Stewart next season

[NJHoops]

I have such respect for Jaylin. He was behind from the start, through no fault of his own (high school ended late, injuries) and was worked in slowly. He heard the chirping from those who love him and mean well but stayed focused and trusted his coaches and the process. He carried himself extremely well throughout and earned every second of his opportunities and playing time.

 

[husky429]

I think he will pair really well at the 3/4 with Alex.

AK is a steady, low-usage, high-efficiency guy who plays within the system and surprises us when he makes a mistake once a month or so. Consummate team player and system guy.

JS has a whole arsenal of moves of the dribble and a bunch of wiggle to his game (a la Tristen) that we didn't get to see this year. I expect that when we unleash him, he'll be breaking guys down off the dribble, pulling up, and making things happen outside of the structure of the offense. Every team needs someone who makes plays when the clock is at 5 seconds. JS can be that guy.

 

[husky429]

He seems to be a Karaban type player.. which fits our team perfectly

IMO this isn't accurate at all. They're pretty different in terms of skillset and athletic abilities. That's a good thing for our team.

 

[Umami Zen]

One of Stewart's biggest fans is Alex-who is frequently matched up vs him in practice. He knows how talented JS is and the coaches are seeing it as well. Stewart saw how hard his friend Castle worked. He's got the coaches to push him and the teammates to support him.

Expect him to have a breakout year next year. Another UConn Skywalker..

 

[LIuconn]

Athletic stretch 4 with a full year hitting the weights + a full preseason. Should be a matchup nightmare

 

[Doctor Hoop]

I love his natural ability, but he does have to work on his shooting for consistency - he has a very good stroke, and will be able to nail that down.

His activity and athleticism on the defensive side, blocking shots and rebounding, were a very nice revelation. This year's team was very guard-driven with Newton, Spencer, and Castle. Next year the bookend forwards of Stewart and Karaban will be the nightmare for opposing teams.

 

[RuffRuff]

Really excited to see what he and Ball can do. Their sophomore jumps define the ceiling of the 2024-25 team.

Ditto to this sentiment. The jumps of these two times AK and Diarra coming back to lead, along with finding a great 5 are the conditions for another run. We can figure the rest out. Give me those 5 pieces and I’m officially excited.

 

[Mooch82]

I would not be shocked if he was scoring 16 PPG next season and is our leading scorer. I am a Jaylin Stewart truther

I love the kid as much as anyone but I’m just not sure he’ll get the minutes to do this. We seem to prefer a 3 guard type lineup and if AK comes back, he isn’t in much of a different role than he was this year (although I do think he’d get more minutes). I’d expect something more in the 8-12 range this year with a big opportunity to REALLY break out as a junior.

 

[Dogdeacon]

At a certain point during the season and after getting consistent minutes, Stewie's defense jumped ahead of his offense - THAT was a great sign. This allowed him to contribute without feeling he needed to score and then ironically scoring became easier. If he keeps up with that Steph Castle like approach he will become a monster on both ends.

 

[navery12]

I think he's going to be a really good player next year, hopefully it's as the starting 3 for UConn

 

[IndyLives]

He is the Next One at UConn...

 

[inWV]

Ditto to this sentiment. The jumps of these two times AK and Diarra coming back to lead, along with finding a great 5 are the conditions for another run. We can figure the rest out. Give me those 5 pieces and I’m officially excited.

Looks like it's shaping up to be SJ, Singare and a portal guy as bigs, Karaban and the Greek kid at 4, Stewart and Ross at the 3, with Diarra, Ball, Nowell and a portal guy at guard. Abraham is also coming in at SF. There will be enough roster competition to go 8 deep and possibly nine.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Someone has to replace the points that are leaving with Clingan, TN, Cam and Castle.

After Karaban, Stewart of all the returnees is most ready to be that offensive weapon.

That’s going to put him in line for a major jump in PPG. Entirely possible to see him in the 15+ range. All depends on how much DH reloads through the portal.

 

[aburks41]

I love the kid as much as anyone but I’m just not sure he’ll get the minutes to do this. We seem to prefer a 3 guard type lineup and if AK comes back, he isn’t in much of a different role than he was this year (although I do think he’d get more minutes). I’d expect something more in the 8-12 range this year with a big opportunity to REALLY break out as a junior.

He'll play the 3 for us if Karaban comes back

 

[Brochacho]

He'll play the 3 for us if Karaban comes back

I’d imagine he probably is the backup 4 for about 10 mpg and then plays 15 or so at the 3.

 

[storrsroars]

I'm just happy he looked competent out there, playing with the big boys and contributing within the confines of the offense and defense schemes. Wish I could say the same about the rest of the non-Castle fab five.

 

[CL82]

Athletic stretch 4 with a full year hitting the weights + a full preseason. Should be a matchup nightmare

Stewart at the four and Karaban at the three?

Also, what are the expectations for Ross next season?

 

[Incursio007]

I think he's still growing into his body some, which is scary, as I expect his explosiveness to increase with another year in the S&C program. He is capable of getting his own high-quality shot, or playing within the flow of the offense - both of which will be highly valued next year based on what we're projected to lose roster wise. He also showed flashes defensively this season, making a few rotations for blocked shots that I wasn't expecting. Super high upside --- I see a lot of Bryce Hopkins in his game. He projects as a SF in the league, so it will be interesting to see how Hurley uses him next season, as I believe he and Karaban can play together.

 

[aboogieee]

Stud. Not afraid of the moment. Will never forget his minutes during the BET.

My only question for him, is the gum THAT good?

Hoping to see more of Ross. Crazy athleticism. And when he drained the most inefficient shot at the 1:30 mark in the game against Illinois, I felt like that was his game.

 

[mets1090]

I'm just happy he looked competent out there, playing with the big boys and contributing within the confines of the offense and defense schemes. Wish I could say the same about the rest of the non-Castle fab five.

Two of the so called fab five weren't even top 100 recruits. I truly mean no disrespect to Ross or Singare; I hope they stick with the program and earn their time down the road. But if you had high hopes for them to make an real impact this year on one of the most dominant teams we've ever seen, that's on you.

 

[aburks41]

I'm just happy he looked competent out there, playing with the big boys and contributing within the confines of the offense and defense schemes. Wish I could say the same about the rest of the non-Castle fab five.

Solo showed flashes, like that game against UNC he looked really good. You know what they say the best thing about sophomores is? That they ain't freshmen anymore

 

[Drame]

IMO this isn't accurate at all. They're pretty different in terms of skillset and athletic abilities. That's a good thing for our team.

Before the season when he was carrying more weight I though Stewart was a bit like Paul Pierce in his craftiness. But now that he seems more athletic Im not sure what his game reminds me. We're going to see a lot more though.

 

[SoFloDawg]

He should model his game after the most super bad player in franchise history, the great Caron Butler. Inside- outside matchup nightmare.

 

[inWV]

The Donyell, Donnie and KO class did not turn in stellar play their first year and I watched the Thabeet/Dyson freshman group get run out of the gym at WVU. That latter group had the program keys handed to them a bit early.

 

[speckle]

Even in his limited minutes this year, he took a bunch of shots, particularly 3s, which makes me believe the coaches like that aspect of his game. His defensive improvement throughout the season, both team and individual, was very impressive, but especially from the help side in the lane and on the block. I think he's a true 3, with ideal physical tools, and has about as nice a window to play big minutes as anyone not named Karaban. Obviously we can't recreate our last two seasons lineups, but we relied on Andre and Castle to move the ball out of that slot, which is the only thing I haven't seen him do. Playing him at the 3 would make it easier to play a smaller guard lineup, but hopefully he can start/run the O in transition and the half court some too. Love his potential and development so far.