2025 Recruiting: Meleek Thomas Electic Boogaloo

[UCONNRPh]

Harold Jensen from Trumbull Ct. scored the winning basket against GT in 1985 Championship. 5 for 5 in the game. Was 6th man on that team.

Was he Saint Joe's ?

 

[HooperScooper]

Was he Saint Joe's ?

Trumbull High School

 

[AllHusky]

I like your point about the grind on Danny long term. A coach like Pope probably can put his feet up on his desk and just hang out and Kentucky will have a top ten recruiting class. They will still stink because he is not even half the coach Danny and hopefully we have it wrong and Danny is alright fighting for every bread crumb because that’s how the DNA he inherited from his father wires him.

I remember when Corny Thompson chose UConn…I was so happy that we finally got the best player in CT to come here.

Then Smith followed and there were a few others. I forget the name of the guy that went to Villanova and won a chip. But that one hurt because I thought we had a chance. He was a wing.

So these feelings go back almost 50 years…….

Pin one?

 

[TheHorde]

Let’s see how this recruiting season lands before we get too concerned because you can’t be much happier with the last two classes.

I don’t sense the current system is what pushes Danny to the NBA as much as it is his personal aspirations.

The results have been great but the chance of burnout is very real. The system has pushed men like Jay Wright into broadcasting or the league despite having a lot of success. Coaching in the league has its own set of challenges, namely coaching prima donnas that make multiples of what the coaches make, as well as impatient owners. But I think the risk this poses to us losing Danny should not be discounted.

 

[Stinger92860]

Harold Jensen from Trumbull Ct. scored the winning basket against GT in 1985 Championship. 5 for 5 in the game. Was 6th man on that team.

I played pickup against Jensen at Trumbull, he was a few years younger, the kid could shoot Lights out.

 

[husky99]

UConn Called 'Major Player' For Five-Star SG: 'Perfect Guard For Dan Hurley'

The UConn Huskies still have a strong chance to land one of the most talented scorers in the 2025 class. Reports recently surfaced that Dan Hurley and Co.’s rec

www.si.com

 

[superjohn]

UConn Called 'Major Player' For Five-Star SG: 'Perfect Guard For Dan Hurley'

The UConn Huskies still have a strong chance to land one of the most talented scorers in the 2025 class. Reports recently surfaced that Dan Hurley and Co.’s rec

www.si.com

SI is reduced to reporting Zanetto's nonsense.

 

[TheHorde]

UConn Called 'Major Player' For Five-Star SG: 'Perfect Guard For Dan Hurley'

The UConn Huskies still have a strong chance to land one of the most talented scorers in the 2025 class. Reports recently surfaced that Dan Hurley and Co.’s rec

www.si.com

So will Zanetto be joining Richard Kent and Simon Charles on Mount Wrongmore?

 

[M.S.G.]

Was that Harold Pressley?

My brother took a charge from him when he played at Griswold in the 80's, still talks about it

 

[ec33]

My brother took a charge from him when he played at Griswold in the 80's, still talks about it

Got blown out by his team twice in the state tournament. Did guard him -- and was unscored upon during those garbage-time moments.

 

[Umami Zen]

Let’s see how this recruiting season lands before we get too concerned because you can’t be much happier with the last two classes.

I don’t sense the current system is what pushes Danny to the NBA as much as it is his personal aspirations.

None of the "blue bloods" have gotten many'25 commits yet.. Dominoes are about to start falling in the next 4-6 weeks for that class. We'll get guys on our short list. Not all of them but some of them.

Dan is staying in Storrs for awhile. Andrea and Bob Sr are enjoying the scene too much to let him leave town anytime soon. Storrs South/NYC is real.

 

[Bboy Lace]

AJ looking absolutely pumped to be in Lawrence

Another Meleek thread about to be derailed...
Lol

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Another Meleek thread about to be derailed...
Lol

It's what we do.

 

[gsmooth]

Another Meleek thread about to be derailed...
Lol

It's like you have forgotten what the BoneYard is all about.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

AJ looking absolutely pumped to be in Lawrence

Dad looking happy while thinking about the money.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Was that Harold Pressley?

Yes that is who I was thinking about. I think we were very involved in his recruiting and we had a chance.

 

[dennismenace]

I was thinking Pressley but Pinone is another. He played for South Catholic. A little undersized listed at 6’7” but probably closer to 6’5”. Jensen is another. Forgot about him. Was Pressley after the chip or did he play on the title team. I just remember we were in that recruiting battle with Pressley and then he chose Villanova.

Not sure if Pinone or Jensen even considered UConn.

Jensen: UGH! Just deadly from long range with game tight.

 

[QuickDraw]

AJ looking absolutely pumped to be in Lawrence

the look of being pimped by your parents

 

[UCTitleTown]

AJ looking absolutely pumped to be in Lawrence

He'll look different when he sees the deposit hit his bank account.

 

[knicksin7]

It is a bit surprising to me when I see offers made to kids that are four stars and well outside the top 10 rankings that those offers aren’t fairly rapidly accepted even these days and the offers are shopped around. It is what it is I guess. It’s of course a far easier decision in our minds as fans and seeing likely or potential fits for certain recruits and wondering why they don’t necessarily “see it” the way we do. But we have the bias as fans I guess. Sometimes too it takes a certain type of recruit to value the long term total package of what this program offers compared to the perhaps higher or slightly higher up front dollars another program might offer. But I’m still convinced the right players will end up here. I’m not worried about it. My bigger concern is this potentially frustrating Danny over time to go to the NBA because of the year in year our grind of recruiting and still having to grind the way he and the staff does even after back to back titles and several lottery picks in a short amount of time to get who he wants.

I think your issue is that you'd rather win national championships stacked with 5* and not go through the portal - which of course, I think, all things being equal, I would also prefer. The ability to win with home-grown talent, feels, somewhat more authentic, than a bunch of 23 year olds coming here and killing it. However, DH and the rest of college basketball have proven the first method doesn't work. And 5* don't stick around long enough to make it your entire strategy.

 

[knicksin7]

You’re right, but a lot of top prospects’ #1 priority is to get to the NBA ASAP. Guys like Castle and McNeeley are uncommon in the sense that they’re 5* recruits who want to be coached hard and buy into Hurley’s system and culture

I think Meleek has that drive that Castle and Liam do, which is why we are/were so close to landing him. But it’s a pretty uncommon mindset, especially in an era where you can (legally) make a lot of money in your 1 year in college too

But if you're a 5* - why bother getting 200K more in a year when the difference in being a top 3 pick versus late first round is megabucks?

 

[TheHorde]

I think your issue is that you'd rather win national championships stacked with 5* and not go through the portal - which of course, I think, all things being equal, I would also prefer. The ability to win with home-grown talent, feels, somewhat more authentic, than a bunch of 23 year olds coming here and killing it. However, DH and the rest of college basketball have proven the first method doesn't work. And 5* don't stick around long enough to make it your entire strategy.

I think that RuffRuff described the formula well. One 5 star one and done player a year. A couple of very good 4 stars that are 2-3 year players. And then fill in the gaps and needs through the portal. I’m not surprised by the difficulty of getting five stars to commit soon after getting offered here and visiting. I am more surprised by the four stars in the 30ish range not doing so here and shopping the offer and taking lots of visits. But it is what it is. At the end of the day we will get the right ones and celebrate them.

 

[husky429]

I think your issue is that you'd rather win national championships stacked with 5* and not go through the portal - which of course, I think, all things being equal, I would also prefer. The ability to win with home-grown talent, feels, somewhat more authentic, than a bunch of 23 year olds coming here and killing it. However, DH and the rest of college basketball have proven the first method doesn't work. And 5* don't stick around long enough to make it your entire strategy.

This kind of assumes our transfers came here as finished products and you just buy a team that doesn't require good coaching. Which is nuts. Calling Newton, RJ, Hass, or Cam finished products on arrivals would be ludicrous. All of them improved tremendously under Hurley's and co.'s tutelage. Even Joey C punched above his weightclass.

If Cooper Flagg had come here, would we call him more of a "homegrown talent" than Newton or RJ? That seems a little disingenuous to me.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

But if you're a 5* - why bother getting 200K more in a year when the difference in being a top 3 pick versus late first round is megabucks?

I’ve brought this up a million times. I wonder if Steph Castle would’ve preferred 200k more and dropped outside the lottery? I’m guessing he’s pretty happy with his decision. But others prefer the instant gratification and don’t want to put in the work.

 

[TheHorde]

I’ve brought this up a million times. I wonder if Steph Castle would’ve preferred 200k more and dropped outside the lottery? I’m guessing he’s pretty happy with his decision. But others prefer the instant gratification and don’t want to put in the work.

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