Koby Brea entered the portal. Please please Coach Hurley

[navery12]

So much to speculate here. Brea was my biggest want and McNeeley was #2. The kid Mahaney is a good catch but I wasn't to thrilled looking at his stats against some of the tougher competition from the lesser P5 opponents. I trust Hurley will make it work but an experience ball handler is still a concern. I just know Castle and Newton carried that load and it will be missed

An experienced ball handler is what Mahaney is, it's not a concern anymore

 

[HungryHu5ky]

I really hope we still get Brea bc Mahaney is gonna play the point too small for the 2 & Hurley like size after getting handled by Villanova all those years

 

[DaMuttzNutt]

So Alex comes back? No major need for Brea.

No Alex, we could use one more piece.

I like Brea IF he knows what he is, a #6 that will see a lot of the floor if he plays his game which is nailing threes.

Diara and Nowell @ the 1
Reed and Johnson @ the 5

Ball/Brea/Mahaney+Karaban/McNeeley/Stewart

That would be a lot bodies to play 2-4, different combos.

I really want Alex to come back, with or without Brea we are a serious contender

 

[david]

So much to speculate here. Brea was my biggest want and McNeeley was #2. The kid Mahaney is a good catch but I wasn't to thrilled looking at his stats against some of the tougher competition from the lesser P5 opponents. I trust Hurley will make it work but an experience ball handler is still a concern. I just know Castle and Newton carried that load and it will be missed

The good news is you don’t need to worry about this anymore with Mahaney.

If we got Brea and didn’t get Mahaney then it would have been a huge concern.

 

[Supes]

So much to speculate here. Brea was my biggest want and McNeeley was #2. The kid Mahaney is a good catch but I wasn't to thrilled looking at his stats against some of the tougher competition from the lesser P5 opponents. I trust Hurley will make it work but an experience ball handler is still a concern. I just know Castle and Newton carried that load and it will be missed

They're just very different players.

Mahaney is better than his stats show, and he's exactly the experienced ball handler we need. His numbers are depressed a bit because (a) he was forced to take bad shots at the end of the shot clock a lot, and (b) the Gaels play at a really slow pace, so he simply got fewer opportunities. He's similar to Newton and Spencer in a lot of ways, just a great decision maker. There's concerns of course.... he's not the rebounder Newton or Spencer were, it remains to be seen if he has the athleticism to hang in the Big East, etc. But he's a great get.

Brea would be fantastic to land too, but he's much more one-dimensional. He would be an amazing weapon for Hurley and staff to deploy, but I feel like he's a bit more of a luxury, whereas Mahaney fulfills a clear need.

 

[BFieldHusky]

Getting his degree in 3 years is not only huge for AK, but his family. The staff will let him test the waters, but NIL is there to keep him here if he is torn.

 

[That Guy]

So much to speculate here. Brea was my biggest want and McNeeley was #2. The kid Mahaney is a good catch but I wasn't to thrilled looking at his stats against some of the tougher competition from the lesser P5 opponents. I trust Hurley will make it work but an experience ball handler is still a concern. I just know Castle and Newton carried that load and it will be missed

Mahaney played for a defense first, extremely slow tempo, mediocre offensive team. He had lots of shots at the very end of the shot clock which skewed his FG% to the lower end. He will now be on a team that finished #3 and #1 in offensive efficiency the last 2 years and will be surrounded by much better players. I think he's perfectly capable of shooting 45% and 40% from 3 this season.

 

[Improviser]

I think some signals are getting crossed and tea leaves read wrong on the Trillycord.

I heard from a reputable source that Kentucky played the song “La Bamba” when Brea arrived because they knew of his Dominican roots.

Easy to see how the two rumors could be conflated

Wonder if they flew in this guy to give a live performance?

Google Search

www.google.com

 

[UconnFanDC]

An experienced ball handler is what Mahaney is, it's not a concern anymore

I'll trust Hurley on this one. But Mahaney is an investment

Not to spoil it for you - but Mahaney's stats are going to look much better in a better offense and with different shot taking responsibilities.

Why would that spoil it for me? I want that for him. I actually saw every single game stat for Mahaney. I want the kid to do great and for Uconn to not miss Steph and Newton on its way to another chip.

 

[3rdbass]

Interesting if true that we might only have 11 scholarship players this year if Karaban stays in the draft.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

All I’m saying is that there are rumors that the kid is asking for ridiculous money as a guy coming off the bench.

I believe that this is where the disconnect happened between him and our staff.

As a 12-14 minute a game, three point threat off the bench, he would be a very nice addition. My guess (based on his showcase his skills statement) is that he is looking for a far more significant role, which we weren't willing to offer.

 

[UconnFanDC]

Mahaney played for a defense first, extremely slow tempo, mediocre offensive team. He had lots of shots at the very end of the shot clock which skewed his FG% to the lower end. He will now be on a team that finished #3 and #1 in offensive efficiency the last 2 years and will be surrounded by much better players. I think he's perfectly capable of shooting 45% and 40% from 3 this season.

I'd love that for him.

 

[DaMuttzNutt]

Interesting if true that we might only have 11 schoolies this year if Karaban stays in the draft.

Ok so return of the AK-11 and let us roll for the 3-peat.

 

[aceboon]

had to be one or the other, it would have been overkill with Brea for 2 positions of playing time

 

[Supes]

Interesting if true that we might only have 11 scholarship players this year if Karaban stays in the draft.

I mean Norlander only said it seems like Hurley finalized his backcourt. If Karaban stays in the draft we could add another big.

 

[BigEasy]

Is his name pronounced "bray" or "bree-uh"

also theres still A CHANCE we still get him, right...?

 

[tuvent08]

We’re allowing a recruit to go to Kentucky. My how the turntables.

 

[WrenchFan69]

This opens the door wide open for a return for our elite, do-it-all, soon-to-be-a-junior wing: Alex Karaban Apostolos Roumoglou

 

[3rdbass]

I mean Norlander only said it seems like Hurley finalized his backcourt. If Karaban stays in the draft we could add another big.

Maybe but depending when Karaban makes his decision there might not be many good options left but besides developmental piece which might make sense.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

This opens the door wide open for a return for our elite, do-it-all, soon-to-be a junior wing: Alex Karabanpostolos Roumoglou

I don't see it that way.

It means no more additions, but it doesn't necessarily mean Karaban is gone.

All in all, I respect this decision as it is the best move to increase the odds to minimize who on our roster hits the portal.

 

[tzznandrew]

An experienced ball handler is what Mahaney is, it's not a concern anymore

Seriously.

My "want" list of the players we were associated with was:

1. McNeeley (tough, talented, great shooter)
2. Reed (former Top 100 big who gives us interior depth with some great rebounding and offensive talent)
3. Mahaney (shooter, experienced ball handler with a little size)
4. Brea

Brea is a luxury. He's a fantastic shooter who will fit in anywhere he plays. You can't replicate that. But we needed another big and ball handler more than a shooter, and McNeeley offers shooting and more.

 

[Fishy]

So much to speculate here. Brea was my biggest want and McNeeley was #2. The kid Mahaney is a good catch but I wasn't to thrilled looking at his stats against some of the tougher competition from the lesser P5 opponents. I trust Hurley will make it work but an experience ball handler is still a concern. I just know Castle and Newton carried that load and it will be missed

Brea was easily the worst player in that trio.

He's a four year reserver in the Atlantic 10. McNeeley is a top 10 recruit and Mahaney has been All-WCC in his first two years of college.

There's a huge drop off to Brea.

 

[tzznandrew]

Brea was easily the worst player in that trio.

He's a four year reserver in the Atlantic 10. McNeeley is a top 10 recruit and Mahaney has been All-WCC in his first two years of college.

There's a huge drop off to Brea.

The 3-point shooting from Brea is fantastic, but I do feel like it is a splashy number that made people overlook some flaws.

This isn't sour grapes. He'd be a fantastic piece. But he's more of a Brian Fair type dude than a Rashad Anderson, and in either case, the team needed someone who could handle to ball more than Brea has shown capable.

 

[JohnnyJr]

I believe that this is where the disconnect happened between him and our staff.

As a 12-14 minute a game, three point threat off the bench, he would be a very nice addition. My guess (based on his showcase his skills statement) is that he is looking for a far more significant role, which we weren't willing to offer.

Idk why we’d bother with a visit there’s no way someone is coming here on their last year to play 12 mins a game. If he’s knocking down 3-4 threes a game he’d be playing more than that unless he’s a huge defensive liability.

 

[SaeHusky]

I love our current roster. Brea would have been overkill and affected the overall team chemistry and culture. I was hoping we got Mahaney and passed on Brea. Got my wish !

 

[jibsey]

We would have a pt problem with Brea here? I worried about that and losing someone on the roster.

 

[superjohn]

We’re allowing a recruit to go to Kentucky. My how the turntables.

 

[HooperScooper]

Not to spoil it for you - but Mahaney's stats are going to look much better in a better offense and with different shot taking responsibilities.

Plus he's now going to be a junior. People are looking at freshman and sophomore stats. He'll be better at UConn for both reasons.

 

[bendm]

Maybe but depending when Karaban makes his decision there might not be many good options left but besides developmental piece which might make sense.

I doubt it will take him until 5/31 to decide whether he’s returning. There will be plenty of good players still in the portal

 

[Fishy]

The 3-point shooting from Brea is fantastic, but I do feel like it is a splashy number that made people overlook some flaws.

This isn't sour grapes. He'd be a fantastic piece. But he's more of a Brian Fair type dude than a Rashad Anderson, and in either case, the team needed someone who could handle to ball more than Brea has shown capable.

Yup.

Also, he’s not going to shoot 50% from three next year - that’s just not realistic. And Mahaney will likely shoot better because there’ll be less ‘bail us out’ shots for him this year.

He’s far from a bad player which is why he visited here and if we did not get Mahaney, then, sure, bring him in. But he’s a specialist and a complimentary piece whereas McNeeley and Mahaney are all-arounders.

We also get Mahaney for two years and he has the potential to be really, really good.