Open Schollie

[Com'rGordon]

 

[FlockOfLambs]

 

[elmcityboy]

wow!! the grind continues

 

[TopDogs]

 

[superjohn]

Sadly his playing days are done but good way to get a start on a coaching career. He's a good kid and others are drawn to him.

 

[imno1]

Feel bad for MD but maybe coaching is in his future. Someone is definitely filling that scholarship.

 

[kansashusky]

Valdir or bust.

Sucks for Mo. Great kid that could have really flourished in the college game. Glad he will still be close to program and gets to go to school for free.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Sad for him. Seems like a good kid and his toughness would have been useful over the past couple years. Will be happy to see him get his degree, and maybe a year totally off will give him a chance to play out a final year as a grad transfer a la Spike Albrecht

 

[Pgh2Storrs]

I feel awful for Diarra. He would have been such a fun player to watch develop and would’ve brought the toughness/rebounding that we’ve been begging for since Shonn Miller left.

A lot of programs would’ve pushed him out earlier or not worked terribly hard to find a solution where the player sticks around. I realize it’s frustrating at times, but we’re incredibly lucky to have Dan Hurley and this staff steering the ship.

 

[superjohn]

Sad for him. Seems like a good kid and his toughness would have been useful over the past couple years. Will be happy to see him get his degree, and maybe a year totally off will give him a chance to play out a final year as a grad transfer a la Spike Albrecht

He's finished playing basketball.

 

[WrenchFan69]

He's finished playing basketball.

So was Albrecht until he wasn't

 

[BFieldHusky]

He's finished playing basketball.

This is it. The medical staff apparently told him he wouldn't be able to walk normally in 5-10 years if he kept playing.

 

[Kenny11]

All Respect to Big Mama!

 

[Chin Diesel]

Glad to see he is staying in the program. Hopefully UConn can start looking for a big to replace him. Not sure how much readily available talent is out there.

This solidifies the need for Vital to be the key weapon for next year's team, correct?

 

[Com'rGordon]

Soooooo Manuel or Big Cliff?

 

[auror]

This solidifies the need for Vital to be the key weapon for next year's team, correct?

Por que?

 

[BFieldHusky]

They have one guy in mind and are working to make that happen. But if not, they will most likely bank the scholarship and have 3 for 2020-2021. They won't reach for a big in this class (19).

 

[WrenchFan69]

They have one guy in mind and are working to make that happen. But if not, they will most likely bank the scholarship and have 3 for 2020-2021. They won't reach for a big in this class (19).

Can't say which guy that is?

 

[kansashusky]

Can't say which guy that is?

It has been the same guy for a month. Valdir Manuel

 

[Towney007]

What a cool way to open his scholarship up - and a great opportunity for him to be around the team and still get his education taken care of.

 

[huskymedic]

David Borges @DaveBorges 2 minutes ago
Just spoke with Mamadou Diarra, who says he's content with his decision and felt #UConn coaching staff handled situation great. "I decided to make the decision now, where I had an opportunity to start a new career path and stay with the program that I love."

 

[tcf15]

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

This is the best possible scenario for all parties for an unfortunate situation.

Too bad, Mo could have turned into a great UConn player if not for health and other circumstances.

 

[FartMan69]

Not a horrible internship at least

 

[GoDAWGS]

I love the move by Hurley, let the young man make a decision and kept him in the program and is allowing him to build good life skills and get a great education from a great university, and opening up a coaching path for him. This is only a good look for us and may pay dividends down the road for recruiting!

 

[HooperScooper]

“A couple of years down the line, I don’t know how much my knees could hold up,” he said. “It’s almost to the point of bone-on-bone right now. I decided to make the decision now, where I had the opportunity to start a new career path and stay with a program I love.”

UConn forward Mamadou Diarra will end playing career, remain with team as student assistant coach

Chronic knee issues that robbed Mamadou Diarra of the bulk of his college playing career...

www.nhregister.com

 

[JimHurley]

Valdir Manuel or hold the scholarship. I’d rather get a good 2020 recruit than fill the remaining scholarship for 2019 just for the sake of filling it.

 

[UConnStats]

Valdir Manuel or hold the scholarship. I’d rather get a good 2020 recruit than fill the remaining scholarship for 2019 just for the sake of filling it.

Spoiler: They won't eat the scholarship after going through the effort to free one up

 

[DadBod24]

Between the Borges article quoting Espinosa saying “I give UConn a lot of credit” in regards to how this situation was handled and the brand consultant, I say this: Hurley is showing how much he cares through action and the groundwork is there for a return to relevance in a significant way. Can’t wait.

 

[Stainmaster]

Between the Borges article quoting Espinosa saying “I give UConn a lot of credit” in regards to how this situation was handled and the brand consultant, I say this: Hurley is showing how much he cares through action and the groundwork is there for a return to relevance in a significant way. Can’t wait.

Turns out running people off with an iron fist might not be the only way to manage a program.