2024 Recruiting: One more potential add?

[Mr. French]

This. I think we’ve done a great job replacing (at least) four starters and making ourselves competitive again. And teams win basketball games, not individual players. But I’m hard pressed to see how we’re going to be as good with the present roster (even with AK) as we were the last two years.

I think this roster is shaping up pretty comparably to any roster we’ve had.

We’ll never be the same as we were with Clingan. But a top 2 seed should be expected with our current makeup.

 

[tower1]

Maybe something like.

Diarra(25)-Mahaney(15)
Liam(25)-Mahaney(10)-Solo(5)
Stewart(25)-Solo(15)
Alex(30)-Ross or Abraham(10)
Center(20)-Center(20)

Nowell could push Solo and Ross/Abraham for the 9th spot, but I think a lineup like this fits our personnel better. Really depends on Liam and/or Stewart’s ability to be a support ball handler.

Steward and Solo could be our weak spot unless they have improved from last season. The shooting and ball handling .

 

[bendm]

The only difference between Ross and Stewart is 10 pounds.

Luka doncic is big enough to play PF too but that doesn’t mean he is one, he’s an PG and Ross is a wing. And Im not 100% sold on stew as our starting PF to begin with.

 

[Samoo]

I’m starting to think Mahaney might be a super sub 6th man next year, playing close to starters minutes. I just think it would make more sense given our personnel.

Coming in with Nowell - the pair subbing out Hass and Solo? Probably as potent as the starters by the end of the season. Danny's playing with chess pieces and everyone else's are flat, red and black.

 

[KingAG]

You think Stewart showed enough to easily say he could fill in for AK and average 10 plus a game? I think he can rebound and defend as well but we haven’t seen the offense.

Post like this are gonna look incredibly dumb in a years time

 

[Huskyforlife]

Coming in with Nowell - the pair subbing out Hass and Solo? Probably as potent as the starters by the end of the season. Danny's playing with chess pieces and everyone else's are flat, red and black.

The depth of this team is outstanding. I'd pay to watch practice.

 

[tower1]

bendm said:
i really dont like seeing ross as our backup PF. he's 6'7 190 lbs soaking wet. closer to a 2 than a 4.

Your argument was that he was too light. I said he can gain 10+easily over the summer. He may not be a PF, but then don’t say it’s because of weight

He is too light for PF and 10 lbs doesn't do him much good either. He needs the strength too ! He can do it on the off season If he works really hard on it.

 

[JohnnyJr]

Post like this are gonna look incredibly dumb in a years time

We have a lot of question marks going into the season especially if AK is gone. To assume all the freshman and sophomores aren’t gonna have issues is incredibly dumb.

 

[Tenspro2002]

kill me. just do it. i cant take any more

You know, Samson Johnson showed some perimeter skills a few years ago. I think we could pencil him in for a few minutes at the 3 to really throw off the opponent.

 

[ec33]

Steph Castle never played college ball and he was plugged right in, that's what happens with the most talented players. This isn't the 1960's, there's no more freshman teams.

And Karaban started as a freshman the year before (although Alex did have time on campus, it was a different offense).

McNeeley comes in better prepared to excel at college basketball than either of them did. People are just not understanding how good he is going to be offensively.

If Stewart makes the jump to force McNeeley out of the lineup (meaning Karaban is back), the 2024 team's MOV record is going to be short lived.

 

[ec33]

You know, Samson Johnson showed some perimeter skills a few years ago. I think we could pencil him in for a few minutes at the 3 to really throw off the opponent.

The 3 and 4 are essentially interchangeable and Samson did spend is first two years here as a 4, so I can see it.

 

[upstater]

You think Stewart showed enough to easily say he could fill in for AK and average 10 plus a game? I think he can rebound and defend as well but we haven’t seen the offense.

A HS All-Star game or HS games in general are not more telling than actually playing in college. In the NCAAT I saw Stewart come in and make some explosive athletic plays that reminded me of the energy that Andre Jackson brought to the team.

 

[upstater]

Steph Castle never played college ball and he was plugged right in, that's what happens with the most talented players. This isn't the 1960's, there's no more freshman teams.

There are so many McDs and Jordan Brand guys who don't have Castle's impact. Most of them, in fact. Castle was deemed as the cream of the class by a lot of kids who played against him

 

[KingAG]

We have a lot of question marks going into the season especially if AK is gone. To assume all the freshman and sophomores aren’t gonna have issues is incredibly dumb.

I said what I said

 

[DemonDeac22]

Why are we spending all this time speculating on the amount of playing time per player when Hurley has not even completed his roster? Nor has he seen them all on the floor, running the offense, jelling as teammates and learning to play team defense together.

I’ll pass on premature speculation. Let’s just sit back and enjoy watching Hurley complete his roster build and give him time to develop the 2024-2025 team.

 

[Connecticut13]

Why are we spending all this time speculating on the amount of playing time per player when Hurley has not even completed his roster? Nor has he seen them all on the floor, running the offense, jelling as teammates and learning to play team defense together.

I’ll pass on premature speculation. Let’s just sit back and enjoy watching Hurley complete his roster build and give him time to develop the 2024-2025 team.

Because it’s the off season and we have nothing better to do?

 

[jibsey]

Speculating on PT is a waste of time, but if you’ve got nothing better to do go at it. The reason for that is that we don’t have any idea just how good some of the freshman from last year and this year will be. Their backgrounds and limited looks from last season point to the possibility that several could be emerging superstars for UConn.
If we asked Hurley to list the minutes he expects to play everyone he would laugh in our faces.

 

[DemonDeac22]

Because it’s the off season and we have nothing better to do?

Put the electronics down and spend some time in New England spring weather. That’s something lol.

 

[DemonDeac22]

Speculating on PT is a waste of time, but if you’ve got nothing better to do go at it. The reason for that is that we don’t have any idea just how good some of the freshman from last year and this year will be. Their backgrounds and limited looks from last season point to the possibility that several could be emerging superstars for UConn.
If we asked Hurley to list the minutes he expects to play everyone he would laugh in our faces.

He may even wave a couple of cut-down championship nets in our faces while laughing…

 

[Ricker]

I think I'll give more weight to Karaban's prediction that Stewart can be All Big East next year, vs the opinion of some boneyarders that haven't been shown enough. Whether that prediction holds true or not, it speaks to what Stewart has shown to Alex, who has faced plenty of good players to make his evaluation worthy.

 

[LandOtter]

If projecting starters and projecting minutes is fun, by all means let ‘er rip. Just remember, most coaching staffs run systems, while we are blessed with a staff that runs adaptable concepts. No one outside of that facility has any idea what this team will look like next season or what direction the staff will take them (and even the staff won’t have a good pulse on that until October). Enjoy that ride.

 

[speckle]

We can’t afford omier’s salary

Yeah that tracks. Anyone know the range, $750k+? Could be a difference maker for someone.

 

[UConniki]

So we win a couple games by single digits, no worries.

But everybody know that Hurley can’t win close games or so it’s been said about a million times on here, (plus he’s out of practice since we haven’t had to play in one in a couple of years).

 

[mets1090]

Put the electronics down and spend some time in New England spring weather. That’s something lol.

It's mostly 55 degrees and somewhat rainy. I'll take the electronics for now.

 

[bendm]

The 3 and 4 are essentially interchangeable and Samson did spend is first two years here as a 4, so I can see it.

@Tenspro2002 was obviously joking but I can’t tell if you are

 

[3rdbass]

AK stayed in front of Eddy for 8 minutes to bring home #6. I bet that has a big psychological effect on him.

Yeah besides Edey who he had no chance. LOL!

 

[navery12]

You think Stewart showed enough to easily say he could fill in for AK and average 10 plus a game? I think he can rebound and defend as well but we haven’t seen the offense.

Yes, without question. They could and did show that last year already. Just because they were the 8th and 9th men on a championship team that didn't need their scoring doesn't mean it wasn't there. They both showed flashes of that during games we needed them to step up

 

[MrSec238]

Yeah that tracks. Anyone know the range, $750k+? Could be a difference maker for someone.

I think its safe to say its substantially more than this.

 

[UCfor3]

Yes, without question. They could and did show that last year already. Just because they were the 8th and 9th men on a championship team that didn't need their scoring doesn't mean it wasn't there. They both showed flashes of that during games we needed them to step up

Exactly. Hass was the 9th guy the previous year and he made a huge jump this past year. Stewart and Ball have even more raw talent and that frosh to soph improvement is usually a considerable one.

 

[DemonDeac22]

It's mostly 55 degrees and somewhat rainy. I'll take the electronics for now.

The sun will come up, tomorrow…enjoy your meaningless speculation madness in the meantime.