Jaylin Stewart staying put at UConn

[Hunt for 7]

I love Kimani got to talk to him a bit before the first round NCAA game in Brooklyn last year. Very approachable while he was standing in the area in front of the tunnel leading to the locker room. I said one game at a time to him and he looked at me and said exactly then asked if the two boys with me were my sons. He gave them high five. After the game Tristen gave my son his game towel. Not sure if it has anything to do with the interaction with Kimani but that is a day neither of them will forget.

Great memory and of course we then blew Stetson away.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Ask Eric Dixon (national scoring leader) how good he was.

He had some really good flashes. That game in particular and then you’d see possessions in other games where the makings of a good defender were present. The problem is that a lot of the rest of the time he was getting caught out of position, just losing focus, etc. The Nova game was definitely the outlier but those moments give me some confidence that another offseason of focus and he can clean that stuff up. It’s 100% the thing standing in between Stewart and a lot more PT.

 

[boog204]

Ask Eric Dixon (national scoring leader) how good he was.

He was excellent against Dixon in part because Stew had the clear quickness advantage. He tended to struggle quite a bit with most 3’s who were equal to or quicker than him.

I’m too lazy to do it, but it was pretty consistent that opposing twos and threes had big games against us because of Solo, Liam, and Stew.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Nah, Ross doesn't have the offensive skills including his horrible shot but he is a nice hustle guy though. I don't really see a lot of upside in his game like I do with Stewart. Out of those 2 Stewart has a shot of NBA. Ross barely played end of the year and Stewart was taking over the defensive assignments of guarding the best players at the end of the year over him.

This is one of the running BS narratives of the Yard.

Ross does not have a “horrible shot”.

I’m no shooting form savant, but I’ve played enough and watched enough hoops to be able to pick out a janky bad form shot and a shot that’s at least decent-looking.

Ross has a decent looking shot. Yes, I know what his shooting % for the year ended up being. But it was mainly driven by mental issues where you could see he lost confidence in his abilities.

He has the skills and size to make shots around the rim. We saw some very athletic finishes even against good competition.

Wherever he ends up playing next year, he is going to provide some valuable minutes. How many remains to be seen. I’ll go on record and say that he’ll shoot 32-35% from 3 next year.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

This is one of the running BS narratives of the Yard.

Ross does not have a “horrible shot”.

I’m no shooting form savant, but I’ve played enough and watched enough hoops to be able to pick out a janky bad form shot and a shot that’s at least decent-looking.

Ross has a decent looking shot. Yes, I know what his shooting % for the year ended up being. But it was mainly driven by mental issues where you could see he lost confidence in his abilities.

He has the skills and size to make shots around the rim. We saw some very athletic finishes even against good competition.

Wherever he ends up playing next year, he is going to provide some valuable minutes. How many remains to be seen. I’ll go on record and say that he’ll shoot 32-35% from 3 next year.

What's somewhat ironic is that if you're looking for a "horrible shot" on this team it's AK...but a bunch of em go in so all is forgiven

 

[navery12]

This is one of the running BS narratives of the Yard.

Ross does not have a “horrible shot”.

I’m no shooting form savant, but I’ve played enough and watched enough hoops to be able to pick out a janky bad form shot and a shot that’s at least decent-looking.

Ross has a decent looking shot. Yes, I know what his shooting % for the year ended up being. But it was mainly driven by mental issues where you could see he lost confidence in his abilities.

He has the skills and size to make shots around the rim. We saw some very athletic finishes even against good competition.

Wherever he ends up playing next year, he is going to provide some valuable minutes. How many remains to be seen. I’ll go on record and say that he’ll shoot 32-35% from 3 next year.

The form is fine, but we now have a pretty large sample of horrible results from 3. Whether it's his form or mental doesn't really matter, the ball is not going in the basket

 

[superjohn]

If money is his deciding factor then hes better off going pro. If he sneaks into the first round he could get 12m over 4 years guaranteed. As a 2nd rounder if he plays well in pre draft workouts can still get a nice contract worth more. If he doesnt care about money and enjoys being in college and wants another shot at a title then he should stay.

No, if money is the only factor it makes it a really tough decision for him. If he leaves he could be making more money or less money than if he stays.

 

[Bonesbrigade]

Solo and Stewart will be a thing next season, just watch. This duo will by dynamic!

Solo, Stewart, and REED!

 

[J187Money]

He could make more money leaving or he could make less money leaving. Staying he has a very good idea of how much he will make and it's a lot, he has a tough decision.

Mocks have him in the low 30s - probably early 2nd round. Right where Andre was taken - who got a 4 year 8M deal with 3M guaranteed. Not a lot better than NIL money. I think he just needs to do what he thinks is right - but feels not too far from a coin flip to me.

 

[NHUConnfan]

I'm pumped to see JStew back. I'm hoping he can work on his defense...especially perimeter defense. His closeouts need a lot of work. But he also has some really great skills that will make him a menace. Great news!

 

[Jaydumo20]

I’ll add a lot of the boneyard questioned Castle’s determination to be a PG in the NBA and Solo having a breakout year this past year.

Things really are as simple as having the right role, opportunity, and space to play your game.

Yeah. I didn't mention the Castle thing because nobody would admit to having questioned his abilities (offensively, and yes... even defensively) in the first few months. But they did.

There was also a question about Clingan being able to handle the load without Sanogo. I promise you

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Let’s go!

Huge news for next year's prospects as the core of Ball/Reed/Stewart bring a lot of promise alongside a very impressive freshman class.

At this point, there's a lot of stability entering next season, which allows the staff to hone in on less of a volume, but clearer needs.

 

[superjohn]

Huge news for next year's prospects as the core of Ball/Reed/Stewart bring a lot of promise alongside a very impressive freshman class.

At this point, there's a lot of stability entering next season, which allows the staff to hone in on less of a volume, but clearer needs.

We've got to wait on this stuff. We still don't know who is coming back. I'm hopeful but there's rumors out there which would bum people out if true.

 

[Fatroony5]

To me, Ross moves on the court very seamlessly. Like he easily gets to spots and beats his man because of his quickness and athleticism. He settled down as a defender towards the end of the year and is a pretty good playmaker.

He just needs confidence in his scoring and then he’s an NBA prospect. Scoring and confidence will unlock A LOT to his game.

Which is why I hope we get to see him as a leader with a group of guys he’s close with in Solo and Stew. Playing with guys like that can do wonders for your confidence while also just being a junior leader rather than a sophomore getting your first bit of playing experience fighting 6-7 guys with more experience than you for shots.

Going from a guy who was phased out of the rotation and hardly played by the end of the year, to becoming an NBA prospect: never change boneyard!

 

[Orc]

Im glad he's back but he was supposed to make a leap this year but looked lost in some games. We just need a good backup pf just in case he is up and down next year.

 

[businesslawyer]

We’ll see man.

We’ve seen this with Hawkins coming on after Tyrese Martin, Clingan after Sanogo, Solo this year.

It’s really not a hard projection to make. Guys just need the space to actually play up to their potential.

Tyrese scored 20 in the NBA last night. How did Hawkins do?

Stewart does have more of an NBA upside than Karaban does. The odds, however, that he'd be a better college player than Karaban next season are fairly low. That having been said, Karaban and J Stew can both start at the forwards unless McNeeley is coming back, which I doubt, or a freshman beats one of them out (which would be great if it happens but I can guaranty it wouldn't be Karaban).

 

[JustbrewitMan]

The form is fine, but we now have a pretty large sample of horrible results from 3. Whether it's his form or mental doesn't really matter, the ball is not going in the basket

JStew shot 10/37 (27%) freshman year, improved to 24/66 (36.4%) sophomore year
Solo shot 23/72 (32%) freshman year, improved to 99/232 (41.4%) sophomore year
Ross shot 1/11 (9%) freshman year during garbage time, improved to 10/45 (22.2%) sophomore year with his first real "meaningful minutes"

Again, his form is fine, the kid needs game time and some confidence building. I'd hardly call 45 shots a "pretty large sample. Alex was an abysmal 3pt shooter for a 80+ shot stretch this year. Yet he's been a career 35-40%+ shooter.

Ross is not a 5* phenom and it's just likely we "over-expectationed" him based on early-season/pre-season observations and coach-hype.

Hawk, Martin, Polley, etc. all improved 3pt shooting year-over-year.

I'd like to see Ross stay as I'm fairly confident he'll contribute meaningful and important minutes to a Top-10 team as a Junior. And then as a Senior.

 

[ucp990411]

Would be better to gauge it on a 40 minute basis given his limited Mpg.

Tyrese scored 20 in the NBA last night. How did Hawkins do?

Stewart does have more of an NBA upside than Karaban does. The odds, however, that he'd be a better college player than Karaban next season are fairly low. That having been said, Karaban and J Stew can both start at the forwards unless McNeeley is coming back, which I doubt, or a freshman beats one of them out (which would be great if it happens but I can guaranty it wouldn't be Karaban).

So where does Mullins fit? He didn’t come here to not start and he’s not starting over Solo.

 

[Son of Robert]

JStew is taking his time breaking out as a player for whatever the reasons are. I watched film when we were recruiting him and he has serious high level talent and athleticism. In the lane, around the rim, with very quick feet, a tight handle, and he has moves, he's got body english. His iso ball was impressive. Watching him these past two years, he's been playing behind quite a few very talented players, and hasn't been used (I don't think) as a primary scoring option. Even this year, when he is on the court, he is the third or fourth scoring option. Whether that is by design or not I don't know, but he's really not looking for his shot that much, and whether that is his confidence level, but he is playing more of a supplemental role out there. He's learning, developing, getting stronger as a player, and I think he is playing a solid team game for the most part. Alot of us thought he would break out this season, but not to be.

I'll say the same thing I said last year, and I have to believe it is much more likely to be true this year. JStew is gonna break out this coming season, make the jump, and have himself a year.

 

[navery12]

JStew shot 10/37 (27%) freshman year, improved to 24/66 (36.4%) sophomore year
Solo shot 23/72 (32%) freshman year, improved to 99/232 (41.4%) sophomore year
Ross shot 1/11 (9%) freshman year during garbage time, improved to 10/45 (22.2%) sophomore year with his first real "meaningful minutes"

Again, his form is fine, the kid needs game time and some confidence building. I'd hardly call 45 shots a "pretty large sample. Alex was an abysmal 3pt shooter for a 80+ shot stretch this year. Yet he's been a career 35-40%+ shooter.

Ross is not a 5* phenom and it's just likely we "over-expectationed" him based on early-season/pre-season observations and coach-hype.

Hawk, Martin, Polley, etc. all improved 3pt shooting year-over-year.

I'd like to see Ross stay as I'm fairly confident he'll contribute meaningful and important minutes to a Top-10 team as a Junior. And then as a Senior.

I wish I saw what you did in Ross, I really do. If he's here I'll root for him and hope he improves to the point where he's playable. But with what we've seen these first 2 years I'm extremely skeptical that happens, especially for a team with aspirations to make a deep run in March

 

[LIuconn]

Yeah not many guys go from 2 years on the bench to impact player. Especially this day and age

If we want to be a Final four contender we gotta ask ourselves how many of our guys would start on the final 6 teams remaining. 0? 1?

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I wish I saw what you did in Ross, I really do. If he's here I'll root for him and hope he improves to the point where he's playable. But with what we've seen these first 2 years I'm extremely skeptical that happens, especially for a team with aspirations to make a deep run in March

My reasonable hope for him is a 3-and-D bench wing. He’s got all the physical tools to be a really good defender and has a reasonably good looking shot. It’s all the mental side and reps now. Could definitely see him as a solid rotation player but he’s got some work to do.

 

[TroyHall98]

Huge news for next year's prospects as the core of Ball/Reed/Stewart bring a lot of promise alongside a very impressive freshman class.

At this point, there's a lot of stability entering next season, which allows the staff to hone in on less of a volume, but clearer needs.

Is it confirmed Reed is staying?

 

[HooperScooper]

Can you let those of us with fully grown children in on what it means.

It means "no lie" or "ain't that the truth".

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Yeah. I didn't mention the Castle thing because nobody would admit to having questioned his abilities (offensively, and yes... even defensively) in the first few months. But they did.

There was also a question about Clingan being able to handle the load without Sanogo. I promise you

In my pre season questions Clingan’s ability to go from 12 minutes a game to 25 minutes a game is certainly a ligitmate question..in fact anyone not having that as a question really doesn’t know much about basketball. Big guys tire,tired guys foul , and guy who fouls sit . We certainly didn’t want him sitting. Keeping him on the floor was critical to the NC as he changed the defense entirely .
Given he was gifted in footwork ,size , and hands that was the only real question about him.
I can’t remember anyone questioning Castle defending and defense is a thing I pay attention to more than most . I did question our team defense which looked horrible for a stretch when Clingan was hurt .in the absence of a rim protector team defense is only as strong as its weakest link which was never castle.
Castle was pretty much the last option on offense and our opponents sometimes used his man to double a shooter.. that’s simply a fact He made them pay thankfully . I saw his first game ever as a Huskie and commented that he amazingly sees the game in slow motion which gives him multiple options mostly in delivering the ball or finishing at the hoop but he was never a greater shooter at UConn although his other skills allowed him to create his own shot.