Semi-OT: Akinjo Recruitment

[Storrs South]

I will. Lecque very well could be a one year bandaid. Akinjo is a four year guy.

“I want to go into a situation where I’ll be playing a lot as a freshman because I want to potentially be a one-and-done,” Lecque said. “If I don’t have that situation I have no problem staying in my class.”

In terms of wins and losses, Akinjo being here 4 years would be more beneficial than 1 year of Lecque, but it would also be really good for the program brand to put another kid in the league.

UConn is back up to technically 8 alums in the NBA thanks to Emeka making a comeback and DHam/Purvis making it through the G-League but that number has been falling as guys like Caron, Villanueva, Ray and Rip retired.

Getting kids back to the league again would be a good starting point to overcome the conference narrative and undoing the last two seasons of being awful.

 

[ctchamps]

I disagree. If the roster remains as is at this very moment I won't be surprised if we win 18-19 games. Would be a big improvement over last year.

Will the schedule be as difficult as last season? Because last season was a killer schedule for a team that had to integrate a large number of new players.

I have no way of knowing how this season turns out. Do we lose Jalen or keep him? Do we lose any of the newer players and if so which ones? Are the players able to adjust to a new method of doing things? Who does Hurley get this offseason? Can Hurley translate his success at this level.

I'm still very excited that things turn out really well and do so quickly. But I have reservations because the more there are unknowns and uncertainties, the less likely things turn out in the way all of us want.

I'm not going to debate wins and losses next season. As they say we'll find out all that in twenty minutes. I'm happy we got Hurley. We could have done a lot worse and there were only a few options to do better and those weren't likely heading our way. But his hire is not a slam dunk by any stretch of the imagination at this point in time.

What I feel is if he accomplishes what you and bass and tens and super and stats and poly and tcf and others know will happen it will actually be an incredible accomplishment because of the hurdles he needs to overcome.

 

[ctchamps]

In terms of wins and losses, Akinjo being here 4 years would be more beneficial than 1 year of Lecque, but it would also be really good for the program brand to put another kid in the league.

UConn is back up to technically 8 alums in the NBA thanks to Emeka making a comeback and DHam/Purvis making it through the G-League but that number has been falling as guys like Caron, Villanueva, Ray and Rip retired.

Getting kids back to the league again would be a good starting point to overcome the conference narrative and undoing the last two seasons of being awful.

And this shows there are positive and negatives to everything. The negative to getting one and dones is a lack of chemistry development. I want Lecque badly but if the team suffers in the future because he moves on quickly, the chances get smaller we get more Lecques because kids don't want to play for losing teams. Everything is a trade off.

 

[intlzncster]

We have staying power but not so much that we can be arrogant about it - Hurley needs to find a way to get us to the tournament year one.

It'd be nice, but that's a big ask. We've got essentially the same cast of characters back from a team that went 14-18. Gonna need about 23-25 wins to get in the tournament. That's a ginormous turnaround in year 1.

 

[ctchamps]

No way, things can turn around really quickly in college basketball.

Wise guy. I didn't hit you hard enough. Get Lecque, Washington and a very good grad transfer point guard, keep Jalen and Carlson, and I have a different prediction. So far none of that's happened. I'm hopeful the whispers of BF are correct. I actually believe they will happen.

But until they do the reverse mojo is in place.

 

[Scrutineer]

Georgia Tech is a great school too

But Josh Pastner is their coach................not so great as he keeps proving over and over again.

 

[Scrutineer]

That will go a long way in making me excited. But until events play completely out I reserve my conclusions.

I'm the eternal optimist before each season, but I'm trying to rein it in and be realistic and right now there's not a lot to be optimistic about for 2018-19 unless some earth shattering recruiting wins are announced in the next few weeks.
We can all get excited about Lecque, Achiuwa, Akinjo, etc. but these guys have all manner of teams on them and we have a conference problem and recent irrelevant history to overcome. Hopefully Hurley, Young, Moore et al can turn that around but to think it'll happen soon is just a hope.

 

[Scrutineer]

For whatever reason, Hurley does not think as highly of Akinjo (based on JA's mom's tweets asking he be recruited). You have to go with the coach's appraisal.

Wonder why he feels that way if that's the case. The kid had a great AAU season, was MVP of the Peach Jam, has speed, a good handle, good outside shot, good free throw guy and seems like a serious kid who knows who he is.

 

[Son of Robert]

This coaching change had to happen. The hiring of Dan Hurley stopped the downward slide of UConn basketball, and has in fact suddenly given UConn momentum and strength as a resurgent program. Hurley has added to this momentum with his excellent hire of the very relevant Kimani Young. Kimani's statements to the press were just so strong and positive, it was awesome to hear this stuff. There is an energy being created here.

The switch up in recruiting, Akinjo bailing early and Mathews and Kisunas withdrawing for whatever set of reasons, has really left Hurley in the favorable position of raising the bar for recruiting to UConn. We really need better players as the integral step to regaining our championship culture and brand. I agree with most people here that if you have 2,3,4, really high level players as a nucleus, the rest of the team can form around them for a winning formula. The players we already have, Adams and Gilbert, with other potential impact players, all mostly sophomores besides Cobb and Vital, (freshman Wilson), present a really nice group of players to add to.

Very optimistic regarding the hiring of Hurley's next coach. Another rising young relevant coach with recruiting ties, a tremendous, respected, X's and O's coach, or even an acknowledged big man's coach, will add even more momentum to the rising UConn brand.

I think with all of the above being stated, Hurley is in a strong position to go after top tier recruits to fill out this roster. Shoot high, and if we get one or two high caliber players the momentum will rise even more. Fill it out with a top grad transfer.

Momentum is a beautiful thing, and we have it. Hopefully most of these off season dynamics go our way, and we can start kicking ass again next year. Bleed Blue!

 

[UConnStats]

I will. Lecque very well could be a one year bandaid. Akinjo is a four year guy.

“I want to go into a situation where I’ll be playing a lot as a freshman because I want to potentially be a one-and-done,” Lecque said. “If I don’t have that situation I have no problem staying in my class.”

Don't get me wrong, I'd take Lecque 1000 times out of 1000. I'd just like us to get as many guys in the Shabazz mold as possible.

Which is why I think if we’re going to get Lecque, having a redshirt guard like Carr (who Hurley recruited at URI) makes sense.

1. You bring in 2 guards for 2018, say Lecque and Silverio
2. You lose Adams and Lecque after next season
3. You then replace them with the redshirt and give Silverio (now a sophomore) more minutes, while Gilbert and Vital remain as starters. We’ll have a 2019 guard commit on the roster as well.

 

[MattMang23]

Wait? Akinjo decommited?

 

[Guapo]

Wait? Akinjo decommited?

http://firehurley.com/

 

[HawkHusky]

Wait? Akinjo decommited?

Giggity

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

http://firehurley.com/

I was expecting Rick Astley.

 

[intlzncster]

http://firehurley.com/

Strong redirect.

 

[Fishy]

Seems to me Akinjo is set on being 'the guy', we'll see how successful he is at that day 1 as a freshman. Wouldn't be shocked to see him at Arizona as they're usually good and he'd slot right in at PG. He probably doesn't want to come here and be behind Adams and maybe Gilbert on day 1.

That's been a problem for us for awhile, guys will only come here if they'll be our only guy at that position. Seems other teams are able to get a stable of guys to want to come for some reason

How to pick out the dumbest guy in a thread...wait until someone explains away a lost recruit by blaming it on the kid wanting to be “the guy”.

 

[champs99and04]

I think unless we get a kid like Lecque and pull in a grad transfer who is certainly not DO but better than AA, next season could be as bad as this.

It's three years out that there is a realistic chance of decent things happening. But I totally agree that each year that passes the ability to regain prominence becomes more difficult.

If Adams leaves, then I'd agree that next season could be as bad. I maintain that the worst coaching job Ollie did at UConn - by far - was in 2016-17. That team had no business missing the tournament, much less finishing under .500 (I know you differed on this subject at the time, I'm interested to see if your perspective has changed at all). Last season, he had very little talent once Gilbert went down. Not so little talent that they should have finished 178th in the country, but I think they would have still been bad even under Hurley. The math in college basketball isn't that complicated - when you have a lot of underclassmen and not many four and five star players, you are going to be bad.

It'd be nice, but that's a big ask. We've got essentially the same cast of characters back from a team that went 14-18. Gonna need about 23-25 wins to get in the tournament. That's a ginormous turnaround in year 1.

Gilbert is the wild card to me. I feel stupid counting on him to be a big part of the team, but then again he's good enough where I'd also feel stupid not expecting him to be. Nobody knows if he can stay on the court and so we could either be talking about 2012 Robbie Hummel (all-conference type player) or 2011 Robbie Hummel (didn't play). The difference there is obviously huge. With Adams, Gilbert, Vital, and Wilson, I think they should be able to get to the tournament despite how raw they are up front. If another couple impact players are added on top of that, then you could be talking about a real team that's back in the national conversation right away. It will be interesting to see how things play out.

 

[champs99and04]

I will. Lecque very well could be a one year bandaid. Akinjo is a four year guy.

“I want to go into a situation where I’ll be playing a lot as a freshman because I want to potentially be a one-and-done,” Lecque said. “If I don’t have that situation I have no problem staying in my class.”

Don't get me wrong, I'd take Lecque 1000 times out of 1000. I'd just like us to get as many guys in the Shabazz mold as possible.

I obviously have no problem with kids wanting to get to the league as soon as possible, and I'd certainly hate to penalize him for honesty, but I would rather not hear the words one-and-done out of the lips of a high school player. Not to say he's going to be a headache or anything, but it makes me a little weary only because there is rarely any value in vocalizing it. The way this is framed makes it sound as if the only way he isn't a one and done is if his coach screws it up for him. Just worry about playing winning basketball and if you're good enough the NBA will find you.

Edit: And by no means are we in a position to be turning down that sort of talent even if he is hell-bent on being a one and done.

 

[Kembacity]

How to pick out the dumbest guy in a thread...wait until someone explains away a lost recruit by blaming it on the kid wanting to be “the guy”.

We'll see where he goes... If he goes to a pretty bare Arizona squad to start at PG, am I still your wordy, roundabout way of calling me dumb?

 

[jibsey]

Our point guard position is loaded with playing time. I don't buy that excuse. Ideally Jalen is not playing nearly 40 minutes, and an injury which is always likely only increases their PT.

 

[intlzncster]

We'll see where he goes... If he goes to a pretty bare Arizona squad to start at PG, am I still your wordy, roundabout way of calling me dumb?

If he goes to Zona, it might be because he wants to play 35min a game. Or a bunch of other reasons. Not because he wants to be 'the guy'; doesn't sound like that type of kid at all.

 

[mauconnfan]

If he goes to Zona, it might be because he wants to play 35min a game. Or a bunch of other reasons. Not because he wants to be 'the guy'; doesn't sound like that type of kid at all.

Or maybe Sean still has some of his budget left over?

Seriously would love to have him change his mind but that boat seems to have sailed so we will trust in Coach Hurley.

 

[the Q]

Maybe he goes to Zona because it's the best (proverbial) west coast program and is reasonably close to home compared to CT?

 

[Kembacity]

If he goes to Zona, it might be because he wants to play 35min a game. Or a bunch of other reasons. Not because he wants to be 'the guy'; doesn't sound like that type of kid at all.

Is 'the guy' why I'm being ridiculed for daring to have an opinion about the subject of the thread? What I mean by that is that he'd rather come in and play extensively off the bat, than come off the bench behind a group of returning guards. I don't mean that I think he's a selfish ball-hog with no intentions of team play

 

[Huskymagic]

And this shows there are positive and negatives to everything. The negative to getting one and dones is a lack of chemistry development. I want Lecque badly but if the team suffers in the future because he moves on quickly, the chances get smaller we get more Lecques because kids don't want to play for losing teams. Everything is a trade off.

If we get Lecque, other good players will follow including other elite point guards in the next recruiting class. That's how important it is to get a player of that caliber.

One year of Lecque will help us recruit other elite guys especially if he becomes a lottery pick and a one-and-done player. Akinjo is a good player but not a game changer for UCONN. Somebody like Lecque or Precious Achiuwa could be game changers moving forward. We just need one 5 star elite talent to open up the floodgates for future ones to say that UCONN is back.

I don't want to hear excuses about kids not wanting to play on bad teams. LSU gets guys, and they haven't done anything. UCONN is a national brand who plays a national schedule with recognizable stars in the NBA. UNLV has gotten guys. Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Alabama are getting some elite recruits lately. Yea conference helps, but this is UCONN we have a recognizable brand.

 

[the Q]

If we get Lecque, other good players will follow including other elite point guards in the next recruiting class. That's how important it is to get a player of that caliber.

One year of Lecque will help us recruit other elite guys especially if he becomes a lottery pick and a one-and-done player. Akinjo is a good player but not a game changer for UCONN. Somebody like Lecque or Precious Achiuwa could be game changers moving forward. We just need one 5 star elite talent to open up the floodgates for future ones to say that UCONN is back.

I don't want to hear excuses about kids not wanting to play on bad teams. LSU gets guys, and they haven't done anything. UCONN is a national brand who plays a national schedule with recognizable stars in the NBA. UNLV has gotten guys. Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Alabama are getting some elite recruits lately. Yea conference helps, but this is UCONN we have a recognizable brand.

UConn is a national brand, but LSU pays cash.

What would recruits rather have?

 

[businesslawyer]

If we get Lecque, other good players will follow including other elite point guards in the next recruiting class. That's how important it is to get a player of that caliber.

One year of Lecque will help us recruit other elite guys especially if he becomes a lottery pick and a one-and-done player. Akinjo is a good player but not a game changer for UCONN. Somebody like Lecque or Precious Achiuwa could be game changers moving forward. We just need one 5 star elite talent to open up the floodgates for future ones to say that UCONN is back.

I don't want to hear excuses about kids not wanting to play on bad teams. LSU gets guys, and they haven't done anything. UCONN is a national brand who plays a national schedule with recognizable stars in the NBA. UNLV has gotten guys. Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Alabama are getting some elite recruits lately. Yea conference helps, but this is UCONN we have a recognizable brand.

Like getting Drummond opened up the floodgates for the tons of 5 stars who followed him?

 

[BlueMAB]

Is 'the guy' why I'm being ridiculed for daring to have an opinion about the subject of the thread? What I mean by that is that he'd rather come in and play extensively off the bat, than come off the bench behind a group of returning guards. I don't mean that I think he's a selfish ball-hog with no intentions of team play

Then explain why he signed an LOI at UConn, to do exactly what you're saying he doesn't want to do.

 

[ctchamps]

Is 'the guy' why I'm being ridiculed for daring to have an opinion about the subject of the thread? What I mean by that is that he'd rather come in and play extensively off the bat, than come off the bench behind a group of returning guards. I don't mean that I think he's a selfish ball-hog with no intentions of team play

We knew what you meant. Your logic is flawed. The number of guards before and after his decommiting never changed. What has changed is the coach he wanted to play for will be fired.

 

[Huskymagic]

Like getting Drummond opened up the floodgates for the tons of 5 stars who followed him?

Weak argument. Recruits knew that Calhoun was retiring, UCONN was facing sanctions and no postseason, and UCONN was stuck in
realignment limbo with a neophyte coach. That affected recruiting big time, but guys like Kemba, Drummond, and Lamb had an impact on UCONN getting Hamilton, Adams, Purvis, and Gilbert due to 5 star talents like Kemba, Daniels, and Drummond being visible in recruits minds as recent 5 star talents who were successful at UCONN.