Next Season’s Rotation | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Next Season’s Rotation

Sphinx said:
Tightly reasoned. One cannot but agree.
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Thank you. I would also like to add this comment by Newton made after the NBA combine.

“[I’m] working on my shooting, playing off the ball – I think next year I’ll play on the ball and off the ball,” Newton said.
 
Palatine said:
My guess is that both Newton and Diarra start. It gives the Huskies two ball handlers and allows Castle to begin his career playing off the ball at the three. That takes pressure off SC as he adjusts to the college game. Diarra is our best perimeter defender and a seasoned college player. Both those things are Hurley priorities.

It all just speculation but it seems like a Hurley move. Besides it's a more fun guess than the conventional wisdom.
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Castle isn’t here to play primarily off the ball. He will start and share PG duties with Newton. Also, we brought in Spencer to start, we need shooters.
 
Palatine said:
Thank you. I would also like to add this comment by Newton made after the NBA combine.

“[I’m] working on my shooting, playing off the ball – I think next year I’ll play on the ball and off the ball,” Newton said.
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That's because Castle is a PG. But really he was off ball some last year with Jackson. Castle is going to have a similar role to Jackson as facilitator but bringing different skills to the role. Diarra isn't close to being one of our 5 best players.
 
August_West said:
Hes not here to play primarily On ball either. I like that. He can and should do both, along with a couple others.
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Kemba and Shabazz we're on and off ball a lot. Figure it's something like that.

He might be the best perimeter scorer we have to be able to do that.
 
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HuskyHawk said:
That's because Castle is a PG. But really he was off ball some last year with Jackson. Castle is going to have a similar role to Jackson as facilitator but bringing different skills to the role. Diarra isn't close to being one of our 5 best players.
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CardiacAndre7 said:
Castle isn’t here to play primarily off the ball. He will start and share PG duties with Newton. Also, we brought in Spencer to start, we need shooters.
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No, but to ease him into his college careeer, playing him off the ball (at least early in the season) makes a lot of sense.
 
Palatine said:
No, but to ease him into his college careeer, playing him off the ball (at least early in the season) makes a lot of sense.
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And when that needs to happen it will be with Newton at PG. Diarra is not going to start for this team barring an injury
 
HuskyHawk said:
That's because Castle is a PG. But really he was off ball some last year with Jackson. Castle is going to have a similar role to Jackson as facilitator but bringing different skills to the role. Diarra isn't close to being one of our 5 best players.
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He doesn't need to be on of the best five to start. He is one of the best on ball defenders, probably the best on the ball defender on the team. So starting him for defensive purposes and then bringing in a high octane scorer like Spenser is a very good strategy.

It also means that Diarra can bring the ball up court while Newton begins the game as the shooting guard and then Hurley can move Newton to the primary point when Spenser comes in.

It would give Hurley a lot of flexibility.
 
Palatine said:
Thank you. I would also like to add this comment by Newton made after the NBA combine.

“[I’m] working on my shooting, playing off the ball – I think next year I’ll play on the ball and off the ball,” Newton said.
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Yeah he will play SG/SF while Castle plays PG. What has Diarraa done besides play good D to think he can start at that important position for us? Honest question.
 
Palatine said:
He doesn't need to be on of the best five to start. He is one of the best on ball defenders, probably the best on the ball defender on the team. So starting him for defensive purposes and then bringing in a high octane scorer like Spenser is a very good strategy.

It also means that Diarra can bring the ball up court while Newton begins the game as the shooting guard and then Hurley can move Newton to the primary point when Spenser comes in.

It would give Hurley a lot of flexibility.
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Assuming Castle isn’t ready is a mistake
 
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Some people really gotta go back and watch Diarras minutes. There is not a universe where he starts for a healthy, competitive UConn team. He’s a fringe rotation piece that can be used in certain matchups, and to eat innings mid season to keep the regular rotation guys fresh.

Great culture guy, who seems to understand his role for a championship contender isn’t going to be large, but plays hard anyways. You can’t have 13 guys who want to be “the man.” Hopefully he’s a good resource for the young guards.
 
Diarra is a great defender and energy guy to come in when the team is struggling to get stops and is starting to drag their feet. His box score is horrendous - perhaps one of the most inefficient shooting splits in the country. But that's not what his game is, he knows it, and he still finds ways to be effective in situations where his strengths can shine

His statline wasn't great in these games but he was a major reason why we won vs. Creighton and Seton Hall last year. He was a key part in our game-winning runs in both games, by overwhelming Nembhard in the full court press against Creighton and putting on a 2 man defensive masterclass with Andre against Seton Hall (also a couple assists into Andre dunks, major momentum shifters)

There were other guys who starred in those games, but Diarra was an injection of energy when we needed it to get going before letting the starters close it out. That's his role and there are no misunderstandings about that

Would be nice if he could hit some threes though
 
Newton(30)
Castle(25)
Spencer(30)
Karaban(30)
Clingan(25)

Jobnson(20)
Ball(20)
Best of: Roumoglou/Ross/Stewart(20)

This rotation is for games against good teams, since guessing the average rotation would have to include the blowouts.

Newton/Spencer/Karaban are the candidates to lead us in minutes. Spencer and Karaban will need to stay on the floor as our only consistent shooters.

Don will not have the conditioning to play 30+ quality minutes at his weight. But I expect Samson to surprise everyone by breaking out as a very solid college big, allowing Don to rest as needed.

I think Ball is the most obvious of the remaining freshmen to earn a big role. This spot in the rotation as the first guard off the bench is either his or Diarras, and I expect him to show he’s on another level than Diarra talent wise.

I didn’t list him above, but Diarra will play in certain matchups. But I think the team would prefer Ball to simply absorb all those minutes.

The 8th and final rotation spot is impossible to project. 3 guys that we’ve never seen play real minutes, but all seem talented on paper.

Pasta intrigues me because he stayed. Was he told that his role on next years team would expand? The staff spoke glowingly about him when given the opportunity, he was given ball handling responsibilities during garbage time at 6’7. Everyone was sure him and Hasson were 1 year, practice guys, but it seems as though he exceeded those expectations.

I love Ross on paper. Great athlete, developed well as a shooter over the last year. Is he too raw for a serious rotation role in year 1? Finding athletic, 3nD guys at 6’6 is difficult, and we might’ve found a huge steal in Ross for that reason. He’ll play a lot if he is ready, but I’m guessing he might be a year two guy, along with Singare.

Stewart feels like the X factor. If he’s ready to make the kinda shots he was taking in high school, he could be a dangerous 6th man scoring threat. His ability to handle the ball at his size makes him another tough matchup for opposing teams on defense, subbing Newton/Castle for Stewart may feel like the Sanogo/Don dynamic of last season, how do teams deal with all that size? His ability to make shots off ball will be crucial, as he’ll need to adjust to not being the freelance artist he’s been for years in high school and AAU. This may be a more awkward adjust for JStew than people anticipate.

I’m not sure where he profiles to play on defense. Is he quick enough to guard dynamic playmakers? Tall enough to guard 4s? He’s gonna need to work hard not be someone who is targeted on this side of the ball. Especially because Dan does not have a high tolerance for poor defense. My gut tells me he’s still the leader for that 8th rotation spot.

Diarra and Singare round out as the fringe/occasional guys who get in due to foul trouble/injury/situation.

The Last scholarship guy I assume will be another practice body, but you never know.
 
Huskyforlife said:
Newton(30)
Castle(25)
Spencer(30)
Karaban(30)
Clingan(25)

Jobnson(20)
Ball(20)
Best of: Roumoglou/Ross/Stewart(20)

Pasta intrigues me because he stayed. Was he told that his role on next years team would expand? The staff spoke glowingly about him when given the opportunity, he was given ball handling responsibilities during garbage time at 6’7.
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Pasta? You’re aware that Roumoglou’s Greek, not Italian, right?

That said, you’re not wrong…
Don’t sleep on Roumoglou.
 
Not sure where to post this - initially I thought getting a grad transfer big for depth in case of emergency would be smart. However, is it smarter to keep a scholarship open in case we can get a 2024 recruit to reclass and join early? Would be a good and only reason to keep the roster at 12 heading into the season.
 
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If I had to guess...

PG - Castle (20), Newton (15), Diarra (5)

SG - Newton (15), Ball (10), Spencer (10), Diarra (5)

SF - Spencer (20) Ross (10) Stewart (10)

PF - Karaban (30) Stewart (5) Johnson (5)

C - Clingan (25) Johnson (10), Singare (5)

Odds are that least one of the freshman are completely out of the rotation by conference play. Which one? TBD
 
t8per said:
If I had to guess...

PG - Castle (20), Newton (15), Diarra (5)

SG - Newton (15), Ball (10), Spencer (10), Diarra (5)

SF - Spencer (20) Ross (10) Stewart (10)

PF - Karaban (30) Stewart (5) Johnson (5)

C - Clingan (25) Johnson (10), Singare (5)

Odds are that least one of the freshman are completely out of the rotation by conference play. Which one? TBD
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Castle is going to get at least 25 minutes and probably closer to 30. Remember he can play off the ball a little bit too.
 
MuchoDogYears said:
Pasta? You’re aware that Roumoglou’s Greek, not Italian, right?

That said, you’re not wrong…
Don’t sleep on Roumoglou.
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Maybe going with Posto would be more accurate. I just like how the enunciations I’ve heard for his name sound like “Uh Pasta Los.” I’m sure the Greeks like a good pasta anyways?
 
Umami Zen said:
IMO..Dan Hurley and staff do an excellent job of roster construction.. Agree with @husky429 on all of his points. I will say that there is a delicate balance between delivering on PT and team efficiency.. Esp. in this age of transfer/portal availability. Fab 5 didn't come here to spend a ton of time on the bench. I can think of a portal 4/5 that I believe is still available but would be seeking/wanting Samson's minutes. Looks to me like Dan Hurley is comfortable rolling with who he's got and betting on improved performance through the off-season and European tour. We will have tremendous lineup flexibility with a healthy and improved Samson.

We were very fortunate last year re: injuries to key players. Kudos to SnC/conditioning staff.. FWIW.. The only reason I can see Dan Hurley occupying the 13th spot would be for "injury insurance" for the Bigs.. Don't think he'll do it though.
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Completely agree with this. Great staff performance from top to bottom. This staff plus Mora should just continue to build and perform and Uconn will have more suitors the the Big 12 before long. The legends begin here; the college basketball capital of the world.
 
Huskyforlife said:
Maybe going with Posto would be more accurate. I just like how the enunciations I’ve heard for his name sound like “Uh Pasta Los.” I’m sure the Greeks like a good pasta anyways?
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Maybe the poster @Askgreek could chime in.

Roumoglou is definitely intriguing. In his interview during the season he demonstrated a Joey California attitude about practicing against his teammates. Declared it was no different than his experience in Europe and he held his own here.

The staff see something in him that they encouraged him to stay. I would not be surprised if he’s a 10 or more minute player this year. Perhaps instead of a food analogy we should consider him as our Windex player.
 
ctchamps said:
Maybe the poster @Askgreek could chime in.

Roumoglou is definitely intriguing. In his interview during the season he demonstrated a Joey California attitude about practicing against his teammates. Declared it was no different than his experience in Europe and he held his own here.

The staff see something in him that they encouraged him to stay. I would not be surprised if he’s a 10 or more minute player this year. Perhaps instead of a food analogy we should consider him as our Windex player.
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Well, since you asked for my two cents, his name “Apostolos” translates to Paul in English. So, not that interesting, but you pronounce his name “Apo” “Stoli” in informal Greek. So, my suggestion for a fun nickname would be “Stoli”, which is pronounced like the vodka.
 
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Askgreek said:
Well, since you asked for my two cents, his name “Apostolos” translates to Paul in English. So, not that interesting, but you pronounce his name “Apo” “Stoli” in informal Greek. So, my suggestion for a fun nickname would be “Stoli”, which is pronounced like the vodka.
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I love it.
 
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