Jayden Ross Returning!!!

[RuffRuff]

Like I said I’m willing to do any wagers.

The staff playing a low ranked freshman (no matter what reports say) and not play the junior they spent a year talking about would be completely off pattern.

Hurley does seniority. Ross is going to play and most likely start if we don’t add someone from the portal. And we’ll all end up happy for it.

I’d be shocked if Furphy didn’t get the same minutes as Abraham and a freshman Jayden Ross.

And it has nothing to do with how good I think he is or isn’t and everything to do with that he’s a freshman.

Furphy isn't a low ranked freshman, he's an international freshman. There is no way to evaluate the kid properly against the US crop. He'll also be 19 as a frosh, a year younger than Ross.

I have no idea why you are so glued to certain guys for the weirdest reasons. Ross is more likely a binky, similar to Samson. Great kid, culture carrier, limited upside, company guy to a coach who is a loyalist. There's a place for him.

Per Sam V: Had a great day at the Australian U20 Nationals. Best player I saw: Jacob Furphy (not related to Johnny). Just an absolute hooper. Tough as hell. Competitive. Winner. Insane hoops IQ. Super skilled. Felt same way watching him that I did the first time I saw Jaime Jaquez in 2018.

Tom Penders: A former Texas player of mine told me that Furphy was a possible lottery pick after year one. That former player played and coached in Australia. He now owns a basketball academy down under. Dan Hurley’s UCONN staff now recruits the world!

Have you seen anyone with that cred ever say that about Ross? Time to get the head out of the sand .

 

[navery12]

8 man rotations.

Silas
Ball
Ross (Stew if AK comes back)
Stew
Reed

Adams
Mullins
Reibe
(Add Ross to this group if AK comes back)

This is before any other transfers are added. Who on this list are we talking ourselves into Furphy playing over before we add in any other transfers? Lol

Nobody, I'd say Mullins starts over Ross but that's semantics since that would be the 8 man rotation currently. But we're going to bring in a backup PG from the portal and a starting 4 whether it's Karaban or a transfer. Those are the 2 that would put us at a 10 man rotation and require some attrition of minutes

 

[CardiacAndre7]

The film disagrees.

But ignore it to get off this lie off about our own player.

You can pick and choose film all you want. Stats are definite and are compiled in entirety. He can be a good defender. I want him to break out and get drafted! But there’s no point in making stuff up constantly about his game that we just haven’t seen. You have quite the track record with wishful thinking, we are just being realists with the evidence presented thus far.

 

[alphasigko]

Look at the development and improvement from Freshman to Sophomore year. He has NBA athleticism so I am looking forward to his Junior year as he could be a major contributor.

Please.elaborate on the development and improvement.

 

[navery12]

I'm of the belief that Adams is not going to be a major contributor next year, he's lined up for the long game.

If the 611 starting 5 is what we're rolling out, I'm not holding my breath.

He's a top 20 recruit and a McDonald's All American, if he's not playing next year then we won't see him in a UConn jersey at any point. He's going to play

 

[FearThePups]

I just want to know if you guys actually believe this stuff half the time to be so down on a player or if you just dig your heels in because it’s my opinion lol

Like the he’s a bad defender rhetoric has been debunked by film outside of myself but people continue on with this lie for reasons I don’t understand.

I saw enough of Ross last season to know while he may improve this year, it won’t be enough to plug him into the starting 5. So we haven’t seen what Furphy brings to the table yet. We will just have to wait on that.

 

[auror]

Let's see if he can become for the full season the player he was in his first game of the year against UNH. More consistent playing time and another year should help with his shooting.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Love that he's back.

Pretty confident he takes a big leap forward as a junior. Continuity and familiarity with our system will reap benefits for him and the whole team.

I think he can provide ~13-15mpg, ~6ppg, 1-2ast, 1-2reb, 1-2stocks per game. I bet he'll shoot at least 33% from 3pt, could be in high 30's, and will be a reliable defender across 1-4 as needed based on matchups.

Let's Go!

 

[Husky Alien]

8 man rotations.

Silas
Ball
Ross (Stew if AK comes back)
Stew
Reed

Adams
Mullins
Reibe
(Add Ross to this group if AK comes back)

This is before any other transfers are added. Who on this list are we talking ourselves into Furphy playing over before we add in any other transfers? Lol

That's on Hurley to sort out. Furphy is a facilitator and shooter and has a bulldog mentality. It will be interesting how it all pans out.

 

[Horatio]

8 man rotations.

Silas
Ball
Ross (Stew if AK comes back)
Stew
Reed

Adams
Mullins
Reibe
(Add Ross to this group if AK comes back)

This is before any other transfers are added. Who on this list are we talking ourselves into Furphy playing over before we add in any other transfers? Lol

Plus. this roster still leaves us with one PG. We won it all in ‘24 with a PG committee of T. Newton, Castle, Hass and sometimes Cam. We just literally limped into a 2 pt. loss against the current Champion with one true, playable PG. Add in the bigs foul trouble all season and it will be coaching malpractice not to get one more PG and another Big.
And with that said, I don’t see where the minutes are coming from for certain people.

 

[Ewekon]

What really matters is Hurley believes in Ross and Ross in Hurley. The kid will show his naysayers in here. You know how it goes in the boneyard, instant gratification....

If nothing else. Coming in for year 3 makes him a bleed blue. He's taking no one's spot. Surely a mid would hand him some $. No play time guarantee here


The man believes in the program and believes in himself. Expanded roster = he will get what he earns.

He has earned my respect

 

[Dutch Boyd]

Ross is a bench player that’s been in the system. Hopefully he improves. Hard to get portal guys to come play off the bench so I’m happy with this.

 

[superjohn]

I'm of the belief that Adams is not going to be a major contributor next year, he's lined up for the long game.

If the 611 starting 5 is what we're rolling out, I'm not holding my breath.

What does your last sentence mean?

 

[alphasigko]

You saw the wrong thing when there’s literally film breakdowns that say otherwise.

Wherethedove and Ruff posted a play they thought Ross did horrible in and when someone who actually breaks them down stepped in to say Ross actually did everything perfect (not me) and someone else messed up there was no response.

But people will still ignore that to say this lie that he was a bad defender.

So maybe people don’t know what they are watching with their eyes lol

I watched and then looked at his stats and these matched exactly what I saw.

 

[FearThePups]

Furphy isn't a low ranked freshman, he's an international freshman. There is no way to evaluate the kid properly against the US crop. He'll also be 19 as a frosh, a year younger than Ross.

I have no idea why you are so glued to certain guys for the weirdest reasons. Ross is more likely a binky, similar to Samson. Great kid, culture carrier, limited upside, company guy to a coach who is a loyalist. There's a place for him.

Per Sam V: Had a great day at the Australian U20 Nationals. Best player I saw: Jacob Furphy (not related to Johnny). Just an absolute hooper. Tough as hell. Competitive. Winner. Insane hoops IQ. Super skilled. Felt same way watching him that I did the first time I saw Jaime Jaquez in 2018.

Tom Penders: A former Texas player of mine told me that Furphy was a possible lottery pick after year one. That former player played and coached in Australia. He now owns a basketball academy down under. Dan Hurley’s UCONN staff now recruits the world!

Have you seen anyone with that cred ever say that about Ross? Time to get the head out of the sand .

Good post. I am expecting big things from Furphy this year.

 

[RuffRuff]

What does your last sentence mean?

611 (poster) flashed some hypothetical (personal dream) starting lineup of Reed, Solo, Stew, Ross & Silas. That is not a starting 5 I'm doing jumping jacks over.

It feels good to bring our homegrown back and I know it's easy to get the warm and fuzzies over bringing the band back and to dream of the "leap". This feels very Shaka Smartish. I'd rather go get talent that has shown success when that option exists, in at least a couple spots.

 

[superjohn]

611 (poster) flashed some hypothetical (personal dream) starting lineup of Reed, Solo, Stew, Ross & Silas. That is not a starting 5 I'm doing jumping jacks over.

It feels good to bring our homegrown back and I know it's easy to get the warm and fuzzies over bringing the band back and to dream of the "leap". This feels very Shaka Smartish. I'd rather go get talent that has shown success when that option exists, in at least a couple spots.

Gotcha. Yeah, there's no way Ross and Stewart are starting together. I think there's a good chance Stewart starts and I expect he makes a leap.

 

[superjohn]

None of those guys played over upperclassman who were ahead of them except possibly Sanogo. Even with Bouknight it took an Alterique Gilbert injury for him to start and he was CLEARLY the 2nd best player on the team next to Vital.

Bouknight was suspended to start the season for some seriously bad behavior, he was always going to get big minutes.

 

[FearThePups]

You are going to be disappointed like you probably were with Ahmad Nowell lol

Furphy plays on his national team, not a high school team like Nowell did. I was never expecting much from Nowell after I saw him in a few games.

 

[bendm]

Why can’t everyone just block 611 like I did years ago ?

 

[alphasigko]

None of those guys played over upperclassman who were ahead of them except possibly Sanogo. Even with Bouknight it took an Alterique Gilbert injury for him to start and he was CLEARLY the 2nd best player on the team next to Vital.

Say what?

 

[3rdbass]

Why can’t everyone just block 611 like I did years ago ?

I can’t tell who makes more off the wall takes between 611 and Nelson. I thought 611 used to make some really good posts until recently.

 

[tower1]

Speaks volumes about Dan Hurley. These kids love him and love playing for him.

Love is great but can they improve enough to start. That is what we need strong fast defense and offensive players !!

 

[bendm]

I can’t tell who makes more off the wall takes between 611 and Nelson. I thought 611 used to make some really good posts until recently.

611 is borderline freescooter level crazy

 

[Husky68]

Love that he's back.

Pretty confident he takes a big leap forward as a junior. Continuity and familiarity with our system will reap benefits for him and the whole team.

I think he can provide ~13-15mpg, ~6ppg, 1-2ast, 1-2reb, 1-2stocks per game. I bet he'll shoot at least 33% from 3pt, could be in high 30's, and will be a reliable defender across 1-4 as needed based on matchups.

Let's Go!

Sounds a bit like Andre Jackson lite, which would be a nice piece for the team. Last 2 years had a "wing/guard" shut down defender in the starting lineup (Andre/Castle) and it really impacted opponents offense.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Hey you either win money or if I don’t pay up and can’t post anymore here you become a hero.

Win win if there’s a 0 percent chance Ross starts lol

I’ll take the bet that Ross isn’t starting, what are the terms?

 

[Huskyforlife]

He's a top 20 recruit and a McDonald's All American, if he's not playing next year then we won't see him in a UConn jersey at any point. He's going to play

Maybe, there’s just not a clear path for him if Mullins or Stew is backing up the wings, and we bring in a backup pg. Then you consider Hurley asked Ross to come back and fill out the rotation it would seem. Not sure where his minutes come from unless he breaks out in practice and surpasses some locked in rotation guys.

 

[bendm]

PT on the wing is going to be cutthroat but we did say we wanted a team full of interchangeable athletic wings. It would be ideal if Ross could put on some weight/muscle and play some stretch 4. That seems more realistic than him developing guard skills.

 

[RuffRuff]

You saw the wrong thing when there’s literally film breakdowns that say otherwise.

Wherethedove and Ruff posted a play they thought Ross did horrible in and when someone who actually breaks them down stepped in to say Ross actually did everything perfect (not me) and someone else messed up there was no response.

But people will still ignore that to say this lie that he was a bad defender.

So maybe people don’t know what they are watching with their eyes lol

You're isolating one play? How about metrics on the entire season? Ross had the worst DPPR on the team, and overall worst BPR by a fairly wide margin. Ball & Stewart were the next two. So yeah, let's roll out that sophomore leap lineup and see if we can stop anyone, again. A major critique last year on Hurley's roster management was putting too much stock in the sophomore class, and here we are again waiting for a re-leap.

EvanMiya CBB Analytics

Advanced college basketball analytics used widely by coaches, journalists, and fans.

evanmiya.com

Ross is a nice story, and a great culture piece that can perhaps grow into a valuable bench piece. My gutt says it's a Hurley thing, but I'll hope to be surprised.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Wherethedove and Ruff posted a play they thought Ross did horrible in and when someone who actually breaks them down stepped in to say Ross actually did everything perfect (not me) and someone else messed up there was no response.

You keep bringing this up and your recounting of it gets more and more outlandish each time. This is the quote from one person in this discussion of one play.

“Overall it's defended poorly, but I don't put that much of the blame on Ross. He's generally doing what he's supposed to be doing, if not perfectly.”