2025 Recruiting: Niko Bundalo Update

[bendm]

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

Various people (Borges and recruits) have said The plan is/was 2 Gs 1 Big and Reibe also said in his commitment interview that hes gonna get PT at the 4. So yes I hope nothing has changed

 

[AntG168]

The plan was always 2 Gs 1 Big and Reibe also said in his commitment interview that Hurley said he’s gonna get some PT at the 4. So yes I hope nothing has changed

That hasn’t come from Hurley.

If we’re going by recruits words Darius Adams insinuated they all were in play.

I’ll just wait and see.

If Hurley want Niko. We should all want Niko.

 

[bendm]

If Hurley want Niko. We should all want Niko.

Of course

 

[Lambeau]

Niko cut down to four finalists ten days ago, cancelling Kentucky visit and excluding Kansas--UConn is still alive for a reason.
MSU seems pessimistic, and the most chatter is UConn and UNC. We're not on his list if Danny lost interest.

 

[navery12]

Niko cut down to four finalists ten days ago, cancelling Kentucky visit and excluding Kansas--UConn is still alive for a reason.
MSU seems pessimistic, and the most chatter is UConn and UNC. We're not on his list if Danny lost interest.

Well the supposed loss of interest would be post Reibe commitment, which happened after the list was cut. So still TBD what happens. And Ohio State is definitely still involved, they were right there with UConn at the top for the past 2 months

 

[ec33]

That hasn’t come from Hurley.

If we’re going by recruits words Darius Adams insinuated they all were in play.

I’ll just wait and see.

If Hurley want Niko. We should all want Niko.

Who are you going to believe: Adams or a Kentucky Wildcat too afraid of competing at UConn? Exactly, Lewis said two and one so that is that (even if Furphy will make three guards that still doesn't take away from the truth of the one frontline player assertion).

 

[RuffRuff]

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

Agree with this - we’d be great with these three. It’s the practical land and makes total sense. If they do land Bundalo it becomes intriguing as it offer some insights into the staffs thought process, and that they are mixing it up a bit. Just have to sit back and watch.

 

[NewBlood]

If you have a chance to take a kid like Bundalo, a 4+ star who fits with your basketball IQ and attitude you take him. You have no idea what will happen this year with Ball/Liam/Stew/Karaban, they could all go to the league, at least 50% of them will. Also, a player like Abraham or Ross might want to take a lead role in other programs (not saying they would, but they are kids).

2025-2026 can have a roster of
Mahaney - Nowell
Adams - Mullins
Stewart - Ross
Abraham - Bundalo
Reed - Reibe - Singare

To me that's a championship roster. Might be the most talented roster in UCONN history, doesn't mean the best, but the most talented.

 

[bendm]

Who are you going to believe: Adams or a Kentucky Wildcat too afraid of competing at UConn? Exactly, Lewis said two and one so that is that (even if Furphy will make three guards that still doesn't take away from the truth of the one frontline player assertion).

Pretty sure borges reported it before Lewis was quoted

 

[bendm]

You have no idea what will happen this year with Ball/Liam/Stew/Karaban, they could all go to the league, at least 50% of them will

Would you put money on 3/4 of them going pro?

Part of what makes Hurley so great is that he gets his guys without pushing players out before giving them a chance. Adams/Akok/Springs are the only scholarship guys I can think of that have left but they were still here for years (not sure about the Greek and Israeli). Lotta posters starting to sound like entitled Duke and UK fans that don’t give a second thought to kicking players to the curb.

Hurley has crushed the transfer portal why not wait until we know for sure at least 2 of Liam and Ball/Stew are leaving? If a starting F is the missing piece to 4peating id rather get an experienced player than a frosh anyways

 

[Ricker]

I see Bundalo/a unicorn as a necessary piece to be a top 5 team in the chase for championships vs being one of 15-20 teams with a chance. I prefer taking him

 

[Huskyforlife]

I think you have to take, figure out the roster later. Only exception is if he demands a starting spot.

 

[TheHorde]

Would you put money on 3/4 of them going pro?

Part of what makes Hurley so great is that he gets his guys without pushing players out before giving them a chance. Adams/Akok/Springs are the only scholarship guys I can think of that have left but they were still here for years (not sure about the Greek and Israeli). Lotta posters starting to sound like entitled Duke and UK fans that don’t give a second thought to kicking players to the curb. Hurley has crushed the transfer portal why not wait until we know for sure at least 2 of Liam and Ball/Stew are leaving? If a starting F is the missing piece to 4peating id rather get an experienced player than a frosh anyways

If 2 of Liam, Ball, and Stewart aren’t in the draft next year, then that does not bode well for the kind of season the team would have, in my opinion. We should all hope at least two of those guys emerge to that level to help pick up the scoring slack left by the departures.

 

[auror]

4 freshmen in your top 8 rotation makes you awfully young for a championship contender in the transfer portal era. The last 2 years, none of the Final Four had more than 2 freshmen in their end of season rotation. Even without COVID seniors next year, teams will still grab veterans from midmajors and the resource-lacking high majors.

You can take 4 freshman, but taking top 50 guys means they expect to be in the rotation. If they're not, they'll leave anyways, so you don't gain much benefit from having them. So taking a 4th top 50 guy has a big opportunity cost. 3 and a development guy is much better than 4 top 50 guys IMO.

 

[bendm]

If 2 of Liam, Ball, and Stewart aren’t in the draft next year, then that does not bode well for the kind of season the team would have, in my opinion. We should all hope at least two of those guys emerge to that level to help pick up the scoring slack left by the departures.

I expect Alex and Liam to get drafted. Only 2 guys got drafted after winning the chip in 23 and Sanogo signed as an undrafted FA. It’s also possible Ball and Stew could go in the 2nd round but choose to come back like Alex just did

 

[Son of Robert]

I see Bundalo/a unicorn as a necessary piece to be a top 5 team in the chase for championships vs being one of 15-20 teams with a chance. I prefer taking him

Nico Bundalo would give us real height at the 4, and a legit skillset inside and outside the lane. A tandem of Bundalo and either Reed or Reibe at the 5 has the potential to be pretty dominating on both sides of the floor. It's a game changer.

 

[TheHorde]

I expect Alex and Liam to get drafted. Only 2 guys got drafted after winning the chip in 23 and Sanogo signed as an undrafted FA. It’s also possible Ball and Stew could go in the 2nd round but choose to come back like Alex just did

Definitely possible. I’m hoping one of Ball or Stewart emerges to be a 13+ point scorer and could become a 1st round consensus pick though not necessarily a lottery pick. I see Alex’s scoring going up maybe from 13 to 16 points a game. For the team to get to where we want them to be I feel like one of these two guys needs to pair with Alex and Liam to carry the scoring burden. And I see less production this year at the center position, not more.

 

[Stasher599]

So put me in the corner of trusting Hurley and not worrying about the number of scholarships available or if someone is going to get their feelings hurt because we have too many shootings guards.
If these highschool kids want to bleed blue and experience the best culture and college basketball coaches available to them I will be more than happy to welcome them with open arms.

I absolutely loved Cam and Joey C and every other transfer that thrived in our system but I really love watching freshman on their journey to become legends at UConn. Seeing someone develop and buy into Hurley’s philosophy is just so amazing to follow from a far like us fans is a real pleasure.

 

[BGesus4]

4 freshmen in your top 8 rotation makes you awfully young for a championship contender in the transfer portal era. The last 2 years, none of the Final Four had more than 2 freshmen in their end of season rotation. Even without COVID seniors next year, teams will still grab veterans from midmajors and the resource-lacking high majors.

You can take 4 freshman, but taking top 50 guys means they expect to be in the rotation. If they're not, they'll leave anyways, so you don't gain much benefit from having them. So taking a 4th top 50 guy has a big opportunity cost. 3 and a development guy is much better than 4 top 50 guys IMO.

This was my thought initially and then I realized one of the few victory laps left for Hurley to take is to win a freshman-based championship in this era, essentially telling squid and scheyer to suck it

 

[Iluvsuebird]

4 freshmen in your top 8 rotation makes you awfully young for a championship contender in the transfer portal era. The last 2 years, none of the Final Four had more than 2 freshmen in their end of season rotation. Even without COVID seniors next year, teams will still grab veterans from midmajors and the resource-lacking high majors.

You can take 4 freshman, but taking top 50 guys means they expect to be in the rotation. If they're not, they'll leave anyways, so you don't gain much benefit from having them. So taking a 4th top 50 guy has a big opportunity cost. 3 and a development guy is much better than 4 top 50 guys IMO.

I see the point, but even under that scenario (assuming Liam, Solo, and Stewart all go to the league) we would be returning two point guards (aidan and Ahmad), plus Ross and Abraham. That is a solid nucleus by which to anchor a young team

 

[bendm]

For the team to get to where we want them to be I feel like one of these two guys needs to pair with Alex and Liam to carry the scoring burden.

Agreed but I think Mahaney will average 14ppg off the bench and be our 3rd leading scorer

 

[TheHorde]

I think Mahaney will average 14ppg off the bench and be our 3rd leading scorer

I’ll take the under

 

[bendm]

I’ll take the under

Hurley said he wants Aidan to hit his scoring average from the last 2 years but with fewer shot attempts/better efficiency

 

[navery12]

I'm beginning to think some of you people aren't happy without something to complain about. We could have the #1 class in the country and some of you would still complain about the guys we didn't get

 

[Mooch82]

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

How do we know this? I understand they’re different players, but it doesn’t make sense that Hurley would only be recruiting 2 guys for 2 spots if he was adamant about bringing in two guys at the 4/5. He still may - but from my perspective he wanted to make sure he landed one of them, and if we get two, that’s just gravy.