2025 Recruiting: Meleek Thomas to UConn Crystal Ball

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Not my personal opinion on what should happen. Just my guess based on what Hurley has shown in the past to value experience.

Has nothing to do with what I personally think about Liam. Hurley just has never shown a tendency to experiment. We’re talking about a guy that doesn’t even experiment with the draws he wears on game day lol

Correct, Hurley doesn't experiment but he let's the cream rise to the top regardless of class (Karaban, Castle, etc. as frosh) or tenure (Cole, Martin, Newton, etc. as transfers).

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Correct, Hurley doesn't experiment but he let's the cream rise to the top regardless of class (Karaban, Castle, etc. as frosh) or tenure (Cole, Martin, Newton, etc. as transfers).

Karaban had no competition and there would’ve been some crazy side eyes if Diarra started over Castle.

I’ll be surprised if Liam starts over Stewart in a genuinely close competition.

 

[runner11]

Karaban had no competition and there would’ve been some crazy side eyes if Diarra started over Castle.

I’ll be surprised if Liam starts over Stewart in a genuinely close competition.

Karaban was actually behind Samson on the depth chart before he got injured. Which probably adds to your point.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Karaban had no competition and there would’ve been some crazy side eyes if Diarra started over Castle.

I’ll be surprised if Liam starts over Stewart in a genuinely close competition.

Karaban should have won the Big East freshman of the year. He rose to the top and would've regardless if Johnson was healthy or not. If Castle wasn't better than Diarra, I doubt he would've been given a starter's role. Hurley runs a meritocracy.

 

[husky429]

Karaban was actually behind Samson on the depth chart before he got injured. Which probably adds to your point.

I think @navery12 is best qualified to handle this

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Karaban was actually behind Samson on the depth chart before he got injured. Which probably adds to your point.

Yeah Hurley has won two championships with his risk adverse style (which means not leaning on freshman and creating high floor lineups) so it’s not like there’s anything wrong with it when it comes to winning.

Don’t really expect him to change that this year given his past results.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Yeah Hurley has won two championships with his risk adverse style (which means not leaning on freshman and creating high floor lineups) so it’s not like there’s anything wrong with it when it comes to winning.

Don’t really expect him to change that this year given his past results.

I don't think being risk averse is what won the back to back. What won the back to back was installing a system(s) that leveraged the strengths and diminished the weaknesses of the individual players who then executed impeccably.

 

[superjohn]

I don't think being risk averse is what won the back to back. What won the back to back was installing a system(s) that leveraged the strengths and diminished the weaknesses of the individual players who then executed impeccably.

Hurley also starts his best players. McNeeley will start.

 

[navery12]

I think @navery12 is best qualified to handle this

I never seem to have much success with this argument, and it's admittedly not straightforward but...

Karaban was actually behind Samson on the depth chart before he got injured. Which probably adds to your point.

Pasting from my old post because I'm lazy

He was a little more direct on Big East media day and said there's a real chance Karaban starts at the 4. But also just a lot of subtle comments like the one in this article when he was talking about the roster that made Karaban appear to have the edge at the 4. Mostly the parts in bold about pulling Samson quickly if Karaban was healthy, and about loving the 4 spot so wanting to find minutes for Samson at the 5 that made it seem to me that Karaban had the edge pre-injury

UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley on the roster, toughness, and more​

Hurley offers insight into several of positional battles going on during the preseason.

On Samson Johnson and Alex Karaban at the four spot​

“I got some good advice to stop talking about the NBA and my players. I’m not going to prognosticate that way, but Samson has a high ceiling. Alex being hurt helped him because he was able to play through mistakes in the first scrimmage, where I might have pulled him quick. It was good for him to process things quicker on the court. Once he can do that, he can unleash his talent. He as much physical ability as anyone I’ve had here.”

“I love the four spot right now. We’ll experiment maybe with playing Samson and Alex together with Samson at center, because those two guys make a real difference from an offensive standpoint. Samson brings different things to both backboards, with his athleticism, slashing, and above the rim play. Our fours are young but they’re talented.”

 

[Blue Blood]

Can this thread be renamed? Meleek has barely been mentioned for several pages

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I don't think being risk averse is what won the back to back. What won the back to back was installing a system(s) that leveraged the strengths and diminished the weaknesses of the individual players who then executed impeccably.

Two things can be true at once. Because of that system it’s best to lean on experienced players you know can execute it even more. Which leaves less need to experiment. Just find guys who can execute.

 

[AllHusky]

Perhaps, but I believe this year, due to a number of factors, there will be quite a bit more experimenting than we've seen in the past from DH over the first eight plus weeks of the season, with the goal being to have the right lineup & rotations in place by the midpoint of conference play.


Yes BL, this is pure spectulation, something that we boneyarders often do to an extreme, so I'll throw my hat in the ring.

I could well be wrong here (won't be the first time and likely won't be the last) but assuming no inuries, I believe that AK will be the only player to start every game and he will also be the only one to average more than 25 minutes per game. There is too much depth of quality talent and too many possibilities to have one of the next five players (who would play one or two of three positions) to start every game.

I will go on record stating that each of Ball, Diarra, Mahaney, McNeeley and Stewart will not be in the starting lineup for at least five games this upcoming season. I also believe that our top two centers (Johnson, Reed) will both start double digit games, with the approach (who starts, who comes off the bench) that proves most effective being utilized almost exclusively form mid-January forward.

One thing that I am extremely confident about is that three or four of the players on our roster will end up with far fewer minutes than their abitlities would warrant under different circumstances and that five or six, who are seeing a good amount of playing time (20-22 minutes per game) would easily have seen six, eight, ten additional minutes each game in different environment. These are the problems you prefer to have.

Yup, pretty nice summary

 

[dennismenace]

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[dennismenace]

Can this thread be renamed? Meleek has barely been mentioned for several pages

If it was renamed it would not be the Boneyard. We have sometimes been known to have attention deficit.

 

[KembaStepback]

Any news on when Meleek will announce?

 

[Rico444]

Any news on when Meleek will announce?

I saw a post that said likely October.

 

[Jbirdp5]

This thread is the boneyards definition of “you can’t judge a book by its over” you can’t judge a thread by its title…..ya gotta love it tho

 

[RuffRuff]

Yup, pretty nice summary

Idk about this one - I think Hurley thrives on consistency. To be juggling your starting lineup all year would be out of form for him.

 

[SoFla Steve]

Any news on when Meleek will announce?

From a few weeks ago (7/3/24) from NBC Sports:

Thomas has been on record saying he’d like to make his college decision before the start of his senior season and, a couple weeks back, said he intends to finalize his decision “sometime in August or early September.”

Ranking the Contenders: Five-star Meleek Thomas

 

[HuskyHawk]

Hurley also starts his best players. McNeeley will start.

I doubt that he starts the first game. I expect Stewart will be the better defender and will understand the system. The 3-4 have a tough defensive role when we hedge with the 5 and we're going to. Whether he earns that later, maybe he will. I would have said Stewart can also get minutes at the 4, but if the reports on Abraham are real, he may crack the rotation too.

I don't think I've ever seen a UConn team with this much fairly evenly distributed talent. It's really not obvious who should start at any position except the 4.

1. Diarra-Nowell
2. Mahaney-Ball
3. Stewart-McNeeley
4. Karaban- Abraham-Stewart
5. Johnson-Reed

That still leaves Ross and Singare. That's crazy. Ross is our 2nd worst player? Have we ever had a team like that? Maybe 2005-06 was close.

 

[pj]

I doubt that he starts the first game. I expect Stewart will be the better defender and will understand the system. The 3-4 have a tough defensive role when we hedge with the 5 and we're going to. Whether he earns that later, maybe he will. I would have said Stewart can also get minutes at the 4, but if the reports on Abraham are real, he may crack the rotation too.

I don't think I've ever seen a UConn team with this much fairly evenly distributed talent. It's really not obvious who should start at any position except the 4.

1. Diarra-Nowell
2. Mahaney-Ball
3. Stewart-McNeeley
4. Karaban- Abraham-Stewart
5. Johnson-Reed

That still leaves Ross and Singare. That's crazy. Ross is our 2nd worst player? Have we ever had a team like that? Maybe 2005-06 was close.

I think Mahaney gets significant minutes at the 1 in order to gain more minutes at the 2 & 3 for McNeeley, Ball, Stewart, and Ross. I think Ross gets the kind of development minutes Stewart got last year (single digit per game).

I also think Reed ends up starting over Johnson by late in the year. Johnson might have an edge early due to experience in the system. And that Stewart will be ahead of Abraham as the backup to Karaban.

But those are just minor tweaks. Agree with your main points.

 

[mauconnfan]

I doubt that he starts the first game. I expect Stewart will be the better defender and will understand the system. The 3-4 have a tough defensive role when we hedge with the 5 and we're going to. Whether he earns that later, maybe he will. I would have said Stewart can also get minutes at the 4, but if the reports on Abraham are real, he may crack the rotation too.

I don't think I've ever seen a UConn team with this much fairly evenly distributed talent. It's really not obvious who should start at any position except the 4.

1. Diarra-Nowell
2. Mahaney-Ball
3. Stewart-McNeeley
4. Karaban- Abraham-Stewart
5. Johnson-Reed

That still leaves Ross and Singare. That's crazy. Ross is our 2nd worst player? Have we ever had a team like that? Maybe 2005-06 was close.

I like this to start based on a few reasons many of which you pointed out. Think Reed definitely takes the majority role at the 5 eventually but minutes will still be close. Stewart and McNeeley is really interesting because of Stewie becomes what we hope this team can be really good. I wish also that we had the options available to keep Hass not because he doesn’t deserve to start but because it’s such a weapon having that positive force coming in.

It’s nice to have such depth it’s going to be interesting for DH and the staff to find the right mix.

 

[jibsey]

It doesn’t matter who starts. Reed and Johnson both can rack up fouls which will dictate a lot of PT but they both get plenty of minutes and Singare too if needed.
Reeds’s tough physicality is necessary and I hope he can stay out of foul trouble. Can’t wait to see him in action.

 

[awy]

hurley doesn't experiment in games, but in summer practice he will test out various looks and see what fits the personnel best, and then the guys compete for spots. it's a process.

 

[superjohn]

I doubt that he starts the first game. I expect Stewart will be the better defender and will understand the system. The 3-4 have a tough defensive role when we hedge with the 5 and we're going to. Whether he earns that later, maybe he will. I would have said Stewart can also get minutes at the 4, but if the reports on Abraham are real, he may crack the rotation too.

I don't think I've ever seen a UConn team with this much fairly evenly distributed talent. It's really not obvious who should start at any position except the 4.

1. Diarra-Nowell
2. Mahaney-Ball
3. Stewart-McNeeley
4. Karaban- Abraham-Stewart
5. Johnson-Reed

That still leaves Ross and Singare. That's crazy. Ross is our 2nd worst player? Have we ever had a team like that? Maybe 2005-06 was close.

McNeeley is our most talented player, he's going to start.