Malik Newman Update

[3uconn]

From a Scout article:

Connecticut has been active in their pursuit of both Newman and Stone. The reigning National Champions did in-home visits with the two on back-to-back days in April. Newman said his draw to UConn is their success with guards.


“From a guard standpoint, almost every year they always have a top guard,” Newman said. “They always go to the league and do great things like Kemba [Walker] and I’m sure Shabazz [Napier] is going to do and Ray Allen and those type of guys. It’s a guard school. Coach Ollie was a point guard himself. He knows how to teach me.”

 

[Huskyforlife]

From a Scout article:

Connecticut has been active in their pursuit of both Newman and Stone. The reigning National Champions did in-home visits with the two on back-to-back days in April. Newman said his draw to UConn is their success with guards.


“From a guard standpoint, almost every year they always have a top guard,” Newman said. “They always go to the league and do great things like Kemba [Walker] and I’m sure Shabazz [Napier] is going to do and Ray Allen and those type of guys. It’s a guard school. Coach Ollie was a point guard himself. He knows how to teach me.”

Wow great things to say

 

[2Infinity]

From a Scout article:

Connecticut has been active in their pursuit of both Newman and Stone. The reigning National Champions did in-home visits with the two on back-to-back days in April. Newman said his draw to UConn is their success with guards.


“From a guard standpoint, almost every year they always have a top guard,” Newman said. “They always go to the league and do great things like Kemba [Walker] and I’m sure Shabazz [Napier] is going to do and Ray Allen and those type of guys. It’s a guard school. Coach Ollie was a point guard himself. He knows how to teach me.”

I don't want to get too optimistic, but his comments sure sounded very pro-UConn to me!

 

[I Bleed Blue]

"Stone with the screen, now Jalen Adams drives to the basket... fighting through traffic.....kicks out to an open Malik Newman for the 3.....It's good!"

I can hear Joe D. now

 

[Tampahusky]

Sounds like Newman is ready to commit!!

 

[Go_Huskies]

I don't know. If you do the cost benefit analysis I am not sure it is no brainer we still pursue him.

Benefits:
Get an inexperienced but supremely talented guard for one year who will make a ton of mistakes.

Costs:
Jalen Adams decommits and lose a potential experienced Shabazz type player that stays 3 to 4 years.

You can go both ways but I'd rather stay with JA and not do anything to upset him.

 

[superjohn]

The way I see it we will still have 4 more recruits coming in this class and Ollie is focusing in on some very talented players. Ideally I see us getting another guard, a wing, a power forward and a center. Newman, Ray Smith or Jones, Enoch, and Stone. It sounds a little ambitious but why not, we have the best coach in the country, a brand new practice facility which is home to the best team in the country. These are heady times for our program, let's get the best class in the country.

 

[DogMania]

Sounds like he knows what UConn and KO are all about. If he wasn't such an elite recruit with UK and KU all over him, I'd say he was a UConn lean. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we can't out-recruit UK and KU for recruits, but ego and fame often drive the elite recruits to the elite big-5 conference programs that are splashed across TVs nationally on a weekly basis and pimped by ESPN and all the talking heads.

Now if Malik Newman is serous about being coached up from an elite recruits to an elite basketball player, he'll take a pass on UK and KU blue and decide Husky blue instead.

Come to Storrs Malik, and bring Stone with you. Add Enoch and one of the top wings and we'll have our best class ever.

How many ships will we have for 2015? I'm usually on top of these sorts of things. I'm hoping we have enough to bring in at least 5 recruits. That's a lot, but with some many top recruits interested in UConn due to the relentless recruiting blitz that KO and his staff put on for this class, it would be nice to pull in a mother load class. I'm a tad concerned about recruiting 1-and-done type talent, but I could live with adding one, maybe two of those types of recruits along with some 3 to 4 year type talent that can develop into first and second round NBA talent by their junior or senior seasons. A class of PG-Combo-Adams (#39), SG-Newman (#3), C-Stone (#5), PF-Enoch (#96-and-rising), PG-Turtle (if he remains committed...dropping down and/or out of some top 100 list) or one of the top SFs in either Derrick Jones (#27) or Ray Smith (#15), would be one h*ll of a class. If Newman were to commit to UConn, maybe Stone follows suit, but history tells us that these package deals rarely hold together. I don't know if KO can pull this off, but if there's a coach who can, it's KO.

 

[superjohn]

Sounds like he knows what UConn and KO are all about. If he wasn't such an elite recruit with UK and KU all over him, I'd say he was a UConn lean. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we can't out-recruit UK and KU for recruits, but ego and fame often drive the elite recruits to the elite big-5 conference programs that are splashed across TVs nationally on a weekly basis and pimped by ESPN and all the talking heads.

Now if Malik Newman is serous about being coached up from an elite recruits to an elite basketball player, he'll take a pass on UK and KU blue and decide Husky blue instead.

Come to Storrs Malik, and bring Stone with you. Add Enoch and one of the top wings and we'll have our best class ever.

How many ships will we have for 2015? I'm usually on top of these sorts of things. I'm hoping we have enough to bring in at least 5 recruits. That's a lot, but with some many top recruits interested in UConn due to the relentless recruiting blitz that KO and his staff put on for this class, it would be nice to pull in a mother load class. I'm a tad concerned about recruiting 1-and-done type talent, but I could live with adding one, maybe two of those types of recruits along with some 3 to 4 year type talent that can develop into first and second round NBA talent by their junior or senior seasons. A class of PG-Combo-Adams (#39), SG-Newman (#3), C-Stone (#5), PF-Enoch (#96-and-rising), PG-Turtle (if he remains committed...dropping down and/or out of some top 100 list) or SF-Derrick Jones (#27) would be one h*ll of a class. If Newman were to commit to UConn, maybe Stone follows suit, but history tells us that these package deals rarely hold together.

I hear you but I think we are on national tv as much as anyone if not more than any other program.

 

[DogMania]

I hear you but I think we are on national tv as much as anyone if not more than any other program.

I didn't mean to make it sound like we're not on TV, but UK and KU will probably get top billing (ESPN, CBS, etc.) while we'll find our way on those networks as well but often on ESPN2, ESPNU, etc. Now you and I, and the rest of Husky Nation see UConn as a Blue Chip program, some still don't, even though we've won 4 NCs in the last 15 years, more than any other program during that time period. Being in the AAC takes a little shine off our luster, though KO and the athletic department are doing a good job of scheduling an elite OOC schedule to offset our not so elite bottom half of our AAC conference schedule.

Like it or not, if a recruit wants the glitz and perception of greatness, they tend to favor UK, KU, Dook & UNC, to name a few. If they prefer to play for a tough minded, out will you, battle tested program, they'll kick those programs to the curb and pick Storrs, CT as their college destination. I love our program and would not trade the Rick Moore's, Kemba Walkers and Shabazz Napiers for some of the elite recruits the above mentioned blue chip programs have had. Note that I realize that Walker was a Burger-AA and a top 20 recruit, though he climbed the rankings, moving into the top 20 after a stellar performance during the summer AAU circuit. I do take pride in the under-the-radar recruits that have been developed in Storrs by JC and now KO. I also take pride in some of the elite players who've played here (Donyell and Caron, to name a few). I would like to see what KO can do with a uber-talented roster, but hope he always gets a handful of recruits that come here and play with a chip on their shoulder with something to prove. It's just going to be interesting to see what KO does if say, 4 to 5 or even more highly ranked recruits want to play here. It will be hard for him to turn them down in favor of less heralded recruits, unless he sees someone like a Steve Enoch having more upside than some more highly ranked recruits.

 

[dogpause]

I think Ollie has the ability to change perception. His charisma is amazing and it plays well with the media as well as players.

 

[zymurg]

Certainly charisma is a factor, but KO is a basketball coach. He is a certain type of basketball coach; he will out work you; his players will
outwork your players. In my many years working with teenagers; I've learned a few things. Be yourself, show your students the path to success, show them there are consequences for behavioral lapses, and have success stories who are visible to your current students.

As fans we should understand this is KOs team. I realize that we need to kibitz; it is part of the Boneyard DNA. Reading these pages
truly alters you, not always in a good way. Another piece of random insight; if a group of disparate individuals truly believe that
a worthy goal is achieved by joint efforts according to a plan, even if this isn't the optimum strategy, belief translated into effort will
be likely to produce good results anyway.

So trust in KO and breakout your Boneyard prayer flags and prayer wheels; your effort could save the universe, and it almost certainly
won't hurt UConn basketball.

 

[7774]

Sounds like Newman is ready to commit!!

And it sounded like Jalen Adams and his AAU coach really loved Louisville 2 days ago.....

 

[Kitaman]

And it sounded like Jalen Adams and his AAU coach really loved Louisville 2 days ago.....

Good point, its amazing how much we read into a teenager's words. Thank goodness social media wasn't around when I was growing up because it would have been forever known that I'm FOS.

 

[pj]

@Go_Huskies, Jalen Adams is not going to decommit if Stone and Newman arrive. When he was interviewed a month or so ago and asked who he most wanted to play against in summer ball, he said Stone and Newman - obviously thinking about getting to know them pre-college. He would be excited to have them as team-mates.

@DogMania, we have 4 scholarships. Stone and Newman would fill up the scholarships, but if Turtle decommitted as some suspected he would after being recruited over with Adams and Newman, that would open up space for Enoch or a SF like Ray Smith.

 

[Tampahusky]

And it sounded like Jalen Adams and his AAU coach really loved Louisville 2 days ago.....

It was a little sarcasm....if we go by what recruits say we would have a team filled w 40 players by now. But I do like his game ,looks like a flat out scorer.

 

[UConn3432]

One of the best things about having early recruits is their ability to recruit other players from their class. Turtle seems to be in his shell so Jalen is pulling double duty. Get to work Jalen.

 

[Kembacity]

We need to get a guy like Emeka on the staff as soon as possible, gotta start getting some talented bigs, and I dont want to become Kentucky, not by a long shot, but getting by with the method of turning below the radar bigs into fringe NBA guys has worked well enough for us but it sure is stressful in the early part of the season when the guards have to learn what kind of passes they can throw to our bigs.

 

[upstater]

I didn't mean to make it sound like we're not on TV, but UK and KU will probably get top billing (ESPN, CBS, etc.) while we'll find our way on those networks as well but often on ESPN2, ESPNU, etc.

We counted it up last year. UConn was on as much as anyone not named Duke and UNC. 16 times on CBS, ESPN and ESPN2. The deuce by the way is seen in more homes than ESPN for some reason. Duke and UNC were on 17 times.

 

[dogfan96]

I don't know. If you do the cost benefit analysis I am not sure it is no brainer we still pursue him.

Benefits:
Get an inexperienced but supremely talented guard for one year who will make a ton of mistakes.

Costs:
Jalen Adams decommits and lose a potential experienced Shabazz type player that stays 3 to 4 years.

You can go both ways but I'd rather stay with JA and not do anything to upset him.

If JA is the kinda guy who runs from competition, then I'd rather he not come anyway (I don't believe he's that guy at all.. "best man gets the spot" were his words I believe). More good players usually means a better team and more winning. And nobody has any idea how many years anybody is staying. Kentucky is gonna have a monster team this year, loaded with guys who were supposed to be one-and-done but weren't.

 

[Brochacho]

Newman and Adams play different positions and we will likely have 3 guards on the floor at the same time. Not sure why Adams would decommit from his dream school because of bringing in another guard.

 

[Gringo]

I didn't mean to make it sound like we're not on TV, but UK and KU will probably get top billing (ESPN, CBS, etc.) while we'll find our way on those networks as well but often on ESPN2, ESPNU, etc. Now you and I, and the rest of Husky Nation see UConn as a Blue Chip program, some still don't, even though we've won 4 NCs in the last 15 years, more than any other program during that time period. Being in the AAC takes a little shine off our luster, though KO and the athletic department are doing a good job of scheduling an elite OOC schedule to offset our not so elite bottom half of our AAC conference schedule.

Like it or not, if a recruit wants the glitz and perception of greatness, they tend to favor UK, KU, Dook & UNC, to name a few. If they prefer to play for a tough minded, out will you, battle tested program, they'll kick those programs to the curb and pick Storrs, CT as their college destination.

IMO you're over-thinking this. Newman is looking for the school that provides him with the opportunity to develop as a player then move on to the NBA. He basically said that in this quote.

“From a guard standpoint, almost every year they always have a top guard,” Newman said. “They always go to the league and do great things like Kemba [Walker] and I’m sure Shabazz [Napier] is going to do and Ray Allen and those type of guys. It’s a guard school. Coach Ollie was a point guard himself. He knows how to teach me.”

He knows our successful track record with guards and that is something that will be very enticing to him.

 

[J-dog]

The minute we get good news that a top recruit committed to us (Jalen), some of us immediately flip the switch & get worried about recruiting over the top of players & possible de-committments…

While this happens, for the most part good players believe in their ability & are confidant the minutes will follow. Additionally, scholarships are limited & coaches also want to have the right mix of players verses a log-jam at one position.

We need to relax & enjoy.

 

[nomar]

While this happens, for the most part good players believe in their ability & are confidant the minutes will follow.

Exactly. Look at Kentucky.

 

[elduderino]

Newman and Stone would obviously be awesome, but we already have two solid guards and I really don't like the idea of recruiting over anybody just on principal. I don't care if other programs do it and recruits de/recommit and screw around all the time, I just don't want UConn to perpetuate that stuff (and I don't think it would do anything good for the long term image of the program). Just bring me Enoch and Comanche and Ill be happier than a pig in sh_t.