Maybe he is retiring after all, but I doubt it. I think this is just the result of a lot of upheaval from the rough season, tourney ban and the AO transfer. All these players leaving just gets the others guys thinking and looking for greener pastures.
This is probably a greener pastures decision. With all the turmoil it's really not a stretch to imagine a player like Roscoe who came in with high expectations, looking at his numbers and his role over the past 2 seasons, and likelihood of having to play the 4 for greater minutes than the 3 due to the depleted front court, I'm not completely shocked he's leaving.
With Wolf & Olander as out only 2 bigs, we're screwed unless they pick up a couple surprise recruits.
With so much PT opening up, I wonder if there is any shot at seeing if Bradley would reconsider staying. With Roscoe gone, and him knowing the offense and defense, there's plenty of PT for him to earn unless he's so far over his head at UConn, which I don't think is the case. Does anyone know if MB has found a new program yet? Also, doesn't he need to sit out yet another year if he transfers, though I imagine he'll get a waiver from the NCAA due to sitting out two seasons, one RS the other Injury. Not that you can tell a lot from a lay-up line, but he looked plenty athletic and skilled to play at this level. JC obviously saw something in him, though it wouldn't be the first time he brought in a big that didn't pan out.
If the plan was for the NCAA to set UConn back for a number of years, it might just be working. As long as there is no APR hit from any of these players, the team will be eligible for the 2014 NCAA tournament and the staff should have a compelling PT story to tell 2013 recruits. As long as they can manage to keep the core of next years team together (Bazz, Boat, Daniels, Omar, Olander, Giffey) and can add a few impact 2013 freshmen, they might be able to get back on track. What scares me is the 2013 class might take a wait and see how far this program will unravel and how long JC will be sticking around and end up elsewhere.
I still hold onto hope because every time it looks like the recruiting obstacles are insurmountable, JC and staff pull in another bumper crop. Who would have thought he'd be able to get all those 2011 recruits and that they'd turn out as good as they were to win NC #3. Who would have thought they would have landed Bazz after losing out on Hinds, or adding Daniels when we had a lot of wings on the roster? As long as JC is here, UCONN is written across the chest of the uniform and the fact that we are still part of one of the top major hoops conferences despite the defections, players will want to come here and I remain confident that UConn will sail through this NCAA storm.
