Singare

[REB1094]

If Hurley is playing AK or Stewart at the 5 instead of Singare during buy game blowouts, that means he is planning on playing AK or Stewart at the 5 during the real games. No point giving Singare the reps if there are no plans to use him there

Sucks for Singare because he’s produced in the little time he’s gotten. But Hurley has delivered the results to earn blind trust. If we start losing because of it, then it could be time for a change. Until then, we’re rolling

 

[EBonz30]

From what I can see is that his hands are not there yet when it comes to competing offensively at the level Hurley is looking for. His offensive ability seems behind as a whole as well.

 

[jibsey]

Look, it’s Tuesday, there’s no game today, it’s too windy to blow leaves and we have something to blather about. Sure it would be helpful if we could look in on practices with Singare playing against Johnson and Reed. And that would likely clear up any questions about him that still exist. But where are our inside Boneyard agents who have double secret access to those practices and are holding stealth tapes of such practices which they can’t show us because they would be terminated? We’d like to hear from them.

 

[UCTitleTown]

If Hurley is playing AK or Stewart at the 5 instead of Singare during buy game blowouts, that means he is planning on playing AK or Stewart at the 5 during the real games. No point giving Singare the reps if there are no plans to use him there

Sucks for Singare because he’s produced in the little time he’s gotten. But Hurley has delivered the results to earn blind trust. If we start losing because of it, then it could be time for a change. Until then, we’re rolling

I suggested JS get time at the 5 on this board previously and was mocked for it.

 

[BrassBonanza]

Singare looks great in the lay-up line

 

[TheShot1990]

He doesn’t have outplay them. He’s a 7’ wall that gets a couple rebounds while those guys are sitting with fouls.

He's listed at 6' 10". Everyone seems to grow 2-3 inches on the Boneyard. Not sure I'd call him a "wall" either since he is 225 pounds or so.

 

[Kembacity]

We might as well have this discussion now after both of our 5’s committed 2 fouls so early in the last game. He has only ever gotten garbage time BUT to me has looked pretty good grabbing rebounds and making shots at point blank range.
Hurley obviously plans to go with Alex at the 5 when both Reed and Johnson are sitting but what would be wrong with seeing what this kid could do in a cupcake game? Give him 5 decent minutes in a game we lead by 20.
What if he actually performs well? We have 15 fouls to work with rather than 10. Next year he is sitting behind Reed and Reibe again.

I agree with you, I was screaming at my TV to put in Singare, but it felt like UNH was quite small. I think if we get that foul trouble early against a taller team he will give Youssouf some burn, gotta test him a bit and see if it can work

 

[REB1094]

I suggested JS get time at the 5 on this board previously and was mocked for it.

He definitely looks more comfortable in the paint than he does on the perimeter. I won’t mock you for suggesting that

 

[GAlawyer]

here is one vote against the "whole board"

We are better with Alex at the 5 spreading the court

The only way Singare gets minutes is against a bruising big when both our centers are in major foul difficulty.. even then I think DH goes 3pter for 2pter against whichever big is going to have to guard alex at 3 pt line at the 5

i dont understand everyone gushing over him after 2 minutes of garbage time vs mid majors. Gotta be aspirational. He's big, but defensively, even in short minutes, his positioning is off at times. Don't think he's ready yet. I think he is on the Samson track to maybe get into the Center rotation senior yr.

This.

Even though I'd like to see this experiment, in the Hurley offense, player and ball movement from all 5 players on the court is necessary. My guess is that the offense as a whole suffers with Singare in there. It may not matter against a cupcake, but if you're not going to put him in there against the Big East in January, why waste minutes on it in November? If Singare is going to continue to improve with his movement, screens, cutting, passing, etc., it's going to happen in practice, not in games. In Hurley we trust.

 

[gsmooth]

Hurley playing Karaban at the 5 is the aggressive move of make the opponents match UConn's personnel. Even in the championship game when Edey scored at will against Karaban, Purdue couldn't make a dent in UConn's lead. If an opponent has a player on the floor who is capable of physically overpowering Karaban in the post, that same player will not have the skills to chase Karaban around on the perimeter.

It's playing the math, really, and Hurley thinking scoring from both teams will go up with Alex at the 5. The opposing center with his lineup might average 0.9 PPP (point per possession) and 1.0 PPP when either Samson or Tarris are in the game. If those 2 get in foul trouble, then putting Alex at the 5 might yield between 1 PPP and 1.1 PPP, but Hurley is banking on Alex at the 5 spreading the opposing defense out to result in shooting and making more 3s and layups/dunks for a 1.2 PPP-1.3 PPP.

 

[DogMania]

I think the entire board would agree, but if Hurley isn't giving him those minutes then there is something that we are not seeing.

It's possible that at this stage of the season, Hurley wants to see how Samson and Reed can perform when in foul trouble. Can they play with two fouls in the first half or four fouls with quite a bit of time left on the clock?

With that said, I'd like to see what Singare can do playing with rotation players. I'd prefer having 3 productive bigs that provide 15 fouls and can play aggressively as long as the level of play is solid.

If Singare continues to develop, I can see Hurley giving him, Reed and Reibe rotation minutes next season. We I'll know how young bigs tend to get into early foul trouble until they learn how to play aggressive without fouling. Reibe will likely struggle with that like most freshman bigs. I think that will pave the way for some solid PT for Singare next season, but would like to see him get some this year if he shows he belongs on the floor. He showed nice touch at rim, blocked a shot and pulled down some rebounds, albeit during mop up time.

One other thing, depending on the opposition, Hurley will decide to go small ball because it might be more effective and get more PT to the guards and wings. It's a trade off. But if we face a team with size where that might put us at a disadvantage, maybe we'll just see Youssouf in the lineup for a few minutes. I like how he looked and appeared to have improved. How much, I guess we'll find our.

 

[Methalius]

I couldn't disagree more. If Singare has to play meaningful minutes then I think we are in big trouble. Alex is your third 5. Would you rather have a lineup with Alex and Stew on the court or Alex and Singare? The answer should be instantaneous. Singare has had a few good minutes in garbage time against mediocre opponents benches. Should we have cut some of Castle or Cam's minutes last year because Apostolos looked good against walk-ons?

I completely agree. We see Singare perform garbage time minutes against the likes of Sacred Heart and New Hampshire and we think that he will do the same against the likes of Marquette or Villanova? If the Bigs get into foul trouble then move Karaban to the "5" and out quick or out shoot their opponents. Give me a line up of Karaban, McNeeley, Ball, Ross and Stewart over a lineup of Karaban, McNeeley, Ball, Ross and Singare.... I think Singare is a project and he might eventually be able to play meaningful minutes but I don't see that happening this year.

 

[AllHusky]

Probably recruited over annually. Next year, is he Reeds replacement, or are we portaling or getting best HS 5 available?

Unless there is a total lightbulb moment, UConns current ability to recruit who they want probably dooms Singare. Do love him though!

 

[Chin Diesel]

It's playing the math, really, and Hurley thinking scoring from both teams will go up with Alex at the 5. The opposing center with his lineup might average 0.9 PPP (point per possession) and 1.0 PPP when either Samson or Tarris are in the game. If those 2 get in foul trouble, then putting Alex at the 5 might yield between 1 PPP and 1.1 PPP, but Hurley is banking on Alex at the 5 spreading the opposing defense out to result in shooting and making more 3s and layups/dunks for a 1.2 PPP-1.3 PPP.

Taking all that complicated math out of the equation, UConn is challenging teams to keep pace with UConn. They're willing to trade baskets with more of an offensive identity than trade stops with a defensive identity.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Anyone remember those Tulane teams from years ago where they subbed all 5 players as their strategy and employed a pressing run and gun style to wear out opponents? It was fun to watch, but only lasted a couple years. Maybe coach took a new job or something.

 

[uconnfan68]

He's listed at 6' 10". Everyone seems to grow 2-3 inches on the Boneyard. Not sure I'd call him a "wall" either since he is 225 pounds or so.

He’s a better post defender than AK or JS. It appears that isn’t good enough for minutes.

 

[DogMania]

I completely agree. We see Singare perform garbage time minutes against the likes of Sacred Heart and New Hampshire and we think that he will do the same against the likes of Marquette or Villanova? If the Bigs get into foul trouble then move Karaban to the "5" and out quick or out shoot their opponents. Give me a line up of Karaban, McNeeley, Ball, Ross and Stewart over a lineup of Karaban, McNeeley, Ball, Ross and Singare.... I think Singare is a project and he might eventually be able to play meaningful minutes but I don't see that happening this year.

You might be right, but how do you know this for sure without seeing him playing in that situation. Most on this board had Ross buried on the bench for the season, and look how it seems that most of us were wrong.

He looks better each time I see him on the floor. I'm one who would like to see him get some run in one of these early games for just a few minutes against the other teams rotation players. That might not happen, but I'd like to see it.

 

[Scrutineer]

Singare probably has more potential but this feels like a Richie Springs situation. Posters see him play in garbage time and believe he's ready to contribute.

We all believe the coaches know best and, if they don't, they've done a good job of fooling all the other teams in college basketball.

Having said that, there are two possibilities:
1. He's actually not ready. He may just need more time and will turn out to be the current team's Isaiah Whaley and be a good player his last two years.
2. He's more composed in games and performs better than he does in practice. Joe Theisman was reportedly a poor practice guy but seemed to do well in games.

I'm with those who think he should get more time. He's as new to the game as SJ, but SJ's in his fifth year and at some point the excuses about the fouling, failure to move his feet, reaching in, etc. need to end. AS and DC aren't walking through that door............

 

[DogMania]

Probably recruited over annually. Next year, is he Reeds replacement, or are we portaling or getting best HS 5 available?

Unless there is a total lightbulb moment, UConns current ability to recruit who they want probably dooms Singare. Do love him though!

I have a feeling your post will get deleted, but in the meantime, I have little doubt that Hurley and the staff will do all they can to develop Singare where he'll have developed enough by at least next season to get some meaningful playing time. Based on what I've seen from other raw bigs that have come to UConn and not played, he seems to pass the eye test as one who has the athleticism and growing feel for the game where he'll see the floor sooner than most people think.

(Tom, I think we might want to not delete that post, to inform the board about not posting about recruiting over current players and to preserve my reply that Singare just might develop enough to have a prominent role at some point.)

UConn has been built on the backs of under-ranked players who just needed time to develop and I don't want to see that ever change here, at least having some that develop into solid contributors. Ross is a perfect example of this, who was ranked above 100 and looks like he could be playing like he's a top 25 player at some point. Time will tell, but Ross clearly meets the eye test in my opinion. We'll see how he does as the competition increases.

We're not going to get 3 to 4 top 50 recruits every year and are going to need to recruit some developmental players where they eventually earn meaningful playing time. If not those type of players simply won't come here knowing they won't have a shot at cracking the lineup. I think that's important and a signature quality of Husky hoops. Seems that Hurley is very loyal to his players and will give every chance possible for the ones who were recruited to be developed a chance to play. I'm not talking about the few that simply fill the bottom part of the roster who are just glad to be here and practice with the team. Singare doesn't seem to be one of those type of players, but one who came here with hopes that he'd be able to develop and eventually play a solid role. Time will tell.

We don't ever post about players being recruited over or transferring. Granted both happens, but we show respect for all our players.

 

[Dove]

“This whole board” also thought that Hurley was throwing games by not playing Diggins.

4 of the best coaches in the game have a little more info than the boneyard coaches with a couple garbage minute glimpses.

Yes, but the one coach with The 'yard here for guidance has won back to back ( yep, and belly to belly) National Titles.

 

[jibsey]

This was never a move him into critical minutes discussion. He was 4 stars and has had time against the toughest team in the college world in practices.

Youssouf Singare Practice Highlights

the-boneyard.com

 

[DogMania]

We all believe the coaches know best and, if they don't, they've done a good job of fooling all the other teams in college basketball.

Having said that, there are two possibilities:
1. He's actually not ready. He may just need more time and will turn out to be the current team's Isaiah Whaley and be a good player his last two years.
2. He's more composed in games and performs better than he does in practice. Joe Theisman was reportedly a poor practice guy but seemed to do well in games.

I'm with those who think he should get more time. He's as new to the game as SJ, but SJ's in his fifth year and at some point the excuses about the fouling, failure to move his feet, reaching in, etc. need to end. AS and DC aren't walking through that door............

It's possible he's developed enough to get rotation minutes on many D1 teams that aren't nearly as crazy talented as UConn. I believe that. He looks like a raw inexperienced player who would earn PT and develop as the season goes on. He doesn't look like your standard mop up end of the bench player. I think people are selling him way too short. With that said, it's just very hard to crack the lineup when Hurley is trying to develop other more advanced players and chemistry between them. Let's see as the season goes on if he'll get some spot run with some of the rotation players. At worst, I think he'll be competing for some sort of playing time next season. Maybe I'm wrong. But I'd rather believe in a player than to assume that he belongs at the end of the bench and go no further.

 

[navery12]

We might as well have this discussion now after both of our 5’s committed 2 fouls so early in the last game. He has only ever gotten garbage time BUT to me has looked pretty good grabbing rebounds and making shots at point blank range.
Hurley obviously plans to go with Alex at the 5 when both Reed and Johnson are sitting but what would be wrong with seeing what this kid could do in a cupcake game? Give him 5 decent minutes in a game we lead by 20.
What if he actually performs well? We have 15 fouls to work with rather than 10. Next year he is sitting behind Reed and Reibe again.

We do not have enough minutes for all of our wings, playing Stewart and Karaban for those minutes at the 5 slightly alleviates that issue. It also creates huge mismatches for the other team

 

[Excalibur]

Anyone remember those Tulane teams from years ago where they subbed all 5 players as their strategy and employed a pressing run and gun style to wear out opponents? It was fun to watch, but only lasted a couple years. Maybe coach took a new job or something.

That was Perry Clark (and the group was called "The Posse" if I remember correctly. Clark ended up at Miami, where his teams seemed to underachieve given their talent level.

 

[DogMania]

This was never a move him into critical minutes discussion. He was 4 stars and has had time against the toughest team in the college world in practices.

Youssouf Singare Practice Highlights

the-boneyard.com

Thanks for linking that clip of some practice highlights. He definitely looks like a player who can eventually earn meaningful minutes here at some point, even if they continue to recruit top 35 players.

Think about it. He's only 2 games into his sophomore season, and looked pretty good in that clip against rotation players and pretty darn good during the end of the last game. I wonder if many think he's been here a lot longer, forgetting he was part of the Castle, Ball, Stewart and Ross class. For a raw sophomore new to the game, I think he's developing nicely. Some players new to the game never quite get there and the game is just too fast for them. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think he's going to be fine in that regard and just needs time to get stronger and develop.

I don't think he decided to return to sit on the bench for 3 or 4 years. I think Hurley believes in him and Singare is betting on himself, or however that saying goes. It's just a matter of time. He's relatively new to the game and is only going to get better. He looks plenty athletic enough for this level and seems to be starting to fill out and get stronger.

I'm rooting for him and hope he gets some spot situational PT at some point in the season. What makes that challenging is that they have so many small ball options with Karaban, Stewart and even McNeeley who could eat up a few minutes at the 5. I don't know if many teams have one to two long physical bigs where we would need him in the lineup if both SJ and Reed are in foul trouble, but maybe that's the type of situation that Singare might just get some run. I'd at least like to see how he would handle that in a game where the outcome looks in our favor or in some stinker where the team is not playing well, which seems to happen each year.

When I think about some of the raw bigs that came to UConn and developed into starting or solid backup 5s, he doesn't look that much different at comparable stages. Hasheem Thabeet, Amida Brima, Travis Knight, Souleymane Wane to name a few. Wane never quite got the feel of the game but was a serviceable backup. The other three went through serious growing pains to the angst of many fans on the Boneyard before establishing themselves as solid starters. Even then, many complained about holes in their games to very end of their UConn careers.