Jalen Gaffney Transferring

[navery12]

Who do you folks think end up in the portal?

There will be a handful of good ones.

There's actually quite a long list of PGs already who project to be better than Gaffney. And a lot of them are really good players

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Yeah, he is quite obviously not one of the better available PGs on the portal. But not surprised that people are pretending that was somehow an accurate statement, certainly helps the narrative.

 

[8893]

Yeah, he is quite obviously not one of the better available PGs on the portal. But not surprised that people are pretending that was somehow an accurate statement, certainly helps the narrative.

Again, numbers matter. We are told that there were some 1,700 players in the portal last year and that there are already some 1,100 or more this year. For easy math let's say there end up being 1,500 this year and merely 1/5, or 300 of them, are point guards. If he is ranked 30th among them he is in the top 10% of available point guards, which would certainly make him one of the better ones.

 

[navery12]

Again, numbers matter. We are told that there were some 1,700 players in the portal last year and that there are already some 1,100 or more this year. For easy math let's say there end up being 1,500 this year and merely 1/5, or 300 of them, are point guards. If he is ranked 30th among them he is in the top 10% of available point guards, which would certainly make him one of the better ones.

And we're UConn, so that's an easy player to replace even if he was in the top 10% of PGs

 

[8893]

And we're UConn, so that's an easy player to replace even if he was in the top 10% of PGs

I agree that we should be able to move up the food chain. I just want to see it happen, because we have a coach who is pretty new at the portal game and said he wanted to avoid it last season. He has done well with established recruiting relationships over time, but from the outside the portal looks like the speed dating version of recruiting and I just don't know how well he'll do there. We'll find out soon enough.

 

[pj]

I really don’t understand Cole and Martin, they did not leave on a high note, and their talent ceiling perception may not be as high as they self identify. They played hard and did things the right way work wise but just did not have the talent level to get us to the next level. I think they could have been good complementary players but that’s hard to do after being the top dogs.

I don't follow this. "not leave on a high note" - do you mean losing their first tourney game? Or being disaffected in some way?

"they could have been good complementary players but that’s hard to do after being the top dogs" -- are you saying they should have come back for 6th and 5th years of college? I doubt that's in their best interest.

 

[huskyfan224]

No way Thompson from Purdue should be that high

 

[TIP-IN]

Best of luck, hope you get what you want.

 

[bendm]

if we were coming off a trip to the sweet 16 then 99% of the posts here regarding roster construction wouldnt be so negative, and the thing is, no one can say for sure that how we finished the season has impacted roster construction at all to this point.

cole and martin were graduating either way; gaff and diggins wouldnt have gotten any more PT against arkansas and gonzaga than they did all season. in other words, we'd still be looking to fill 4 open schollys, just without such a bitter taste in our mouths.

we didn't lose any underclassmen we were depending on and hurley's biggest strength remains recruiting, so why not view this as a positive? this is the opportunity to improve the overall talent level on the roster that we all hoped for.

 

[Umami Zen]

Who do you folks think end up in the portal?

There will be a handful of good ones.

You're killin' me.. Chumming the waters. Your spin is never dull. Keep doin' what you do.

 

[Umami Zen]

Pros and Cons. First, the Pros:

1. There are a few strong candidates to contribute next year, that we didn't see much of this year - Johnson, Floyd, Karaban, Akok. All relatively high-level recruits.
2. Though Karaban and Floyd haven't played they practiced with the team and know the system.
3. In Akok's case, he's coming off injury, and the first year back after an Achilles tear is never strong. So a big jump is possible.
4. The "core" of Hawkins, Jackson, and Sanogo is reasonably solid - a 2, a 1/3, and a 5.
5. Hawkins can shoot, and is very springy.
6. Jackson can handle, and sees the floor well. He's a voracious rebounder.
7. Sanogo has a boatload of good post moves and a soft touch.
8. The recruit coming in, Clingan, brings size you can't teach and good hands
9. There should be a number of good guards available in the portal

Now the Cons:

1. Players who had the option of staying didn't. (Age-wise/opportunity-wise can't blame them.)
2. Too much size and not enough ball-handling ability on the current roster. One through four all need ball handling skills and the ability to drive when it's available.
3. That wasn't helped by losing the only two designated ball-handling guards on the current roster.
4. We need more shooting also, not just ball handling. I guess we're hoping that Floyd, Karaban and Hawkins become lights-out from 3. That might happen. Then again ... maybe not.
5. Not sure Jackson can excel as a PG. He didn't have to be that guy this year.
6. Not sure Akok will ever be again what we anticipated pre-injury.
7. Not sure Hawkins ball handling is good enough to be driving threat one-on-one.
8. Would love to have seen more passing out of doubles/triples from Sanogo this year.
9. Unclear what we'll see from Floyd, Karaban. Optimism says serious players, but they haven't "done it" yet.
10. Clingan is a freshman big, playing behind a 1st team all-BE guy who will get the lion's share of minutes, so not sure that's much of a contributor.
11. Those good guards in the portal that we covet might want to play elsewhere.
12. The fact that the current guards are leaving might influence those decisions.
13. You'd expect the program to be on solid footing at 5 years into the Hurley era. Hard to make that case as of today.

I'm exhausted.. Are you bummed or optimistic?

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Strange to me that the only PGs on the roster are leaving when the top spot is wide open. I wonder if Hurley already has someone lined up.

 

[BGesus4]

Strange to me that the only PGs on the roster are leaving when the top spot is wide open. I wonder if Hurley already has someone lined up.

Or he made it clear in their end of the year chats that they were each a long way away from getting the keys

 

[Doctor Hoop]

I'm exhausted.. Are you bummed or optimistic?

Sorry, I had to itemize. 60% bummed, but hoping to see that level drop.

 

[Fatroony5]

Pros and Cons. First, the Pros:

1. There are a few strong candidates to contribute next year, that we didn't see much of this year - Johnson, Floyd, Karaban, Akok. All relatively high-level recruits.
2. Though Karaban and Floyd haven't played they practiced with the team and know the system.
3. In Akok's case, he's coming off injury, and the first year back after an Achilles tear is never strong. So a big jump is possible.
4. The "core" of Hawkins, Jackson, and Sanogo is reasonably solid - a 2, a 1/3, and a 5.
5. Hawkins can shoot, and is very springy.
6. Jackson can handle, and sees the floor well. He's a voracious rebounder.
7. Sanogo has a boatload of good post moves and a soft touch.
8. The recruit coming in, Clingan, brings size you can't teach and good hands
9. There should be a number of good guards available in the portal

Now the Cons:

1. Players who had the option of staying didn't. (Age-wise/opportunity-wise can't blame them.)
2. Too much size and not enough ball-handling ability on the current roster. One through four all need ball handling skills and the ability to drive when it's available.
3. That wasn't helped by losing the only two designated ball-handling guards on the current roster.
4. We need more shooting also, not just ball handling. I guess we're hoping that Floyd, Karaban and Hawkins become lights-out from 3. That might happen. Then again ... maybe not.
5. Not sure Jackson can excel as a PG. He didn't have to be that guy this year.
6. Not sure Akok will ever be again what we anticipated pre-injury.
7. Not sure Hawkins ball handling is good enough to be driving threat one-on-one.
8. Would love to have seen more passing out of doubles/triples from Sanogo this year.
9. Unclear what we'll see from Floyd, Karaban. Optimism says serious players, but they haven't "done it" yet.
10. Clingan is a freshman big, playing behind a 1st team all-BE guy who will get the lion's share of minutes, so not sure that's much of a contributor.
11. Those good guards in the portal that we covet might want to play elsewhere.
12. The fact that the current guards are leaving might influence those decisions.
13. You'd expect the program to be on solid footing at 5 years into the Hurley era. Hard to make that case as of today.

Well stated, I’m basically in the same boat as you. Having to grab two PGs and needing one of them to be a home run to have a good season next year isnt ideal. It’s certainly doable, I’d just rather them not need it and instead be supplementing around already proven talent. They’ve got some nice pieces, but not enough of them. They’ve got to nail their portal guys and it’s hard to say how that will turnout. I’ll remain hopeful until I see otherwise tho.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I'll be honest, I'm disappointed Gaffney is leaving. I recognize that he had some cringeworthy moments and has not seized a role within the rotation but I still felt like he could be an impact player as a senior. So much of his issue seemed to be confidence. He's a better player than he's shown. The people who are saying it's a fait accompli that he's a mid-major talent are the same people who were saying he was the best pure PG on the team a year ago so I put absolutely zero stock in their opinions.

The fact that he is leaving with so much PT available leads me to believe Hurley knows something we don't - which, to be clear, is always the case - but still, I was hoping Jalen could have a productive senior year in Storrs.

 

[storrsroars]

The people who are saying it's a fait accompli that he's a mid-major talent are the same people who were saying he was the best pure PG on the team a year ago so I put absolutely zero stock in their opinions.

Pitt under Capel was one of the teams who originally offered, along with SJU, Clemson, Xavier, and Florida. Gaffney would certainly get 30 mpg at Pitt if he and they are still interested. Won't win anything, but he'd play.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The fact that he is leaving with so much PT available leads me to believe Hurley knows something we don't - which, to be clear, is always the case - but still, I was hoping Jalen could have a productive senior year in Storrs.

That's my take as well. I find it difficult to believe that Gaffney and to a lesser extent Diggins transferred on the basis of perceived available playing time. Hurley likely has targets that he must feel he has a reasonable chance of landing.

 

[Chief00]

I don't follow this. "not leave on a high note" - do you mean losing their first tourney game? Or being disaffected in some way?

"they could have been good complementary players but that’s hard to do after being the top dogs" -- are you saying they should have come back for 6th and 5th years of college? I doubt that's in their best interest.

Quite frankly, Chief does think when a team has so much trouble scoring points, it does take the fun out of the game for the players. Something to consider moving forward. Then add not winning something significant.

I know we live in a participation trophy World in many parts of our state, but to Chief getting eliminated in game #1 two years in a row in the NCAA’s and getting eliminated early in the Big East Tournament is NOT finishing on a high note. It doesn’t change how I feel about them as people at all but at some point it’s good to accomplish something to built a career foundation.

 

[dennismenace]

There's actually quite a long list of PGs already who project to be better than Gaffney. And a lot of them are really good players

View attachment 75110

Thanks. Does this list come from 247? Is the "rank" column their current ranking by the compiler of the list or when they entered the portal in order of the ranking? In other words is Jalen Gaffney the latest entering the portal list or the worst of the 4 star recruits? Does the ranking # have anything to do with the 247 original listing coming out of HS?

 

[lange10]

I'll be honest, I'm disappointed Gaffney is leaving. I recognize that he had some cringeworthy moments and has not seized a role within the rotation but I still felt like he could be an impact player as a senior. So much of his issue seemed to be confidence. He's a better player than he's shown. The people who are saying it's a fait accompli that he's a mid-major talent are the same people who were saying he was the best pure PG on the team a year ago so I put absolutely zero stock in their opinions.

The fact that he is leaving with so much PT available leads me to believe Hurley knows something we don't - which, to be clear, is always the case - but still, I was hoping Jalen could have a productive senior year in Storrs.

I think the change of scenery will do wonders for his confidence, which I agree was the biggest thing holding him back from reaching his full potential here on a consistent basis. I hope he crushes it wherever he lands.

 

[navery12]

Thanks. Does this list come from 247? Is the "rank" column their current ranking by the compiler of the list or when they entered the portal in order of the ranking? In other words is Jalen Gaffney the latest entering the portal list or the worst of the 4 star recruits? Does the ranking # have anything to do with the 247 original listing coming out of HS?

It's from EvanMiya.com so it's an attempt to rank the impact of the guys in the transfer portal. Gaffney is actually ranked relatively high, that was as many as I could get in the screenshot but there were other 4* guys below him including a few we've been linked to. The stars in the screenshot are a new star ranking based on their projections for next season, but they also list their recruiting ranking/stars as well

 

[Chin Diesel]

I'll be honest, I'm disappointed Gaffney is leaving. I recognize that he had some cringeworthy moments and has not seized a role within the rotation but I still felt like he could be an impact player as a senior. So much of his issue seemed to be confidence. He's a better player than he's shown. The people who are saying it's a fait accompli that he's a mid-major talent are the same people who were saying he was the best pure PG on the team a year ago so I put absolutely zero stock in their opinions.

The fact that he is leaving with so much PT available leads me to believe Hurley knows something we don't - which, to be clear, is always the case - but still, I was hoping Jalen could have a productive senior year in Storrs.

I was a big supporter of Gaff going in to this season and, no matter how rose colored the glasses, he had a really bad year.

Probably is confidence, but losing confidence has killed more than one career in sports- pitchers who all of a sudden can't throw a ball over the plate, golfers with putting yips, and so on.

Is it possible Hurley and his staff could have figured it out and restored his confidence? Sure. But then you have to figure out if Gaff with full confidence restored is good enough to warrant the effort put in to getting him there. Plus, you run the risk of keeping the scholly for Gaff, putting in the work and still have a dud for on court performance.

I wish Gaff well and am confident he will land on his feet somewhere. From what I could see as a fan Gaff never caused any off court issues and seemed to be a solid teammate.

 

[husky429]

I'll be honest, I'm disappointed Gaffney is leaving. I recognize that he had some cringeworthy moments and has not seized a role within the rotation but I still felt like he could be an impact player as a senior. So much of his issue seemed to be confidence. He's a better player than he's shown. The people who are saying it's a fait accompli that he's a mid-major talent are the same people who were saying he was the best pure PG on the team a year ago so I put absolutely zero stock in their opinions.

The fact that he is leaving with so much PT available leads me to believe Hurley knows something we don't - which, to be clear, is always the case - but still, I was hoping Jalen could have a productive senior year in Storrs.

I think he could have been solid in a 10 MPG role. I expect coach told him some similar stuff, and he would prefer to get big minutes elsewhere. It's not like he's going to be playing pro in any decent international leagues for very long. Probably his last year of basketball that he'll have more than 50 fans in the building.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

this is bad. now that some cold water has been thrown in my face, based upon the nightmare idiocy of playing typo, with jmoney, like joshy before him, heading out for greener pastures, it makes the honest question of 'what exactly have the hurleys won, anywhere?'
till now, typo wasteland years and 45;07 were the preeminent of the few concerns that i had aboot danny, but this?
this is bad.
mebbe there is less than meets the eye with danny. idk.
a team of mercenaries is not to my interest. i'll give danny one year, out of respect for the team, but this changes a lot.
all of a sudden, it all feels very forced. cliffy don't do losers, whether in the markets, or in fandom.
ok, count me in, danny, you are on the clock, starting now. on the udder hand, wherever jmoney ends up, i'll be sending some cash there to rent a seat, and watch, up close and personal like.

there is a fine line between being funny, and being a clown. im looking at you, danny.
stuff the sage up ur kazoo.