2021 Recruiting: Rahsool Diggins Commits to UConn

[Lefty2one]

UConn lands Class of 2021 point guard Rahsool Diggins | Zagsblog

By ADAM ZAGORIA With UConn heading back […]

www.zagsblog.com

Zag

UConn figures to lose rising sophomores Jalen Gaffney and James Bouknight to the pro ranks eventually, so Diggins will look to follow in their footsteps.

Alrighty...

 

[jibsey]

Excited about this guy as a distributor. The release on his shot is from a pretty low point. Can that be adjusted?

 

[navery12]

The first time it was said, I think it was by someone who got Gaffney and Bouk mixed up. We shouldn’t be worrying about Gaff going pro at this point...Zags also said “at some point”...so he didn’t specify going after this year. I think there’s maybe a 10% chance he’s a 3 year guy, but pretty much zero that he leaves after 2 years.

There was also one time when Hurley said it, but I think he'll be here all 4 years

 

[CL82]

Jersey guy calling Philly guy out.. Took "fortitude" for Diggins to leave Philly..Give him a lot of credit for doing that.. It's going to be an awesome ride..

That is a very Calhoun-esque approach. Hurley sure seems like something special, doesn't he?

 

[Umami Zen]

My two cents..JG has some work to do before he can seriously consider moving up to the League..Has some excellent potential.. With RJ around for two more years and the young buck from Philly coming on campus in 2021(who was sold on available minutes Yr1).. Has plenty of incentive to work hard for minutes and improve his game....

 

[the Q]

True, but the decisions get stranger and stranger every year.

Just in the Big East alone: Naji Marshall, Ty-Shon Alexander, Brendan Bailey, Jordan Tucker, Omer Yurtseven, Paul Reed. Out of those players, Reed is the only guy who gets consistent projection as a future draft pick.

I have reed penciled in as one of my second round steals.

 

[CL82]

UConn’s pitch was on point. The chance to play in the Big East, where his family, in New Jersey, can travel by car to most of his games, was a big factor for Diggins, as Hurley continues to capitalize on the new conference affiliation to gather East Coast talent — and from his rivals’ neighborhoods.

 

[Chief00]

I knew that. But I experienced a brain fart.
Did you know he played with Tim Thomas?<G>
Speaking of being old, I think of this signing as payback, (finally) for Rollie stealing Harold Jensen out of our back yard.

Yes, he played with Thomas in Jersey. Jensen went to St Joe’s in Trumbull as I recall.

 

[businesslawyer]

Rahsool Diggins of Archbishop Wood commits to Connecticut

Wood's point guard has been a starter since his freshman year.

www.google.com

Apparently per this article they said he could start as a freshman. Makes me curious who coaches think may be here his freshman year. (Cole, Bouk (I’m anticipating gone), Jackson, etc)

They didn't bring Cole here to sit one and play one. They fully expect he will still be here when Diggins arrives.

 

[Zissou]

Very good get. Congrats UConn. Good for the Huskies and good for the conference.

 

[husky99]

Very good get. Congrats UConn. Good for the Huskies and good for the conference.

I am so pumped for playing nova every year. We are home..

 

[gtcam]

I love all the enthusiasm on the board over this pick and what DH has done so far
But to even compare him to JC is laughable
Let's win the BE a few times and get to an Elite Eight before we start to hang any hints of impending greatness. Until he wins at least 2 NCAAs - he is not knocking on the door. I still have concern about his game coaching skills but his recruitment acumen is stepping up into a wonderful level.
Being in the NBE certainly bolsters recruiting - would Diggins even look at UConn in the AAC vs Nova in the NBE - highly doubtful
If, and there is no reason to think otherwise, he continues to bring in high caliber talent, UConn will be competing talent wise with all the big boys - that is the 1st big step in returning to where JC had the program.
Congrats staff

 

[UCfor3]

Yes, he played with Thomas in Jersey. Jensen went to St Joe’s in Trumbull as I recall.

Jensen went to Trumbull High School. Im from Trumbull and he graduated with my brother. I watched most of his games. Vito Montelli never got his hands on him.

 

[RichZ]

Yes, he played with Thomas in Jersey. Jensen went to St Joe’s in Trumbull as I recall.

The Thomas line was a joke about the days when it seemed that Fudgy would mention Thomas every time Free grabbed a rebound or scored.
Pretty sure that Jensen went to Trumbull HS, not St. Joe's.

 

[CL82]

I love all the enthusiasm on the board over this pick and what DH has done so far
But to even compare him to JC is laughable
Let's win the BE a few times and get to an Elite Eight before we start to hang any hints of impending greatness. Until he wins at least 2 NCAAs - he is not knocking on the door. I still have concern about his game coaching skills but his recruitment acumen is stepping up into a wonderful level.
Being in the NBE certainly bolsters recruiting - would Diggins even look at UConn in the AAC vs Nova in the NBE - highly doubtful
If, and there is no reason to think otherwise, he continues to bring in high caliber talent, UConn will be competing talent wise with all the big boys - that is the 1st big step in returning to where JC had the program.
Congrats staff

Calhoun is undisputedly one of the top half dozen men's basketball coaches. No one is seriously putting Hurley in the category. There are similarities between them and their recruiting approaches. Where Hurley is most notably lacking is gameday coaching. Calhoun was a master at taking advantage of his strengths and exploiting your weaknesses. I fully expect Hurley to continue to improve. He is a relatively young guy.

 

[formerlurker]

We have a strong and great history with City guards. Too many to name, as well as successes.

From the Street to Storrs, great things happen.

I know Sool went to school in Philly but I think he's actually from Wayne, NJ. Not exactly the "streets"

 

[Pudge]

JC's coaching career started in 1968. In years 10-20, which is comparable to where Hurley is now, JC had some top recruits including Reggie Lewis at Northeastern and Chris Smith at UConn, but he wasn't able to pull in full classes of 4* players. Only after the Dream Season in the 1990s did he start doing that. And even after the Dream Season, JC had plenty of 3* recruits.

JC was arguably the greatest coach (though not the greatest recruiter) of all time. But Hurley may be a better recruiter. Overall this staff is great at recruiting.

And it's recruiting specifically I was referring to ("Calhoun had been a coach for about 25 years before he was recruiting at this level.").

Apples and Oranges

You sell what you have to ... to get the kid on your Team. I think Calhoun was a phenomenal judge of young talent and particularly talent that the masses weren’t chasing. Hurley has a different perspective and paradigm. To even hint that Hurley is BETTER ... is premature. He has excellent recruiting assistants.

Great thing about Sports: the years and the win-loss will tell the story.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Someone tweeted this is DH recruiting against Providence and St Johns. Thought it was just a good laugh. Although somehow you may need to add another kid to include Syracuse

 

[RichZ]

Calhoun is undisputedly one of the top half dozen men's basketball coaches. No one is seriously putting Hurley in the category. There are similarities between them and their recruiting approaches. Where Hurley is most notably lacking is gameday coaching. Calhoun was a master at taking advantage of his strengths and exploiting your weaknesses. I fully expect Hurley to continue to improve. He is a relatively young guy.

Calhoun was a master at figuring out what style his current squad could excel at, and then coaching that style. The trapping defense of the early 90s gave way to the running game of the mid-nineties and the tight half court defense of the later nineties, and then the dominating front court of the mid to late 2000s. The only thing that could be called a JC trademark was a disdain for the half court zone defense.

Hurley on the other hand, seems to have a system in mind, and is trying to recruit players to fit his preferred approach.

 

[Citrusdog]

He looks to be a player with terrific skills. I think ‘crafty’ is a keen observation.

 

[CL82]

I'm sure @TCF has his reasons for not pinning the grid here so I won't do it either but I couldn't resist this snippet:

This is what all Hurley recruits look like? Sign me up.

 

[olehead]

I knew that. But I experienced a brain fart.
Did you know he played with Tim Thomas?<G>
Speaking of being old, I think of this signing as payback, (finally) for Rollie stealing Harold Jensen out of our back yard.

Was UConn in Jensen's final five?

 

[Umami Zen]

Calhoun was a master at figuring out what style his current squad could excel at, and then coaching that style. The trapping defense of the early 90s gave way to the running game of the mid-nineties and the tight half court defense of the later nineties, and then the dominating front court of the mid to late 2000s. The only thing that could be called a JC trademark was a disdain for the half court zone defense.

Hurley on the other hand, seems to have a system in mind, and is trying to recruit players to fit his preferred approach.

Agree with your view of JC's evolution as a coach in the BE.. As a younger coach.. He was frequently coaching vs future HOF coaches ..Louie/Jim B/John T/Rollie M.. to name a few.. And they were "schooling" him.. He became a much better coach as a result of that..Much better at in- game coaching/adjustments and game-planning ahead of big games..To the point where eventually no one wanted to face UConn in a big game.. His record speaks for itself both in the BE and on the national stage..Just ask Mike K.... DH is about the same age (give or take a few years) as JC when he began his UConn career in the BE.. DH will evolve as well.. Let's hope he enjoys many of the successes JC did in Storrs..Time will tell and I like his chances..

 

[seeya27]

Speaking of being old, I think of this signing as payback, (finally) for Rollie stealing Harold Jensen out of our back yard.
[/QUOTE]
John Pinone, if IRC was a CT kid. Perno had wanted him badly (so did I).

 

[pj]

Calhoun was a master at figuring out what style his current squad could excel at, and then coaching that style. The trapping defense of the early 90s gave way to the running game of the mid-nineties and the tight half court defense of the later nineties, and then the dominating front court of the mid to late 2000s. The only thing that could be called a JC trademark was a disdain for the half court zone defense.

Hurley on the other hand, seems to have a system in mind, and is trying to recruit players to fit his preferred approach.

Not sure you can pigeonhole Hurley that way. He seems to be trying to put together a team that excels at modern pro-style basketball, good at shooting 3's and layups and rim and perimeter defense plus rebounding. But you can see that he seeks a versatile roster, players 10-13 are good players who are good at things that players 1-9 are less good at, so they can earn minutes based on matchups. It is not that players 10-13 are just worse players at everything and therefore should never see the court. That kind of diversity of player capabilities enables the coach to play a diverse style to exploit matchups.