Qudus Announcing Decision on the 30th

[jibsey]

When does the drought for a big man end?

 

[Chief00]

When does the drought for a big man end?

When we bring Clyde V back - LOL

 

[Walker11]

Last big man we lost to Georgetown was Jessie Govan.... who's averaging 20 and 8 his senior year.

Don't get us started.

 

[yukonfan4]

Probably not safe to assume we can get the best grad transfer big in the country.

plenty of criticism to go around even when one is trying to positively spin things lol. but i didn't say we'd get nico, i said a guy "like" him. i can be hopeful we get a good grad transfer cant i? it's looking more and more like that's the only realistic hope we have left for this recruiting class.

 

[UConnStats]

Don't get us started.

Lol no lie, I had the same exact sentence typed out when I saw this.

plenty of criticism to go around even when one is trying to positively spin things lol. but i didn't say we'd get nico, i said a guy "like" him. i can be hopeful we get a good grad transfer cant i?

I'm definitely hoping for that too, but IMO we'll need both a freshman and a good grad transfer. Ideally at this point, that freshman is Wahab.

 

[Towney007]

Agree, that should not be underestimated nor should the appeal Ewing may have with some coaches, parents and even mentors. Where Chief grew up John Thompson and Patrick Ewing were known and respected.

Yeah I don't doubt it.

I guess i'm breaking with the sentiment here. I actually feel good about it. I'm a big fan of what guys do as to what we think they'll do and when the Kofi thing started to show cracks, the timing of his announcement and all of it... I think the interest is really, really genuine on his part.

He's mentioned multiple times that we've got a plan, a very specific path for him, etc - and for most kids - that's what they're looking for. "We'll start here, to get there, get there and you'll have a chance to do X. How fast that happens is up to them." Kids like that and I think Hurley and co. are pretty prepared group.

Everything on Georgetown has been Ewing, Ewing, Ewing - and it should be.

So I mean - it's really a choice of developmental plans at this point, two good options. It's a tough choice. I don't know what i'd do if I was him. It's a wash. So I think that's why he's taking his time and letting the feeling more or less come to him.

Kids are gonna do what they're gonna do - so as long as the case is made, there's an honest, real plan laid out for them and we're showing up and showing that we want them... That's all you can ask. We've got as good a shot as anyone right now. It's a grind, but you do this with enough guys, you hit critical mass and it starts to fall for you. And then eventually you get to a point where the grind isn't as rough and these kids start coming to you.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

The last 3 big man (Cobb, onuaruh, yakwe) transfers uconn struck out on. All of them seem to be a similar mold, ie. Big and physical but lacking in every other regard and with minimal success at their current programs. Hopefully uconn will try to avoid these guys even if we’re desperate again next season as they’ve added close to nothing in each season, with the slight exception of Cobb. Would rather have another experienced guard type (assuming we won’t get another Tarin smith talent) but someone to count on to not make dumb plays coming off the bench in case of injuries

 

[yukonfan4]

but someone to count on to not make dumb plays coming off the bench in case of injuries

talk about low expectations....in hurley's defense he had to scramble just to get yakwe and then yakwe got hurt after starting to show some signs of life. confident he can land a better big man transfer this time around.

 

[upstater]

The last 3 big man (Cobb, onuaruh, yakwe) transfers uconn struck out on. All of them seem to be a similar mold, ie. Big and physical but lacking in every other regard and with minimal success at their current programs. Hopefully uconn will try to avoid these guys even if we’re desperate again next season as they’ve added close to nothing in each season, with the slight exception of Cobb. Would rather have another experienced guard type (assuming we won’t get another Tarin smith talent) but someone to count on to not make dumb plays coming off the bench in case of injuries

But before those 3 it was Shonn Miller!

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

talk about low expectations....in hurley's defense he had to scramble just to get yakwe and then yakwe got hurt after starting to show some signs of life. confident he can land a better big man transfer this time around.

Yup all I’m saying is that worst case scenario, would rather have pretty much anything than another raw big man!

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

But before those 3 it was Shonn Miller!

Agreed! And wasn’t shonn Miller like ivy player of the year or something like that? Wouldn’t mind another one of him....

 

[uconngb]

You mean like the back-court of Adams and Gilbert that is similarly dysfunctional? KO's biggest recruiting problem was roster construction. He brought in guys that weren't really COMPLEMENTARY to each other and then struggled to find lineups that worked.

FIFY
Another pet peeve. I don't think you meant to say they didn't say nice things to each other, I think you meant to say they didn't gel well together. Sorry for the correction, it just gets misused so many times. Like literally gets misused literally like a million times!!

As for the relevant topic, objectively this is a tough one. You have the Ewing factor and potentially the Georgetown factor (and I'm sorry, whoever said UConn's business school is superior to Georgetown's is smoking crack........and I went to UConn's). Plus the whole conference thing, which I personally think does make a difference. (We're playing Tulsa tonight in a conference game. TULSA!!). 100% hope I'm wrong.

 

[Stainmaster]

Karim Couliably just cut his list to Pitt and St. Joe's, and the Hawks have already signed a similarly sized big. Not sure how relevant that is to us here, but worth noting.

 

[UconnU]

Karim Couliably just cut his list to Pitt and St. Joe's, and the Hawks have already signed a similarly sized big. Not sure how relevant that is to us here, but worth noting.

Probably doesnt affect Pitt’s recruitment of Wahab. I’m sure they are/will sell Wahab on playing alongside him. In practice it’s probably hard to play the 2 of them together as the vast majority of college teams are now opting to go with a single low post presence and 4 out. Something we can do because Akok is more of a perimeter piece.

 

[intlzncster]

Karim Couliably just cut his list to Pitt and St. Joe's, and the Hawks have already signed a similarly sized big. Not sure how relevant that is to us here, but worth noting.

Maybe it's residual shell shock, but my gut is telling me Couliably to Pitt...and Qudus to Georgetown.

 

[businesslawyer]

The last 3 big man (Cobb, onuaruh, yakwe) transfers uconn struck out on. All of them seem to be a similar mold, ie. Big and physical but lacking in every other regard and with minimal success at their current programs. Hopefully uconn will try to avoid these guys even if we’re desperate again next season as they’ve added close to nothing in each season, with the slight exception of Cobb. Would rather have another experienced guard type (assuming we won’t get another Tarin smith talent) but someone to count on to not make dumb plays coming off the bench in case of injuries

Listen -- it certainly looks like Cobb's overall career here is going to end as a giant disappointment, but given the positives we've seen from him you can't blame the coaches for giving him a shot. He clearly has physical talents. Just can't learn from his mistakes.

Both Onuaruh and Yakwe were simply using open schollies that weren't going to be filled with a 4 year player any way to grab a body that maybe would help and maybe wouldn't, but in neither case would we have been better off not giving them the chance. These weren't bad decisions. The problem was we had open roster slots to fill and no better options at the end of the day to fill them with.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Best case scenario would be signing wahab now, and adding a solid grad transfer big. Let’s just hope wahab sees his path to playing time here.

 

[UconnU]

Best case scenario would be signing wahab now, and adding a solid grad transfer big. Let’s just hope wahab sees his path to playing time here.

I think staff is still trying to land Precious. I know Kimani is very close with him and his mentor Oz Cross. If we can get him on an official, which seems likely, anything can happen.

 

[yukonfan4]

Maybe it's residual shell shock, but my gut is telling me Couliably to Pitt...and Qudus to Georgetown.

I think staff is still trying to land Precious. I know Kimani is very close with him and his mentor Oz Cross. If we can get him on an official, which seems likely, anything can happen.

i just got a serious case of emotional whiplash.

i assumed once precious transferred high schools our odds of getting him really dropped, just like with kofi.

 

[huskyfan224]

If we land Wahab it becomes pretty simple on who to put the full court press on.....Precious.

 

[intlzncster]

i just got a serious case of emotional whiplash.

i assumed once precious transferred high schools our odds of getting him really dropped, just like with kofi.

Zionn 'next'd precious so don't get your hopes up.

 

[yukonfan4]

Maybe it's residual shell shock, but my gut is telling me Couliably to Pitt...and Qudus to Georgetown.

Zionn 'next'd precious so don't get your hopes up.

so where would all these depressing misses leave us? a grad transfer big and who/what? if only mitchell would rather come here than stay in high school. smh.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

Listen -- it certainly looks like Cobb's overall career here is going to end as a giant disappointment, but given the positives we've seen from him you can't blame the coaches for giving him a shot. He clearly has physical talents. Just can't learn from his mistakes.

Both Onuaruh and Yakwe were simply using open schollies that weren't going to be filled with a 4 year player any way to grab a body that maybe would help and maybe wouldn't, but in neither case would we have been better off not giving them the chance. These weren't bad decisions. The problem was we had open roster slots to fill and no better options at the end of the day to fill them with.

Realize that they’re just filling open scholarships. In retrospect though, who knows, yakwe could’ve very well taken mustapha herons spot.

I will say though that from what I’ve read about yakwe, he seems like a good teammate and someone that was happy to be a part of uconn. So not all bad.

 

[Matrim55]

so where would all these depressing misses leave us? a grad transfer big and who/what? if only mitchell would rather come here than stay in high school. smh.

I actually think we'll be in the market for a grad transfer wing, though we'll also keep an eye high-rated HS wings who come available this spring after decommitting.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think you can make the case that Hurley has established himself as a very good coach who is on the rise.
Not sure Patrick E. has established himself yet as anything other than an exceptional player. As far as the academics perhaps if he was going to be a liberal arts major he might prefer Gtown but if he were after a business education I think Uconn would be considered a superior choice. Consider Okafor who was an exceptional student and graduated in three years with a sky high average. He had a reputation for thinking things out pretty well. Uconn is an exceptionally very good school in many fields of study. I think of Gtown as
a pre-law, pre-med and government studies type undergraduate school. Just my opinion.

Ewing grinded away as an assistant coach in the NBA for 15 years. He wasn't handed anything, but rather has put a ton of time in to get better as a coach.

Far be it for me to defend Georgetown, but I was a huge Ewing fan and admire the fact that after making millions in the NBA he wasn't above being an assistant for 15 years before getting his shot at his Alma mater.