2025 Recruiting: Meleek Thomas is set to begin his official visit to UConn and Dan Hurley today (Merged Threads)

[Scoe]

CHOO CHOO. Off the tracks for the 4th time. Might I suggest creating a thread category call Potpourri to discuss all the non related topic threads.

Why am I the one getting honked at, I’m just responding to the OT conversation. So we’re Meleek Thomas parents UConn fans in 96?

 

[SockCymbal]

‘96 was the worst pain I’ve ever felt as a sports fan. I legit thought we wouldn’t ever make the final four after that, let alone win the title.

‘94 was a massive gut-punch. But ‘96, coming at the end of the best 3-year run in Big East history, felt like we were cursed.

The '96 team lost Ricky Moore in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He was the most important bench player on that team and Sheffer's only real back up. He also was the only one quick enough to guard Mississippi State's high scoring guard Darryl Wilson. A big "what if" season.

 

[Scoe]

I think this is correct…but I also think we’re underdogs in both, and deservedly so.

But we could have beaten either of those teams, 96 and 09. Heck, throw in 06.

Would’ve been reminiscent of 99 vs Duke with the media underrating us, 06 would’ve been a fun matchup against UCLA.

 

[Waquoit]

We are the only team who could’ve beaten Kentucky in 96, just like we were the only team who could’ve beaten UNC in 09.

And UNLV in 1990.

 

[caw]

Following the posts here I'm assuming he was talking about how UConn's 1996 team would have matched up with Kentucky's 1996 team if the Huskies had gotten to the Final Four that year.

Yep, that was my bad.


On that track, UK was better than UConn in 1996 by a small amount IMO. They were deeper overall. It would have been a heck of a game though. They would have had the advantage at the 3/4 but UConn would have had the advantage at the 2 with the 1/5 being relatively even IMO. Calhoun vs Pitino would have been a match also.

The question would have been how well King could defend Walker. I think he would have been fine in the post but King would not have been mobile enough to defend him driving. Not sure they had anyone to defend Allen though (no one did that year).

 

[Scoe]

CHOO CHOO. Off the tracks for the 4th time. Might I suggest creating a thread category call Potpourri to discuss all the non related topic threads.

Why am I the one getting targeted so cute seeing @BigErnMcCracken spiking the like then running away.

 

[TheHorde]

Why am I the one getting targeted so cute seeing @BigErnMcCracken spiking the like then running away.

It’s like they don’t even know us at all. Threads never get derailed around here.

 

[UConNick]

I’m normally a stickler for trying to keep on topic, but I was so intrigued by the (off) topic, and this thread seemed sufficiently lost, that I pulled the trigger anyway. Appreciate those who chimed in, love historical conversations/comparisons, especially to hear from primary sources that witnessed things I didn’t.

 

[EROCK CONN]

I think this is correct…but I also think we’re underdogs in both, and deservedly so.

But we could have beaten either of those teams, 96 and 09. Heck, throw in 06.

just think, if uconn had won the title in 96, we’d be tied with kentucky in titiles!! man would they hate us even more

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Why am I the one getting targeted so cute seeing @BigErnMcCracken spiking the like then running away.

Can’t even venture a guess as to what this means.

 

[gsmooth]

The ‘96 team outside of center was disgustingly loaded. Travis Knight was okay and a good college player. But if that team had a Clingan, Okafor, or Sanogo type at Center, it might not have lost a game. I thought it was talented enough to win it that year but Kentucky would have been an epic test and game.

I think if you added Sanogo, Okafor, or Clingan to the 94, and 95 teams, the chances of them winning the title in those years goes up exponentially. The one thing I remember about that 96 team that Miss St exposed was that 1996 team couldn't not play a slow tempo half court game and that is the kind of game Miss St. forced. Having Sanogo, Okafor, or Clingan would have helped the 1996 team in a slow half court game.

Kentucky in 1996 was clearly the best team. Oddly enough, I thought Boeheim coached a really good game against Pitino in the title game when he started off the game playing man-to-man and completely caught Kentucky off guard as I am sure they practiced breaking the zone endlessly.

Edit: I will say losing Ricky Moore for 1996 was a big blow as he was good at speed dribbling and forcing the up tempo play like he did in 1999 and like Taliek Brown did in 2004.

 

[gsmooth]

We are the only team who could’ve beaten Kentucky in 96, just like we were the only team who could’ve beaten UNC in 09.

For 1996, I am not sure about that. That UMass team was really good and more than capable of defeating the 1996 Kentucky team even though that Kentucky was the best team in 1996. Did I expect them to beat Kentucky in that Final Four game? No. UMass beat them earlier in the regular season, though. I think the 1996 UMass team defeats the 1996 UConn team, unfortunately. But the UConn teams of 99, 04,23, and 24 would defeat UMass 96. I can see UConn 09 and UConn 11 beating UMass 1996, too. The 1996 UConn team lacked muscle and toughness overall, especially in the paint that the UConn championship teams had an abundance of. And those championship teams were better in the half court.

 

[LStudfellow]

Would’ve been reminiscent of 99 vs Duke with the media underrating us, 06 would’ve been a fun matchup against UCLA.

Interesting how you are one of those who assumes we would have beaten Florida to even get to UCLA. You do realize that Florida literally destroyed UCLA in that 2006 championship game, yes? Won by 16 and was up by 20+ through most of the last 10 minutes.

The more "fun" and certainly more interesting matchup would have been the semifinal game against Florida... the team that ended up winning the championship, convincingly. And then went on to win the second of their back-to-back titles the next year.

I would have loved to see how we matched up against Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Cory Brewer, Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey and that bunch more than the UCLA team.

Oh... and yes, I realized I just committed one of my own pet peeves, contributing to pushing a thread off of the rails. Sorry, my bad

 

[gtcam]

For 1996, I am not sure about that. That UMass team was really good and more than capable of defeating the 1996 Kentucky team even though that Kentucky was the best team in 1996. Did I expect them to beat Kentucky in that Final Four game? No. UMass beat them earlier in the regular season, though. I think the 1996 UMass team defeats the 1996 UConn team, unfortunately. But the UConn teams of 99, 04,23, and 24 would defeat UMass 96. I can see UConn 09 and UConn 11 beating UMass 1996, too. The 1996 UConn team lacked muscle and toughness overall, especially in the paint that the UConn championship teams had an abundance of. And those championship teams were better in the half court.

yet not 2014 ?
I know because of who was coaching

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Meleek Thomas​

So that people can practice for when the thread gets back on track, keep on mind that all 3 vowels in Meleek Thomas's name are the letter "e."

Why am I the one getting honked at, I’m just responding to the OT conversation. So we’re Meleek Thomas parents UConn fans in 96?

Please don't compound your troubles here. I've counted 4± punctuation errors in your post above.

 

[Scoe]

So that people can practice for when the thread gets back on track, keep on mind that all 3 vowels in Meleek Thomas's name are the letter "e."


Please don't compound your troubles here. I've counted 4± punctuation errors in your post above.

Uh ohh

 

[nomar]

Ashley Schaefer of Ashley Schaefer BMW knows how to close the deal!

LET THE BOY WATCH

 

[gsmooth]

yet not 2014 ?
I know because of who was coaching

No, not 2014. It has nothing to do with Kevin Ollie being the coach. In fact you won't find any post of mine bashing Ollie. I never liked it when UConn fans said "Ollie won with Calhoun's team and players". I always thought that was BS as Ollie played a big role in getting those players and getting Shabazz to be more of a team leader in the 2013 season which inevitably carried over to the 2014 season.

I didn't include the 2014 team among the UConn teams I thought could beat UMass 1996 because I think Camby would just go wild in that match up. Camby had trouble with the big bruising center (i.e Big Country, Yinka Dare) Also, that 2014 team, while I believe was underseeded at 7, wasn't the best team that year per se. I thanked my lucky stars they didn't have to play Louisville because Louisville triple crowned them with 3 blowouts. Out of all the championship winning teams (99, 04, 11, 14, 23, 24), it was only the 2014 where I was concerned about match ups and the bracket for UConn. The other title winning teams, I didn't care who UConn was matched up against.

Message to others: sorry I got the thread off track of Meleek Thomas.