2025 Recruiting: Niko Bundalo Update

[uconn_jack]

The issue is we'll find out about Ball and Stewart going to the NBA in mid April, and Bundalo is making his college choice within a few weeks. So we won't have that luxury of knowing

True enough, but I was more responding to the speculation that maybe Hurley would rather leave spots open for the portal rather than take Bundalo if he wanted to come.

 

[Umami Zen]

Unless both Stew and Ball go to the draft, I'm not sure I would see any reason to go to the portal over taking a stellar class of Adams, Riebe, Mullins, and Bundalo (and maybe Furphy). I understand, although don't necessarily agree with, the athleticism concern, but that class just oozes BBIQ, intensity, and work ethic.

And we would still have maturity and experience with seniors Mahaney and Reed, juniors Ross and Singare, and sophs Nowell and Abraham, a core to keep the culture alive.

If Stew does go, then maybe an athletic, defensive, high bench 4 transfer, but not sure what else we'd need.

Can't disagree with anything you said. I'm with you. BTW-I'in the "take Bundalo if he wants to come" camp. So far I haven't seen any indication from Dan and the staff that they're taking the foot off the accelerator on his recruitment.

 

[dennismenace]

I don't see any issue at all in comparison to this year unless the staff only expects the nba to be interested in Alex.
Diarra replaced by Adams
Johnson replaced by Reibe
Alex replaced by Bundalo
Liam/or Ball/ or Stewart to draft replaced by Mullins
Nearly 90 minutes a game become up for grabs

I like this. A good chunk of that 90 going to Nowell (Dog) and Abraham (Dog). The rest to the best.

 

[RuffRuff]

Can't disagree with anything you said. I'm with you. BTW-I'in the "take Bundalo if he wants to come" camp. So far I haven't seen any indication from Dan and the staff that they're taking the foot off the accelerator on his recruitment.

Have you gotten any indication they are still actively recruiting him? I haven’t seen much. With most of these kids once they finish their visits you see their announcement date set. If he wants to go early signing he’d have to do that soon.

Only thing I could find:

Decision Coming Soon for Niko Bundalo

More on the Tar Heel target's Chapel Hill trip and his forthcoming college decision.

247sports.com

 

[Umami Zen]

Have you gotten any indication they are still actively recruiting him? I haven’t seen much. With most of these kids once they finish their visits you see their announcement date set. If he wants to go early signing he’d have to do that soon.

IMO- Most of the Top 25 players still uncommitted are either waiting to see how their priority schools are filling out their rosters first (to assess PT opportunities) and/ or they're working through the business negotiation side of their choices. (ie. Thomas-Lewis-Ament)

If we are lucky enough to secure Braylon's commitment on Wed. We will have secured an elite Top 3 2025 recruiting class with those 3 commitments. An excellent core group. After Wed. I think we'll have more clarity on any future 2025 adds through Danny assessment of any future 2025 activity. Adams has said two distinctly different things (not sure he's the guy that knows). We need two guards and a big. And- Would love to play with Lewis-Reibe-Bundalo-Mullins at UConn.

Danny and Bundalo are pretty good at keeping it close to the vest.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

True enough, but I was more responding to the speculation that maybe Hurley would rather leave spots open for the portal rather than take Bundalo if he wanted to come.

Technically the bump to 15 scholarships means it doesn't have to be either or (but I can't imagine hurley ever using more than 12 or 13)

Hurley had said that because of insane transfer portal bidding, the recruiting focus would shift more towards bringing in quality HS kids and maybe only grabbing 1 transfer to fill a gap. So that may indicate that taking a guy like bundalo would be the preference to waiting on the portal.

 

[Umami Zen]

Have you gotten any indication they are still actively recruiting him? I haven’t seen much. With most of these kids once they finish their visits you see their announcement date set. If he wants to go early signing he’d have to do that soon.

Only thing I could find:

Decision Coming Soon for Niko Bundalo

More on the Tar Heel target's Chapel Hill trip and his forthcoming college decision.

247sports.com

TBH. Been focused on Mullins announcement and Bundalo has been pretty chill. In code- There are some pro- UConn folks who think we lead on Bundalo and Furphy.Can things change? Absolutely. Mullins announcement is the next domino.

 

[RuffRuff]

TBH. Been focused on Mullins announcement and Bundalo has been pretty chill. In code- There are some pro- UConn folks who think we lead on Bundalo and Furphy.Can things change? Absolutely. Mullins announcement is the next domino.

Makes sense. Don’t want to steal the Mullins thunder. That said, feels like that one is all but done and dusted, so curious to see how all plays out in the aftermath because that’s where the mystery remains and would be an interesting indicator into how the staffs recruiting model is evolving, and their perception of current players future.

 

[Lambeau]

Furphy may be Plan B if we lose Mullins, but Bundalo is a unicorn born to play for Danny.

 

[bendm]

I like this. A good chunk of that 90 going to Nowell (Dog) and Abraham (Dog). The rest to the best.

Huh? the ~90 minutes that used to go to Alex/Diarra/Samson/Liam go to all of Ross/Singare/Reibe/Adams/Mullins… not just Nowell/Abe/Bundalo

 

[bendm]

The bundalo fans just have to recognize that unless stew or ball go pro (along w/ Liam) then Abe and Singare would have to wait until their junior and senior years to get any PT. Otherwise where does Bundalo fit?

Mahaney 25 / Nowell 15
Ball 25 / Adams 15
Mullins 20 / Ross 15 / Abe 5
Stew 25 / Reibe 10 / Abe 5
Reed 25 / Reibe 10 / Singare 5

 

[RuffRuff]

The bundalo fans just have to recognize that unless stew or ball go pro (along w/ Liam) then Abe and Singare would have to wait until their junior and senior years to get any PT. Otherwise where does Bundalo fit?

Mahaney 25 / Nowell 15
Ball 25 / Adams 15
Mullins 20 / Ross 15 / Abe 5
Stew 25 / Reibe 10 / Abe 5
Reed 25 / Reibe 10 / Singare 5

Sengare isn’t playing much next year with Tarris and Reibe. He is 100% not a 4. My sense is he’ll have to be content as a third string 5 or perhaps get backup minutes his senior year.

I don’t think the map is linear. There is a little bit of let’s get them in here and see how it plays out, be transparent with kids that you’ll have to earn minutes and if they don’t see that path, make some hard personal decisions. I just don’t think Hurley is going to make it easy to default a roster spot just for loyalty, and you’ll have to earn it with talent behind you no matter what year you are.

 

[Lambeau]

What about:

1-Mahaney/ Nowell
2-Adams/Mullins
3-Stewart/Ross
4-Bundalo/Abraham
5-Reibe/Reed

Yes, crowded, but injuries do happen.

 

[superjohn]

The bundalo fans just have to recognize that unless stew or ball go pro (along w/ Liam) then Abe and Singare would have to wait until their junior and senior years to get any PT. Otherwise where does Bundalo fit?

Mahaney 25 / Nowell 15
Ball 25 / Adams 15
Mullins 20 / Ross 15 / Abe 5
Stew 25 / Reibe 10 / Abe 5
Reed 25 / Reibe 10 / Singare 5

Liam is understood to be on the Castle track.

Bundalo could be significantly better than Abraham and Singare, he's viewed as a better prospect. Hurley wants to retain his guys and develop them but I can't see him not wanting a kid who wants to come here if Hurley views him as a great talent who can help us win more championships.

 

[bendm]

What about:

1-Mahaney/ Nowell
2-Adams/Mullins
3-Stewart/Ross
4-Bundalo/Abraham
5-Reibe/Reed

Yes, crowded, but injuries do happen.

bundalo fits perfectly if 2 guys leave early but that's exactly the issue we're discussing. ball or stew going pro along w/ liam is a big if.

 

[Scrutineer]

Hyperbole aside, if Ross can’t get a sniff of the floor in his first two years, with guys in front of him and high recruits coming in, how in the world will he have a major role? One of the more surprising and incredible things to me, is how this staff convinced everyone to come back without losing anyone in the portal. With this current momentum and the talent that wants to play at UConn, I think that trend will be hardest to maintain. I am not suggesting it’s Ross(I agree he has upside) but there are kids on this roster who will most likely at some point get recruited over. Why? Because Hurley and this staff are in a sweet spot where they can get almost anyone they want.

DH is becoming the Nick Saban equivalent in men's basketball.

 

[bendm]

Sengare isn’t playing much next year with Tarris and Reibe. He is 100% not a 4. My sense is he’ll have to be content as a third string 5 or perhaps get backup minutes his senior year.

i know singare isnt a PF but adding bundalo would still affect singare's PT. Bundalo at PF would mean Reibe gets less PT at PF and more PT at C which would squeeze singare out of the C rotation. there's usually a cascading effect throughout the entire rotation whenever a player is added or subtracted regardless of their position.

 

[Scrutineer]

Kid has serious game.

That video shows there's no need to worry about who he replaces.
He's a player.

 

[Lambeau]

Bundalo looks awesome--and he plays D.
Weingarten of Stockrisers told Zanetto yesterday he certainly can play with Reibe.
First OSU talk, then we seemed favored, now UNC chatter--should announce in two weeks.

 

[NewBlood]

What about:

1-Mahaney/ Nowell
2-Adams/Mullins
3-Stewart/Ross
4-Bundalo/Abraham
5-Reibe/Reed

Yes, crowded, but injuries do happen.

That’s a championship team

Again

 

[GampelGladiator]

What about:

1-Mahaney/ Nowell
2-Adams/Mullins
3-Stewart/Ross
4-Bundalo/Abraham
5-Reibe/Reed

Yes, crowded, but injuries do happen.

Feels like Niko commitment hinges on timing. Seems reasonable that Niko would commit in the near feature for that roster. However, it's going to be a while before knowing that AK, LM, and SB/JS are headed to NBA. There is an element of risk for Niko to commit this early.

 

[CT2SC]

Liam is understood to be on the Castle track.

Bundalo could be significantly better than Abraham and Singare, he's viewed as a better prospect. Hurley wants to retain his guys and develop them but I can't see him not wanting a kid who wants to come here if Hurley views him as a great talent who can help us win more championships.

Hurley has been winning championships with his formula. It’s not just about talent acquisition. Duke and Kentucky play that game and Hurley’s focus on development and chemistry is the winning formula. My guess is he is done after Mullins other than a possible depth piece.

 

[AntG168]

Hurley has been winning championships with his formula. It’s not just about talent acquisition. Duke and Kentucky play that game and Hurley’s focus on development and chemistry is the winning formula. My guess is he is done after Mullins other than a possible depth piece.

His “formula” includes getting talented kids. This idea that Hurley goes bargain shopping on the recruiting trail is hilarious. He’s getting some of the most talented kids in the country .

 

[bendm]

His “formula” includes getting talented kids. This idea that Hurley goes bargain shopping on the recruiting trail is hilarious. He’s getting some of the most talented kids in the country .

No one said Hurley is bargain shopping. Some posters are just in favor of landing 5*s without recruiting over guys before they’ve been able to play a single game

IMO landing Adams/Reibe/Mullins is an A+ and I’d wait to see if Ball or Stew go pro and then fill that hole with an elite transfer rather than take Bundalo now and possibly recruit over Abe. But at the end of the day I’ll trust in whatever staff does

 

[AntG168]

No one said Hurley is bargain shopping. Some posters are just in favor of landing 5*s without recruiting over guys before they’ve been able to play a single game

IMO landing Adams/Reibe/Mullins is an A+ and I’d wait to see if Ball or Stew go pro and then fill that hole with an elite transfer rather than take Bundalo now and possibly recruit over Abe. But at the end of the day I’ll trust in whatever staff does

He was never recruiting Bundalo as a 5.

He’s always been recruited as a 4.

Unless he’s seriously gonna use Reibe at the 4

Nothing has changed