Pitino at the Half

[Chin Diesel]

How many teams have two top 5 draft pick level talents? Last years team was not normal. A 7’2 unicorn is not walking through that door. Using that team as a formula for success will lead to disappointment.

And the class we’re trying to move on from now was a top 5 class. Nowell is top 30.

We can’t keep trying to move on from non-McD lottery picks because we fail to develop them

No, but a 7' McD's AA is walking through that door and it's high probability he is more productive then either C on this year's roster.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

No, but a 7' McD's AA is walking through that door and it's high probability he is more productive then either C on this year's roster.

I’d be shocked if he’s a starter next year.

Tarris is going to be a beast getting the 30 mins a game he should’ve been getting.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I’d be shocked if he’s a starter next year.

Tarris is going to be a beast next year getting the 30 mins a game he should’ve been getting.

Of this I'll agree. The combination of Reed Jr and Reibe will be more impactful than this year's combo at C. How the ratio of that effectiveness is divided up between TRJ and Reibe is of less concern to me.

And no way in hell is Reed getting 30 mpg next year. That's an LOL bad take.

 

[bendm]

Right now I see two starting spots on next years team wide open

Are you assuming AK comes back? Because if not than I see 3, although Mullins has his name on one of them. Reeds lack of PT recently has me wondering as well.

 

[RuffRuff]

Of this I'll agree. The combination of Reed Jr and Reibe will be more impactful than this year's combo at C. How the ratio of that effectiveness is divided up between TRJ and Reibe is of less concern to me.

And no way in hell is Reed getting 30 mpg next year. That's an LOL bad take.

There is something about Reed that gives Hurley indigestion, let’s see if he can work that out. I can easily see Reibe getting big minutes if he plays smart and does the little things well (picks, hedges, passing).

And no, do not see AK coming back after experiencing this year. At all.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Are you assuming AK comes back? Because if not than I see 3, although Mullins has his name on one of them

There will be at least four new starters next season- PG, C, PF, and SF.

 

[Chin Diesel]

There is something about Reed that gives Hurley indigestion, let’s see if he can work that out. I can easily see Reibe getting big minutes if he plays smart and does the little things well (picks, hedges, passing).

Well, those are all the reason that will max him out at 25 mpg......along with fouling since Hurley's defensive schemes will make him play aggressively 25-30 feet from the hoop. No one on this board doubts his rebounding ability and scoring ability around the rim. They're both impressive.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Of this I'll agree. The combination of Reed Jr and Reibe will be more impactful than this year's combo at C. How the ratio of that effectiveness is divided up between TRJ and Reibe is of less concern to me.

And no way in hell is Reed getting 30 mpg next year. That's an LOL bad take.

30 mins may be a lot. I agree Reibe should be good off the bench for us.

Whether it’s Clingan’s type of impact we’ll see. Clingan was a generationally special college player.

 

[gsmooth]

I’d be shocked if he’s a starter next year.

Tarris is going to be a beast getting the 30 mins a game he should’ve been getting.

In order for Reed Jr. to get 30 min/game, he has to learn to stop committing bad fouls with frequency and improve his PnR defense (maybe that means more drop coverage). I would like the coaching staff to draw up more plays to get him the ball, however. The staff has not done the best job in keeping Reed Jr. engaged.

 

[dennismenace]

Val is probably gonna fine him for his potty mouth.

Somewhere Coach Knight is smiling on this.

 

[dennismenace]

Yeah. Not saying that. I’m pretty much saying I preferred a coach that told me I was slow, dumb, lazy or not good enough to one that questioned how I was raised. My coach was a prack.

And the job of a parent isn't to think they are raising a D1 basketball player. If one does decide to go for D1 hoops though it is a foregone conclusion that you are going to be severely challenged. If you join the army or marines you can be sure that you are going to be pushed very hard because everyone has to depend on each other in order to survive. I don't think his talk is a putdown on anyone's parents as much as a take on how he looks at life and you can take it or leave it. That's who he is. There are times in life when this talk is spot on. He's on my all time nemesis list.

 

[mauconnfan]

No, but a 7' McD's AA is walking through that door and it's high probability he is more productive then either C on this year's roster.

Not if they don’t throw him the ball, like we’ve seen. Can’t be of much impact if they don’t get you the ball in scoring position and they don’t do good job of that especially with Reed. He earns most of his points on offensive rebounds.

 

[jibsey]

I’d be shocked if he’s a starter next year.

Tarris is going to be a beast getting the 30 mins a game he should’ve been getting.

Many here said Clingan before he came here that he wasn’t going to be that good.

 

[businesslawyer]

I still think Calhoun’s philosophy of playing guys off the bench early as freshmen with solidified roles to grow in, let them take the mantle as sophomores, and then bud completely as juniors can still work in this day and age.

Begging and pleading for Hurley to start giving these freshmen solidified roles to get their feet wet so we don’t see messes like this year where the sophomore group pretty much loom like freshmen.

We were dominant national champions last year. The thought that we shouldn’t have been as good as we were last year because he should have been worried about the following year — especially in a day and age where every player you develop could get a huge NIL offer and leave anyway — is truly absurd.

 

[UCan3]

I still think Calhoun’s philosophy of playing guys off the bench early as freshmen with solidified roles to grow in, let them take the mantle as sophomores, and then bud completely as juniors can still work in this day and age.

Begging and pleading for Hurley to start giving these freshmen solidified roles to get their feet wet so we don’t see messes like this year where the sophomore group pretty much loom like freshmen.

I said it before but I would have loved to seen Hurley pull a Calhoun and sub out the entire starting 5 for bench players the other day.

Especially on the inbounds pass - why not go the bench. Oh, they’d be cold you say? These guys practice dozens of hours every week - they would have been fine.

I think Hurley has been spoiled - like we all have - with this pre-NBA roster. That’s not our team this year. We’ve got some (not all) players - nothing against them - but college BB is probably the end of the road for basketball. That’s okay… That’s the situation for most teams In D1.

We have to adjust - play with the team you have - not the one you’d like to have.

And Pitino’s speech reflects the team - he’s got it ingrained in them. Hate St John’s or not, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen such a tenacious team - those dudes are “locked in!”

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Many here said Clingan before he came here that he wasn’t going to be that good.

I was one of them. Mad egg on the face there. Not saying that with Reibe. Just don’t think he starts as a freshman.

We were dominant national champions last year. The thought that we shouldn’t have been as good as we were last year because he should have been worried about the following year — especially in a day and age where every player you develop could get a huge NIL offer and leave anyway — is truly absurd.

Idk who said anything about last year. Anybody with two eyes can see we were great last year.

If you weren’t drunk on Hurley can do anything kool-aid you can see we weren’t going to be as good this year either.

 

[djct1999]

I still think Calhoun’s philosophy of playing guys off the bench early as freshmen with solidified roles to grow in, let them take the mantle as sophomores, and then bud completely as juniors can still work in this day and age.

Begging and pleading for Hurley to start giving these freshmen solidified roles to get their feet wet so we don’t see messes like this year where the sophomore group pretty much loom like freshmen.

The game has evolved. We have hall of fame coaches like Pitino saying he will never recruit freshmen again and you want Hurley to play kids who aren’t ready. Come on. Stop w this. It’s UConn. Look at Liam. If a freshmen is good enough, he can have an impact immediately. If not, well, I guess you have guys on a message board pleading their case.

 

[djct1999]

In order for Reed Jr. to get 30 min/game, he has to learn to stop committing bad fouls with frequency and improve his PnR defense (maybe that means more drop coverage). I would like the coaching staff to draw up more plays to get him the ball, however. The staff has not done the best job in keeping Reed Jr. engaged.

The only way Reed plays 30 mins a game is if the ncaa changes the foul rule to 10 a game

I like Reed a lot. Think he brings a lot. Is great w using his body. Only issue is defensively, his feet are really slow. Will be a beast for us next year but Riebe will contribute.

 

[businesslawyer]

If you weren’t drunk on Hurley can do anything kool-aid you can see we weren’t going to be as good this year either.

Fully agree with this. We were vastly overrated coming into the season based on our roster.

 

[UCan3]

We were dominant national champions last year. The thought that we shouldn’t have been as good as we were last year because he should have been worried about the following year — especially in a day and age where every player you develop could get a huge NIL offer and leave anyway — is truly absurd.

I think the 3-peat talk - started by Dan - was not a great way to go into this season. I would have rather seen him more humble out of the gate. In practice, that’s fine but public advertising, think got us and our opponents a bit over juiced.

But that talk didn’t lose the game for us at Seton Hall.

The only plus to this season thus far aside from some nice wins, is we’ve faced our worst fears. We can now play without the weight of expectations - play the best we can to finish up the season.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Fully agree with this. We were vastly overrated coming into the season based on our roster.

Yup, and it’s okay to not win a championship every year. Some years you may just not have the horses.

I like the transfer portal for years where you feel you are a piece or two away after you have a solid core already. But I hate the idea of building a core through the transfer portal which is what’s being talked about now.

We recruit HS talent better than we ever had. Focus should be developing those guys as best as possible and then adding transfers to compliment them. Not compete.

 

[SubbaBub]

It’s sorta refreshing to hear a coach by so candid about how he recruits in this era. But man do I hate to hear the lack of connection involved with recruiting now. Wish there was some kind of middle ground.

Let's be honest. If you want to be a top program why would you recruit HS guys who aren't going to play right away unless you think they will develop quickly or be 4 year glue guys?

The potential to turn the roster over every season is the new reality.

It's kind of like the Let's Make a Deal logic problem where you pick one of 3 doors, one is revealed as empty and given a chance do you switch your original choice. Absent other info, logic says you should. Your original pick was 1 in 3 but you switching to the changed the odds to 1 in 2.

Why take a flyer on a HS kid if you can get an experienced player from the portal. The odds of getting what you need are better in the portal if you can navigate the evaluation and roster management aspects.

 

[05Alum]

The only way Reed plays 30 mins a game is if the ncaa changes the foul rule to 10 a game

I like Reed a lot. Think he brings a lot. Is great w using his body. Only issue is defensively, his feet are really slow. Will be a beast for us next year but Riebe will contribute.

I wouldn't be surprised that Reed is one of the players Hurley is vaguely referencing regarding having one foot out the door. He likely hasn't played as much as he expected to play this year, and with Riebe next year he might see that trend continue. I wouldn't bank on Reed being here next year.

 

[RuffRuff]

How many teams have two top 5 draft pick level talents? Last years team was not normal. A 7’2 unicorn is not walking through that door. Using that team as a formula for success will lead to disappointment.

And the class we’re trying to move on from now was a top 5 class. Nowell is top 30.

We can’t keep trying to move on from non-McD lottery picks because we fail to develop them

I don't think the solution is moving on prematurely with regularity, it's not overdoing roster spots on developmental high school recruits. Why even put yourself in the situation of pushing kids out? It's not something you want to do more than you have to as it has an odor. Unless you see something really under the radar unique about an 80th ranked HS recruit, pass.

Take Jayden for instance - he wasn't even recruited by top programs, list was George Mason, Temple, Penn State. Why bring him in? Let him go to Temple, watch him for 1-2 years and if you see something, grab him in the portal, as you have the relationship. There is literally no reason for Uconn to recruit low 4 stars under Hurley. Save it for a minted college contributor.

I'm not sure what ends up happening with Nowell and I hope it works out. It's great that he is a gritty Philly PG, but also not sure what we were doing recruiting little guards for this system. It made me wonder when we were actively recruiting Acaden Lewis when we were anticipating Nowell/Mahaney as PG's for 2026. Please no one splash the Kemba/Shabazz bologna.

This season was a hope & a prayer when you look back on it. Much more on the coaching staff being genius that it was on the roster itself. Bruce Pearl is by no means a genius. Talent wins, every time.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I don't think the solution is moving on prematurely with regularity, it's not overdoing roster spots on developmental high school recruits. Why even put yourself in the situation of pushing kids out? It's not something you want to do more than you have to as it has an odor. Unless you see something really under the radar unique about an 80th ranked HS recruit, pass.

Take Jayden for instance - he wasn't even recruited by top programs, list was George Mason, Temple, Penn State. Why bring him in? Let him go to Temple, watch him for 1-2 years and if you see something, grab him in the portal, as you have the relationship. There is literally no reason for Uconn to recruit low 4 stars under Hurley. Save it for a minted college contributor.

I'm not sure what ends up happening with Nowell and I hope it works out. It's great that he is a gritty Philly PG, but also not sure what we were doing recruiting little guards for this system. It made me wonder when we were actively recruiting Acaden Lewis when we were anticipating Nowell/Mahaney as PG's for 2026. Please no one splash the Kemba/Shabazz bologna.

This season was a hope & a prayer when you look back on it. Much more on the coaching staff being genius that it was on the roster itself. Bruce Pearl is by no means a genius. Talent wins, every time.

Ross was rated as high as top 50 by On3. He was a gem of a find. They are only a problem when the staff refuses to actually use these guys.

If Nowell, Abraham, and Ross got the kind of opportunity Mahaney had to prove themselves this wouldn’t be an issue. But only transfers are allowed to have the rope to actually develop in this program these days.

Everyone else has to earn it in practice first and be spot up 3 point shooters before earning more responsibility.