has about five 7 footers on their roster so we’ll find out early how deep we are at the 5.

 

[IndyLives]

we said this last year too lol

Lol. Whenever people throw out deep team labels. it usually means we don't have an elite Starting 5.

 

[UCan3]

Depth is overrated. You can only play 5 at a time.

The most dominant team this generation went 7 deep.

Having the most talented #10 player on the roster just doesn't impact winning.

We need an elite starting lineup and solid guys at 6-7-8.

It is overrated. But that being said, in 2023 when our 2nd team took the floor and it was as good, and in same cases better, than the first starting 5, that was an absolute nightmare for every team we played - it felt unfair at times.

I think that’s what Hurley set out to do with recruiting. I can see why certain players left or decided not to come - we are stacked at every position.

Obviously so many unknowns… Will players show what they’ve show in practice on the court when there’s fouls being called… We have no idea until we see them in November….

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Lol. Whenever people throw out deep team labels. it usually means we don't have an elite Starting 5.

Are you being contrarian just for the fun of being contrarian?

Because by all measures we will have an elite starting 5 this year.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Lol. Whenever people throw out deep team labels. it usually means we don't have an elite Starting 5.

This.

It's like having four a roster with four QB's all good enough to start. No bueno.

 

[jibsey]

I agree that the biggest unknown is center. They are going to test Eric every time Tarris comes off the floor. I think Florida has about five 7 footers on their roster so we’ll find out early how deep we are at the 5.

Correct. I think that Clingan was the wild card that made it go even in his first year when he only played 15 minutes a game. Our second unit not only kept up but often pushed out leads when they were brought in.
Reibe looks great on tape and has offensive skills but he’s going to have to defend, rebound and rise up to BE toughness. We now have a third guy who is 7’2” right?

 

[IndyLives]

Are you being contrarian just for the fun of being contrarian?

Because by all measures we will have an elite starting 5 this year.

I'm just saying when it comes to Tournament play or against elite teams, give me the players who can make a bucket or get a stop during crunch time. You usually don't get that from depth players. It's why we lost to Florida last year when it mattered. Depth can only get you so far.

 

[CTBasketball]

we always have fantasies of enormous depth before we play a game

You wanna talk depth I have a story for you.

 

[TheShot1990]

Correct. I think that Clingan was the wild card that made it go even in his first year when he only played 15 minutes a game. Our second unit not only kept up but often pushed out leads when they were brought in.
Reibe looks great on tape and has offensive skills but he’s going to have to defend, rebound and rise up to BE toughness. We now have a third guy who is 7’2” right?

We do but the guys on this forum who know basketball much better than we do say he’s not quite ready yet.

Good point on Clingan. When he subbed in for Sanogo, the looks from the opposition were “geez. This guy is the backup?????”

 

[B1GEast]

To be fair, for those saying we say this every year, we had some unbelievable depth 2 of the past 3 years. Last year’s “depth” is pretty clearly different than this year. And really depth wasn’t the issue last year, it was the starters, which had a trickle down effect to the bench.

To me at least, the one question mark for this team is center. If Tarris can’t stay out of foul trouble, it puts a lot of pressure on a freshman who at this point, we have no clue what he’ll be. After that, if Koroma ends up getting meaningful minutes, we’ll either be really good or really bad.

We've had deep teams before, but the quality of the depth in this team might be the highest.

I'm not so concerned about Tarris getting into foul trouble. Hurley has run smaller lineups in the past when he needed to.

This is really going to be fun to watch. The only problem I see is that egos might get crushed if some guys don't get minutes. There are a lot of new faces and Hurley needs to make sure that the guys in the locker room buy into his team concept or there will be mid season rumblings.

I hope and trust he can keep the ship straight

 

[REB1094]

I consider depth to be the the strongest players from spot #1 to the end of the rotation, not just how many serviceable players we have

The team to beat is 2023. The 8/9th guys were Diarra and Calcaterra. Technically in terms of minutes played it was Diarra and Clingan. But, like Reibe this year, Clingan was the clear backup C that was always going to get minutes every single game. He wasn’t that fringe rotation guy

PG - I’ll take Silas over 2023 Newton over the course of the entire season. I have high expectations. This could end up being wrong

SG - if Solo comes back with improved defense and a more developed scoring game, he wins. If he comes back as the same player, I go Hawkins. So call it a wash for now

SF - I’m calling this one a wash. Braylon is a better overall player than Andre Jackson, but 2023 doesn’t come close to happening without Andre. It’s really hard to compare value at SF

PF - 2026 Karaban > 2023 Karaban

C - giving the nod to Adama until Tarris proves me wrong

6-7th: Clingan and Alleyne should be > Stewart and Reibe

8-9th: Malachi and either Ross/Furphy vs. Diarra and Joey. This should go to the current team, assuming Malachi is healthy and one of Ross or Furphy steps up

So 3 positions in favor of 2026, 2 in favor of 2023, and 2 washes with some potential swings based on how Silas performs and how much Solo develops. AKA, impossible to tell until we see them play

 

[Umami Zen]

I'm just saying when it comes to Tournament play or against elite teams, give me the players who can make a bucket or get a stop during crunch time. You usually don't get that from depth players. It's why we lost to Florida last year when it mattered. Depth can only get you so far.

Our starters shot 7 for 27 from three pt range in the Florida game. We lost by two. If they shoot to their season averages-Maybe a different outcome. Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda

 

[jibsey]

We do but the guys on this forum who know basketball much better than we do say he’s not quite ready yet.

Good point on Clingan. When he subbed in for Sanogo, the looks from the opposition were “geez. This guy is the backup?????”

Been to Turkey. It’s not Disneyland coddling like America. As a a guy with international background he’s probably pretty resourceful, motivated and tough.

 

[HW611]

I consider depth to be the the strongest players from spot #1 to the end of the rotation, not just how many serviceable players we have

The team to beat is 2023. The 8/9th guys were Diarra and Calcaterra. Technically in terms of minutes played it was Diarra and Clingan. But, like Reibe this year, Clingan was the clear backup C that was always going to get minutes every single game. He wasn’t that fringe rotation guy

PG - I’ll take Silas over 2023 Newton over the course of the entire season. I have high expectations. This could end up being wrong

SG - if Solo comes back with improved defense and a more developed scoring game, he wins. If he comes back as the same player, I go Hawkins. So call it a wash for now

SF - I’m calling this one a wash. Braylon is a better overall player than Andre Jackson, but 2023 doesn’t come close to happening without Andre. It’s really hard to compare value at SF

PF - 2026 Karaban > 2023 Karaban

C - giving the nod to Adama until Tarris proves me wrong

6-7th: Clingan and Alleyne should be > Stewart and Reibe

8-9th: Malachi and either Ross/Furphy vs. Diarra and Joey. This should go to the current team, assuming Malachi is healthy and one of Ross or Furphy steps up

So 3 positions in favor of 2026, 2 in favor of 2023, and 2 washes with some potential swings based on how Silas performs and how much Solo develops. AKA, impossible to tell until we see them play

I think where 2023 separates itself is that if we did these comparisons by their defensive ability, everybody except Silas/Newton and Karaba/Karaban clears easily.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think where 2023 separates itself is that if we did these comparisons by their defensive ability, everybody except Silas/Newton and Karaba/Karaban clears easily.

Spot on - key to how good this team is will be driven by how much of a defensive upgrade we get with Silas/Mullins at the 1 & 3. Major reason that I don't see any way that Stew gets majority time at the 3 is that he will never be a great defender at the 3 and we really can't stay flat on that end. I'm limiting my expectations on any major defensive leaps by AK or Solo.

It's so hard to compare teams one for one - so much of it is about how the pieces fit together. That 23 team had amazing chemistry by end of year, everyone knew their roles and they were highly defined.

Similarly, Purdue's upside will be determined by their defense - their big 3 is nice on offense, not so much on defense.

 

[Tenspro2002]

It is overrated. But that being said, in 2023 when our 2nd team took the floor and it was as good, and in same cases better, than the first starting 5, that was an absolute nightmare for every team we played - it felt unfair at times.

I think that’s what Hurley set out to do with recruiting. I can see why certain players left or decided not to come - we are stacked at every position.

Obviously so many unknowns… Will players show what they’ve show in practice on the court when there’s fouls being called… We have no idea until we see them in November….

This is a fair point, but it still depends on what one means by "depth."

If you're saying "the first 3 guys off the bench aren't a big dropoff and can dominate the other team's second unit" then I agree that matters.

But the fact that we have plausibly-good players at like #9-11 on the roster, that's just never going to show up unless the team suffers a bunch of injuries (and then we're screwed anyway).

 

[HW611]

Spot on - key to how good this team is will be drive by how much of a defensive upgrade we get with Silas/Mullins at the 1 & 3. Major reason that I don't see any way that Stew gets majority time at the 3 is that he will never be a great defender at the 3 and we really can't stay flat on that end. I'm limiting my expectations on any major defensive leaps by AK or Solo.

It's so hard to compare teams one for one - so much of it is about how the pieces fit together. That 23 team had amazing chemistry by end of year, everyone knew their roles and they were highly defined.

Similarly, Purdue's upside will be determined by their defense - their big 3 is nice on offense, not so much on defense.

Yup. A lot offensively will depend on how Silas adjust to being the lead PG for this team. Hes going to have to find his groove between finding others and knowing when to find his.

Mullins defensively will be another thing to look out for. Will he be able to guard the other teams top wing player adequately? Jackson unquestionably could guard anyone 1-3. Same with Castle. Silas will for sure be able to guard a 1. But will Mullins be able to handle the AJ or Daryl Peterson assignment?

Those are my two biggest questions heading into the season that can determine how good we can be.

 

[RuffRuff]

Yup. A lot offensively will depend on how Silas adjust to being the lead PG for this team. Hes going to have to find his groove between finding others and knowing when to find his.

Mullins defensively will be another thing to look out for. Will he be able to guard the other teams top wing player adequately? Jackson unquestionably could guard anyone 1-3. Same with Castle. Silas will for sure be able to guard a 1. But will Mullins be able to handle the AJ or Daryl Peterson assignment?

Those are my two biggest questions heading into the season that can determine how good we can be.

Ajax could not only guard 1-3, but also caused a ton of havoc on the defensive end and was a big part of the motor that made us go. If you think about that team, there weren't a ton of great individual defenders outside of Jax (we did have length). Newt wasn't an amazing defender, nor was Hawkins or Karaban. I wouldn't have called Adama a force on defense either. Amazing what one high plus perimeter defender can do.

We need to find a couple plus defenders on this roster (that aren't major offensive liabilities). I'm pretty high on Mullins potential on defense, really light on his feet/springy. Just need to see it with my eyes at this level. Silas looks strong and like he has some dawg in him. Maybe the Ross experiment pans out - as someone said so accurately, he was high energy, but bad defensively last year (as all metrics show). Can that high energy & length translate this year?

 

[HW611]

Ajax could not only guard 1-3, but also caused a ton of havoc on the defensive end and was a big part of the motor that made us go. If you think about that team, there weren't a ton of great individual defenders outside of Jax (we did have length). Newt wasn't an amazing defender, nor was Hawkins or Karaban. I wouldn't have called Adama a force on defense either. Amazing what one high plus perimeter defender can do.

We need to find a couple plus defenders on this roster (that aren't major offensive liabilities). I'm pretty high on Mullins potential on defense, really light on his feet/springy. Just need to see it with my eyes at this level. Silas looks strong and like he has some dawg in him. Maybe the Ross experiment pans out - as someone said so accurately, he was high energy, but bad defensively last year (as all metrics show). Can that high energy & length translate this year?

The team was mostly bigger faster and stronger than everyone else. We had a 6’5 PG and a legit 2 way NBA 2 guard in Hawkins and then Andre. Size wise and athletically, there was no one in the country matching up against us on the perimeter.

Add in Sanogo being a brick house and Clingan off the bench, we were just physically better than everyone else and asserted our will.

It’s not the same this year as the only position we’ll have a clear physical advantage is PG. Solo will be small for a 2G and Mullins will be smaller for a 3.

It’s why I’m pushing for Ross so hard because he helps us get a size an athletic advantage at that 3 spot (and why I push for PG Solo because he’s an athletic advantage there and a disadvantage as a 2). Not going back and forth about this but he looked like one of our best defenders once he started staying on his feet during the second half of the season. Don’t really care what the metrics say when I watched something closely with my own eyes.

Mullins played a lot of 2-3 defense in HS I think so I assume they’ll be a learning curve on understanding Hurley’s man defense.

 

[Scottobot]

I think this is Hurley’s deepest team since he became UConn’s head coach. It seems we are at least two deep at every position. If Furphy steps up and becomes a Swiss Army knife with his positional size we have 10 players who would play more than mop up minutes on all but a handful of Division one teams. If you go back and look it may have been situational but during the 22-23 we had nine players average more than 12 minutes per game. Will that happen again this year?

Like many others said, hard to know who is going to end up being really good until they play. Hurley has done a great job the last 3-4 years filling the roster with players that could be great.

Last year I thought for sure Mahaney and Nowell would be good, but that didn’t happen.

 

[prankster]

Not for nothin....But, this is the first season, ever, where we have enjoyed 15 player roster.

That has to count for something.

 

[Lafayette]

15 is an injury boon. Diarra had to play thru injury and 15 lets us have 3 PGs (4 if Furphy is needed there). Though much was made of Maheney’s performance these 3 have all played the point.

 

[UCan3]

Correct. I think that Clingan was the wild card that made it go even in his first year when he only played 15 minutes a game. Our second unit not only kept up but often pushed out leads when they were brought in.
Reibe looks great on tape and has offensive skills but he’s going to have to defend, rebound and rise up to BE toughness. We now have a third guy who is 7’2” right?

I think what made Clingan/Sanogo such a tough combo is that Sanogo started and dominated offensively and was very good defensively - but not shut down rim protector.

But then Clingan subbed in and he was a “shut down” center meaning no one comes to the rim for an easy 2 - like no one.

It was the 2 different styles that left all teams bewildered… who do they prepare for? Sanogo / Clingan?

The answer was both but no team we faced in games that mattered - could.

How different our styles are at center will matter -I think Hurley is way ahead of me on this one LOL and that’s part of his strategy with late adds recruiting. Make lightening strike twice.

 

[Iluvsuebird]

Same thread every year. Last year some of you had us going 12 deep and averaging 127 points and at least two guys going lottery. It’ll play out how it always does. Hurley will get 8-9’deep, some guys who we expected to play more or contribute won’t, and we’ll go into the offseason watching who stays or goes.

Guilty! And one of the lottery guys for me was Abraham!!! Called that wrong!!

 

[thekollieman]

Ajax could not only guard 1-3, but also caused a ton of havoc on the defensive end and was a big part of the motor that made us go. If you think about that team, there weren't a ton of great individual defenders outside of Jax (we did have length). Newt wasn't an amazing defender, nor was Hawkins or Karaban. I wouldn't have called Adama a force on defense either. Amazing what one high plus perimeter defender can do.

We need to find a couple plus defenders on this roster (that aren't major offensive liabilities). I'm pretty high on Mullins potential on defense, really light on his feet/springy. Just need to see it with my eyes at this level. Silas looks strong and like he has some dawg in him. Maybe the Ross experiment pans out - as someone said so accurately, he was high energy, but bad defensively last year (as all metrics show). Can that high energy & length translate this year?

Ajax was maybe the best example I’ve ever seen of intangible influence on the court. He made so many incredible effort plays (made possible by incredible athleticism) I just imagined how much it would suck to have him on the other team.

 

[Kenny11]

Depth is good for practice and in case of injuries.

Otherwise it just leads to unhappy players and guys who can’t get into a rythym because they are always looking over their shoulder if they miss a shot or make a mistake.

It’s better to have it than to not have it though

 

[Umami Zen]

Spot on - key to how good this team is will be driven by how much of a defensive upgrade we get with Silas/Mullins at the 1 & 3. Major reason that I don't see any way that Stew gets majority time at the 3 is that he will never be a great defender at the 3 and we really can't stay flat on that end. I'm limiting my expectations on any major defensive leaps by AK or Solo.

It's so hard to compare teams one for one - so much of it is about how the pieces fit together. That 23 team had amazing chemistry by end of year, everyone knew their roles and they were highly defined.

Similarly, Purdue's upside will be determined by their defense - their big 3 is nice on offense, not so much on defense.

Agree with you about defense. Gotta have an upgrade this year re: team D and help D. Our offensive talent will keep us in most games.

 

[Kitaman]

A deep bench to me means you have at least 3-4 Division 1 ready players, preferably with in-game experience. Also bench being Big East ready is what's most important, and its in our Conference play how we determine our bench strength.

We've seen so often come January (Conference) our rotations shorten and many bench players separate themselves from the pack. Our bench players have a 2 month window to earn PT, especially the freshman.

Just saying, we only need 3 or so bench players to make us Championship material, the others can be used for limited and certain game situations.

Lets see which 3 rise to the top.