Matthews Decommits

[intlzncster]

Im not too worried about this at all and it was expected. I expect some announcements in the coming weeks of URI guys re committing to Dan Hurley here.

Not if Cox stays at URI.

 

[Spokesbender]

Far less upsetting than Akinjo

 

[polycom]

This will be just fine.

 

[3'sGetDegrees]

Trust The Process?

 

[the Q]

I think he would have either played over Polley or at least forced Polley to step his game up. Matthews seems to be more athletic than Polley, and more importantly, has a much more confident demeanor. He sees himself as a star. Polley played scared most of the year and we can't afford to have that again.

TIL Polley shot 42% from 3 last year. That's encouraging.

Best of luck to Matthews! Hope we can get a guard or two to commit soon.

Side note, can you even imagine a line-up with Polley, Matthews, and Wilson? So many long, skinny dudes on one team. And that's even with Larrier gone.

I was dreaming of that length and shooting.

 

[8893]

Give me Akok with some muscle and girth.

I was dreaming of that length and shooting.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Not if Cox stays at URI.

I heard theyre switching over to Direct tv

 

[BlueMAB]

If that's the case he's getting his wishes. I guess he's incorporating his players sooner rather than later = sooner results and less excuses.

 

[EBonz30]

I don’t care who decommits and anyone who transfers, Hurley is a home run hire, let him bring in the guys he wants and let him mold the players as he wants. Hurley has succeeded everywhere he has gone and so has his family, I don’t see anything changing in this situation.

It’s going to take some time, which I am fine with and so should you. Let Hurley be Hurley and dominate the American just like he did in the A10.

 

[Chief00]

I think Matthews is better than Polley or Whaley coming out of HS but we need to start getting high-major athletes again. I'm tired of the string bean, mid-major-level athletes who need to spend two years in the weight room before they're valuable rotation pieces on a good team. I'm fine with thinner players if they can jump out of the gym or are quick. When you aren't a plus-athlete in any regard (strength, leaping, quickness) then we need to say 'no', unless you can shoot the living piss out of a basketball.

He’s a better shooter and more athletic.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Given the way the team played last year, this may be a controversial take, but here it is. None of the freshmen Ollie recruited were expected to contribute significant minutes next year, except Akinjo, who would have been a backup PG.

We can find a backup PG in the grad transfer class. I don't think Brandon Williams is coming here (although he's undecided and we offered). Honestly, the Gilbert situation hurts our ability to bring in top PGs. If Gilbert is indeed 100%, he's a McD 5 star PG, playing along side another star PG in Adams. A grad transfer makes more sense next year. Then we can confidently target top PGs for 2019-20. A freshman PG isn't at the top of my list.

Sid and Polley both play the position Matthews plays. He wouldn't see much time.

All of our bigger front court players are young except Cobb (and Williams who is old, but inexperienced). I see potential there.

We could use a Shooting Guard in this freshman class. Someone who can challenge Vital.

 

[UC313]

We're making a brand new omelet here. Eggs are getting broke.

 

[mauconnfan]

Given the way the team played last year, this may be a controversial take, but here it is. None of the freshmen Ollie recruited were expected to contribute significant minutes next year, except Akinjo, who would have been a backup PG.

We can find a backup PG in the grad transfer class. I don't think Brandon Williams is coming here (although he's undecided and we offered). Honestly, the Gilbert situation hurts our ability to bring in top PGs. If Gilbert is indeed 100%, he's a McD 5 star PG, playing along side another star PG in Adams. A grad transfer makes more sense next year. Then we can confidently target top PGs for 2019-20. A freshman PG isn't at the top of my list.

Sid and Polley both play the position Matthews plays. He wouldn't see much time.

All of our bigger front court players are young except Cobb (and Williams who is old, but inexperienced). I see potential there.

We could use a Shooting Guard in this freshman class. Someone who can challenge Vital.

Hate to say this but I don't have the confidence others have in Polley and I believe he could have competed for time in that slot anyway because at any given time 2 of the 3 could play in the line up. Hurley never had big teams anyway. Having said that I do hope Polley can gain strength and confidence to be more than jus a 42% shooter. He has the potential no doubt but we will see.

 

[Chief00]

Mathews and Akinjo were Blaze Certified and were better than anyone on the current squad (2016/2017) except Adams. Gilbert is excluded from this analysis due to injury.

 

[superjohn]

He’s a better shooter and more athletic.

More bounce than Polley but disagree on better shooter. I like Matthews upside but he hasn't really shown he's a bigtime shooter at the high school level and he's unbelievably skinny. He looks to be a guy with upside but not someone you can expect much from as a freshman.

 

[Phoenixhusky]

Always a bigger picture.

I know after the Ollie era we are conditioned to think there are no plan b's or c's or that those plans are a low level grad transfer or a JUCO kid, but I promise, Hurley is three or four steps a head right now.

Totally agree with this post.

 

[Horatio]

Mathews and Akinjo were Blaze Certified and were better than anyone on the current squad (2016/2017) except Adams. Gilbert is excluded from this analysis due to injury.

Lmao!!! Yeah , we neglected to check your new "Blaze" recruiting site and get their official "Blaze" rating. Sorry about that Chief.

 

[tcf15]

When you gotta stay #onbrand no matter what:

Mathews and Akinjo were Blaze Certified and were better than anyone on the current squad (2016/2017) except Adams. Gilbert is excluded from this analysis due to injury.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Hate to say this but I don't have the confidence others have in Polley and I believe he could have competed for time in that slot anyway because at any given time 2 of the 3 could play in the line up. Hurley never had big teams anyway. Having said that I do hope Polley can gain strength and confidence to be more than jus a 42% shooter. He has the potential no doubt but we will see.

I don't have "confidence" in any of them. But as a rule, super skinny Freshmen get introduced to guys like Cumberland at Cincinnati and learn a thing or two.

I am expecting Hurley to do what this roster demands he do, and not play stringbean wings as power forwards. I expect to see two of Cobb, Carlton, Diarra, Whaley, Kisunas on the floor most of the time. That leaves Adams, Gilbert, Vital, Polley, Sid and ??? to share time at the other three spots. I don't think Matthews would have earned much of that time against those players. Not saying we wouldn't want him, he hasn't even ruled us out. Maybe he will still come.

 

[intlzncster]

Based on his comments, I would assume Dan called him yesterday, and basically said he's not sure if he has a role on this team.Remember, he didn't close the door on UConn either.

KO might have promised serious PT. Dan Hurley probably didn't.

 

[intlzncster]

Didn't need another stringbean. Bring in some bangers Hurley!

Needs shooters and a PG. Much more than bangers.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

So the targets now are probably a PG and a wing player who can shoot.
-I'm guessing Hurley's first choice is a freshman stud PG. But if he can't get anything less than a stud (more or less Akinjo level), then grad transfer is probably the move and then see what you can get in 2019.
-After that, we need a SG/SF who can shoot. If there is nothing there for 2018, then grad transfer would be the way to go.
-I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one big man on the roster (or Kisunas) leave. In that case, bring in a guy with some muscle.

 

[intlzncster]

I think the only recruit Hurley is interested in is Kisunas since he’s going to see him tonight.

More likely, it's because he's in the northeast and the other guys are 2000 miles away.

 

[intlzncster]

"I am NOT closing the door on UConn"

the kid might still end up at UConn, let's not go overboard with the passive-aggressive "he's not good enough for UConn" posts.

Yes. LaF. I'd still like the kid if he's interested. Gave me a Jeremy Lamb-lite vibe.

 

[uchusky32]

When you gotta stay #onbrand no matter what:

Like a WWE superstar. knows how to stay in character.

 

[BUConn10]

This is a non-issue, Dan Hurley is not worried about the small fish from Ollie's tunnel vision recruiting legacy.

 

[intlzncster]

This only hurts because he was a good shooter and we need shooters. If we can replace him with someone else that can knock down threes then no big deal. Keep Adams, AG, Vital, Wilson, Diarra & Carlton and I'm happy. We can find replacements for everyone else. The roster is put together so horribly that some decommits and a couple transfers outside of the above pool might be a blessing in disguise. We need room in the 2019 class.

Him and Akinjo together is what hurts. Our two biggest needs taken away. But it is what it is. Depends on who Hurley fills the spots with.

 

[intlzncster]

Hurley need to stop waiting on Cox.!! He needs to not be a nice guy to URI and go take his players. It’s way to late in recruiting to be nice and all there are is decommits and scraps!!!

The kids might actually like URI and Cox. It's OK. It's not like they are hired mercenaries.

 

[Mokum]

No one is saying he will make or break the program hopefully there is no one that can do that right? Just saying to brush him off as if he wouldn't have had great potential help the program is not accurate. Pretty simple.

What else is there to do but brush him off? He doesn't want to come. So be it.

 

[intlzncster]

The only issue here is that we might not have an open scholarship by the time he wants to re-commit.

If so, that means we did really well. I hope so.