Reasons to be optimistic for next year

[Fatroony5]

I think Gaff, Akok and Sanogo will have something to prove next year, Hawkins will be hungry, Andre Jackson Can take a step, then we have Samson, Sool, Karaban, Floyd and Clingan off the bench. While we saw little of them this season there is reason to be optimistic they can make a jump, it'll be a young team, but roles will be way more defined on this team and hopefully this can be a building year before castle gets here in 2023. More spacing this year hopefully, Akok plays better as a stretch 4 and I wholeheartedly expect andre jackson's shooting % to increase from 3 and overall. I also think that we'll be better defensively, Thought that tyrese martin was not a very good defender, look at his performance against Kadary Richmond, Ryan Hawkins, and Teddy Allen, we'll also have room to grow for those guys. Praying for a solid year from gaff so he can be a bridge guy with an upgrade in stephon castle in the following year.

I like both kids but if UConn is relying on Gaff and Akok for major contributions next season, they’re in trouble.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Timing is everything and I was amazed at people who actually thought the east west game of Gaffney was better than anything at all. It was if only because he did very little with the ball and made less mistakes than those playing more than him, plus CV got out of his funk and hot lights out finally.

But unfortunately we saw his impact this year in the league games, very little and his shooting became worse. Not sure what to think of him his last year and if he can improve at this point? If he's our PG next year we are in huge trouble in the league as there are so many good guards now.

What do you mean East West game?

That was the whole thing with Gaff that was such a great fit that year. He didn’t do too much. He ran offense, didn’t turn it over, and took what was given to him. Craig Austrie with more athleticism.

Gaffney isn’t a scorer though, he’s a facilitator. Hard to ask a guy like that to make an impact off the bench if he’s expected to come in and score consistently IMO.

 

[Jholla2183]

I feel next year will be better than most expect simply because Jordan Hawkins/Sanogo/Karaban are going to be unreal, however other factors need to happen to pull the whole puzzle together:
1) DH employs a mentor to help him with the issues that have become apparent and will not improve on it's own.
2) All the young guys get appreciable playing time beyond end of game minutes vs the early season cupcakes. Why worry about the rankings early in the season when injuries and fatigue come to haunt you later in the season. I would rather be unranked through December than fizzle in February and March - especially in March.
3) Sanogo has to become a basketball player. He needs to work on a midrange game, he needs to hone his on floor recognition/passing skills and needs to learn when to dunk and that he needs to see the rim with every shot and that the backboard is his friend.
4) Clingan has to see the floor immediately and everyone has to overlook any early season hiccups. You cannot coach 7'2" and he can only improve. Sanogo is not a 5 and will never play 5 in the NBA if he gets that far.
5) AJ cannot be the PG, neither can Gaffney. Sool is the only true PG on the roster and he was damn good coming in to UConn but all he did was hold Andrew Hurley's hand on the bench. I've seen him in practice and see what he can do, Hurley has spoken to his abilities yet he doesn't play - yeah he has had a few rough minutes in actual game - I will bet my house that if this kid was at Houston he would be playing and giving productive minutes. I don't think, from what I have seen, Floyd is really a PG. He is a very solid player and he loves to mix it up. I see him in the mold of a Ben Gordon - a solid scorer and would spell Hawk at the 2 and slip Hawk to the 3 when UConn goes small.
6) Alex Karaban is a talent that UConn hasn't seen in quite a while if ever - he has size 6'8" (needs a bit of muscle) yet can play nearly any position on the floor - he came this winter with a great midrange shooting game and has over the time improved his 3 pt shooting greatly. His biggest weakness is that he is not the quickest and needs to hit the boards with better positioning. He is too good not to play. He should be the 4 or 3 depending who else is on the court.
7) No way do you go xfer portal for a PG - why recruit and do this? As far as I am concerned, the portal is to overcome issues not addressed in recruitment. DH can recruit and has done so, he needs to develop players.

I would like to see a lineup in December of:

1) Sool/Floyd/Gaff
2) Hawkins/Floyd/Gaff
3) Karaban/AJ 50/50 PT
4)Sanogo/Karaban/Johnson
5)Clingan/Johnson/Sanogo

Clingan is getting Samson Johnson minutes next year. He has a huge adjustment period coming his way. He hasn’t played anyone nearly his size or strength in awhile. He needs to get into shape, and adjust to the speed of the game.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I saw a couple of posts thinking about next year being a rebuilding year and wanted to give some thoughts.

I'm really hopeful about next year's team being able to surprise folks. Very excited to see how our talent that we have step up from our very good recruiting classes and see how guys step up.

Couple things should be better next year:

• Overall talent

We are replacing super seniors and transfers with guys who were top recruits. Our seniors were tough and played pretty good defense this year but were terrible offensively. This had to be the worst layup shooting team I've seen. Hoping that our guys can be much better here. We have a couple of top recruiting classes filling in for our seniors who will be gone.

• Fit

This past year was a disaster fit wise. We were playing two true centers, two forwards on the perimeter, and had a PG who was not exactly a facilitator but more of a scorer. Next year there should be very defined roles for things guys are good at. Jordan Hawkins should be the clear go to scorer. Andre Jackson the next guy up on the perimeter. Sanogo in the paint and Akok as a stretch guy. If Gaffney is starting he is at his best when he is facilitating the offense. His freshman year was great playing with Bouknight and next year he as a Hawkins. EVERYONE is a better passer than the seniors that left so hopefully our offense can look a lot better in general with more floor spacing.

I think of it being similar to the 2010 season going into the 2011 season. No, there's no Kemba on this team but it could be addition through subtraction fit wise and letting younger talent blossom throughout the year. I'm very excited for the reigns to go from Cole and Martin to Hawkins and Jackson. Two far more talented guys capable of being the best player on the court and actual NBA talent.

I don't think next year is as doom and gloom as a lot are making it out to be.

Youre optimistic because youre a fan.

 

[Tyler2Rings]

If Jackson can improve as much next year as he did this year, he can be a 10/8/4 guy every night

Are those stats Rebounds-Assists-Points?

In seriousness, I think folks sleep on Jackson and his ability to improve. The most important thing he can do this offseason is work on his finishing at the rim. We’ve seen his blow-by ability- need to capitalize on it

 

[husky429]

If he didnt have enough shooting around him (which is accurate) why play him with Whaley? So he is aware but not entirely aware.

He's willing to brutalize our offense for the sake of defense. Not my cup of tea, but I also understand why you have to do it as a coach. They're both too good not to play... it's just poor roster construction between them and recruiting a non-shooter in Jackson. Put way too much of a load on Rese and Cole.

 

[August_West]

He's willing to brutalize our offense for the sake of defense. Not my cup of tea, but I also understand why you have to do it as a coach. They're both too good not to play... it's just poor roster construction between them and recruiting a non-shooter in Jackson. Put way too much of a load on Rese and Cole.

The both still could’ve played at least 25 minutes each . Just less overlap together

 

[husky429]

The both still could’ve played at least 25 minutes each . Just less overlap together

yain't wrong. Needs to update his philosophy. Shooting is priority #1, #2, and #3 in the modern game. Even if we're going old school with a traditional big like Sanogo, you cut into his effeciency and productivity if non-shooters allow him to be aggressively doubled without a kickout shooting threat.

 

[Kiddddddd34]

News flash for Hurley; you can find a transfer PG that fits the "culture" (ie. Chris Lykes & Charlie Moore) hopefully his thought process with adapt.

I really think we will be disappointed with the on-court product next yr but somewhat giddy of what's to come. Some on this page can't grasp that there is reason Diggins didn't play and others are expecting way to much from Clingan. The transition from posting up a future D3 player on Northwest Catholic to battling SanoGOD in practice is a HUGE jump in competition level and that will take time. I don't see him being a positive contributor till his Junior yr... I hope I am wrong. Looking forward to sweating it out on Selection Sunday.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I was optimistic this year. Next year is much more pessimistic.

So far, the moment has been bigger than Hurley. Sure, he has time to grow, but he's been a head coach plenty long now and has a wealth of information, experience and success from the coaches around him. This wasn't a great coaching year for him. Two straight first round exits in the NCAA's to lower seeded teams.

Hurley has also shown he coaches to the path of a high floor (shoutout to @Tenspro2002 for that reference) rather than going for the highest ceiling. Plenty of others have noted he truncated development of underclassmen this year, escpecially early on in the season. The little we have seen of Diggins says he is no where close to ready to handle 20+ mpg next year. Gaff has significantly regressed in past 18 months. Johnson? Springs? Who knows. And I don't see any reason to believe Floyd , Karaban or Clingan will get significant minutes.

Can Hurley produce an offense that looks normal in the 2020's?? Who knows? This year he went with multiple two big line ups without having 3 shooters on the floor. In today's game not having at least 3 consistent shooters on the floor at all times is borderline coaching incompetence.

I really hope Benedict has a reality check sit down with Hurley and gives Hurley empirical data points Hurley needs to see and use. Start local with the Big East and compare Nova's numbers to UConn's. Go regional and national and show Hurley the types of numbers the top 8-10 teams in the country produce and tell Hurley he is expected to put out a team that looks similar. Companies do this all the time to measure themselves against peers in their sector or industry.

Point guard situation is a mess as of now. A mess as in there is no proven PG on the roster. What is Hurley willing to do to upgrade this position? Shooting guard has one slasher who has been inconsistent with his creativity (Jackson) and one player who has been injury prone (Hawkins). Is Hurley going to start AJ at the point? IDK. I do know Hurley says Jackson is an NBA PG. What can Floyd do? What does a senior year Gaff look like? Can Diggins produce at all?

PF is also a mess. Johnson showed minimal flashes of competency but nothing suggesting he can contribute against decent competition. Is Akok coming back? Consistently injured and takes a long time to recover and then is rusty. Does Akok come back at all? Karaban? Who knows if he can handle those duties.

Sanogo made great improvements but obviously needs to learn how to move the ball. Better awareness before he catches the ball and quicker decisions after he catches the ball. Putting shooters in good spots ready to catch and shoot when Sanogo touches the ball will go a long way.

At this point I can't see how anyone looks around the Big East and sees UConn in the top 3 next year. More likely 5-6 range. Is there some raw talent on the roster? Absolutely. Has Hurley shown any ability to mold a team and integrate raw talent? No.

Just making the NCAA next year will be an adventure.

 

[Fatroony5]

He's willing to brutalize our offense for the sake of defense. Not my cup of tea, but I also understand why you have to do it as a coach. They're both too good not to play... it's just poor roster construction between them and recruiting a non-shooter in Jackson. Put way too much of a load on Rese and Cole.

Losing Hawkins at the end of season also crippled them, basically made Hurley double down even more on playing that trio together. And Martin turning himself into a 43% shooter from 3 on decent volume was a pretty fascinating development, did not see that coming at all. He turned himself into a really solid player, gonna miss him. Lot of work to do this off-season and some schollies to play with, they need to determine how to improve the overall construction of the roster to make the pieces fit better.

 

[August_West]

Here's a reason for optimism:

Karaban and Floyd.

Karaban especially I think will be a key piece to this team next year even as a Frosh. A very versatile player.

 

[gtcam]

Clingan is getting Samson Johnson minutes next year. He has a huge adjustment period coming his way. He hasn’t played anyone nearly his size or strength in awhile. He needs to get into shape, and adjust to the speed of the game.

He'll see a lot more minutes than you think
He didn't come to Storrs and eschew the other top teams to sit unless DH decides to continue to not play his recruits
7'2" is 7'2"

 

[CTBasketball]

I like both kids but if UConn is relying on Gaff and Akok for major contributions next season, they’re in trouble.

Get ready for 25 minutes of Gaffney next year!

 

[Slick]

Get ready for 25 minutes of Gaffney next year!

Gaffney is not coming back

 

[shizzle787]

Gaffney is not coming back

He probably will. He is a senior next year.

 

[NotADime89]

And I don't see any reason to believe Floyd , Karaban or Clingan will get significant minutes.

You really think Floyd and Karaban reclassified to play 10 minutes a game their RS Frosh season? If so then you're clueless. Floyd and Karaban are both exceptional talents that will play BIG minutes and key roles next season

 

[Hi-Low]

Here's a reason for optimism:

Karaban and Floyd.

Karaban especially I think will be a key piece to this team next year even as a Frosh. A very versatile player.

Plus both Karaban & Floyd will have been at UConn for a year in Novemeber so as Freshman should be ready (hopefully) to contribute.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

So Hurley usually likes to go 8 deep max. Who do we think gets those 8 spots by the end of the year?

 

[August_West]

You really think Floyd and Karaban reclassified to play 10 minutes a game their RS Frosh season? If so then you're clueless. Floyd and Karaban are both exceptional talents that will play BIG minutes and key roles next season

Yeah, they will both see the floor next year. Floyd is a high motor player, It is hard to predict how many minutes he will get (depends a lot on what others are giving us) , but he will absolutely see the floor. Karaban fills an immediate need better than anyone on our squad. Lot of minutes at the 3/4 with Whaley/Polley/Martin all gone, and Karaban I believe will replace them favorably in a different way than each, but overall he will be needed and can deliver. I can see him easily over 20 a game next season.

We have a ton of mix and matches that are available to us via jackson, people talk about maybe he's point, but hell he would also be a very effective 4 if needed!

 

[shizzle787]

So Hurley usually likes to go 8 deep max. Who do we think gets those 8 spots by the end of the year?

Two transfers (or one transfer and Cole)
Hawkins
Sanogo
Jackson
Clingan
Karaban
Floyd Jr
—————
Gaffney
Akok

I think he may go 9-10 deep this year.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Here's a reason for optimism:

Karaban and Floyd.

Karaban especially I think will be a key piece to this team next year even as a Frosh. A very versatile player.

Karaban could very well be what we/Hurley hoped Polley would be: a well-rounded stretch 4 who can not only keep the defense honest on the perimeter, but rebound and defend the position as well.

 

[Chin Diesel]

You really think Floyd and Karaban reclassified to play 10 minutes a game their RS Frosh season? If so then you're clueless. Floyd and Karaban are both exceptional talents that will play BIG minutes and key roles next season

Go back and read the comments on this board back in October and November. The same comments you are making are the comments made about Diggins and Johnson for this past season.

Here's a hint. No top 50-75 players goes to a program expecting to sit a majority of their freshman year. No coach tells top players they plan to sit the player the majority of their freshman year. Yet, here we are with two top recruits finishing their freshmen seasons with barely any PT against the better opponents.

You are free to believe that Floyd and Karaban are significantly better and ready to contribute immediately than Diggins or Johnson were but Floyd and Karaban's rankings aren't materially different.

Now, if you want to say there's less upper classmen coming back to compete against for available minutes, that's a legit discussion point.

 

[Tenspro2002]

So Hurley usually likes to go 8 deep max. Who do we think gets those 8 spots by the end of the year?

I actually see 9.

Transfer starting PG
Hawkins
Jackson
Karaban
Sanogo

Gaffney
Floyd
Akok/Johnson/transfer 4
Clingan

In a big/tight game, one of Gaffney or Floyd might get squeezed out, and potentially one of the bigs depending on whether Hurley is comfortable going small (e.g. Akok/Johnson at the 5).

 

[navery12]

Transfer PG, Hawkins, Jackson, Transfer 4, Sanogo, Diggins, Floyd, Karaban, Johnson. We'll go 9 deep