Three-Peat: Mainly a bet on the coaching staff | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Three-Peat: Mainly a bet on the coaching staff

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We will need to win differently. I don't know if this team will have 30-0 runs in them without a Castle/Clingan combo throttling opponents. But we may be deeper and be able to wear them down with pressure and transition offense.
Agreed. I don't think the margin of victory will be as high, and the win total and/or winning % will likely drop, but we still may have enough to ultimately cut down the nets again. It's an extremely exciting time to be a UConn fan.
 
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We will be very good again this upcoming year. What stands out to me is that we are very young and therefore, we are also are set up for a fantastic 2025-2026. Right now, while some others may move on for other reasons, I think only Diarra will use up his eligibility this year. So of course, we'd all love the 3-peat this year, and that can't be ruled out if things all come together, but objectively, if we try to realistically project player growth and experience as a unit, we are probably set up to be better the next year.
 
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The end of this season reminded me of Thanos at the end of Infinity war. He snapped his fingers and they went away. The thought of a repeat title and watching it all as a fan was exhausting and exhilarating.

But we know they're all coming for us.

View attachment 100308
I have never seen Infinity War, but I remember the 1995 video game Marvel Super Heroes where Thanos was the last guy, the final boss. UConn isn't the sentimental favorite like they were in the last 90s as they suffered heartbreak from missing the Final Four. They are not the likeable team most fans root for, although we just picked up an Aidan Mahaney fan (and more will hop on the bandwagon), in the same way like Captain America, Spider Man, Wolverine, Iron Man etc.

They were the only team in the 2023 Final Four who had been there unlike the other 3 teams who made their first time appearance in a Final Four. Many people who were not UConn fans viewed them as the heavy favorite this year and claimed they got easy money betting on UConn (i.e. Providence fans on Friar Talk forum). Both in 2023 and especially 2024, UConn was the final boss.

What is my long winded post saying? The same thing yours is saying: UConn is Thanos. Every team and it's fan base is coming for them-embrace it.
 
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This is the key and this is why I've been nothing but cool and calm as a cucumber during the last two offseasons:

This staff is amazing. They know how to recruit. They know how to develop. They know how to strategize. They know how to adjust in game.

I'm just sitting back and enjoying this beautiful time of UConn basketball.
That all sounds good but they've yet to prove they can win close games.............:rolleyes:
 
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As a Yankees fan, I can say the Rays certainly have a innovative approach to roster building. The Yanks and Sox have way more money and resources and yet the Rays are right there competing with them.
I put it on the owners. How can Cashman still be there? The Yankees should be hiring the Rays' GM.
 

FfldCntyFan

Texas: Property of UConn Men's Basketball program
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I have never seen Infinity War, but I remember the 1995 video game Marvel Super Heroes where Thanos was the last guy, the final boss. UConn isn't the sentimental favorite like they were in the last 90s as they suffered heartbreak from missing the Final Four. They are not the likeable team most fans root for, although we just picked up an Aidan Mahaney fan (and more will hop on the bandwagon), in the same way like Captain America, Spider Man, Wolverine, Iron Man etc.

They were the only team in the 2023 Final Four who had been there unlike the other 3 teams who made their first time appearance in a Final Four. Many people who were not UConn fans viewed them as the heavy favorite this year and claimed they got easy money betting on UConn (i.e. Providence fans on Friar Talk forum). Both in 2023 and especially 2024, UConn was the final boss.

What is my long winded post saying? The same thing yours is saying: UConn is Thanos. Every team and it's fan base is coming for them-embrace it.
 
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I put it on the owners. How can Cashman still be there? The Yankees should be hiring the Rays' GM.
Trying to watch Yankee games or baseball after UConn the last 2 years is quite a comedown it really is.
 
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Trying to watch Yankee games or baseball after UConn the last 2 years is quite a comedown it really is.
I was a diehard Yankee fan for decades but stopped watching or rooting for them 10 or 15 years ago. Fat contracts that don't pan out, years of poor drafts, and on and on.
 
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None of the NBA mocks have Alex going in round 1. I take this interview as a strong sign Alex is returning.
That is what Hurley is advising but we don't know what Karaban's requirement is to stay in the draft. If he is hearing he can get a guaranteed contract in round 2 he might stay in it.
 
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Trying to watch Yankee games or baseball after UConn the last 2 years is quite a comedown it really is.
Try watching the NY Giants the last 12+years after they beat the Patriots the 2nd time in a Super Bowl. The way this UConn Basketball operation is run is really elite and top notch. It's enough to cleanse the palette of the Giants mismanagement from their GMs of Jerry Reese and Dave Gettleman, to their lousy front office and scouting all the way to the top with John Mara.

Anytime I need to humble the sports fan in me, I just look at the NY Giants mismanagement and it always works. Hopefully Joe Schoen turns out to be good. I like some of his moves, but I hated the Daniel Jones contract although I know the Giants have an out clause after this year.
 
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Great interview. "Best part is the journey and putting in the work"- Sums up Dan and the Program.

Sounds like his advice to AK is going to be 1st round or come back.
 

Mazhude

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Here's the other issue. UConn's extraordinary offense took college basketball by storm. We're now in year three of opposing coaches examining, adopting, and/or finding defenses for that offense. Expect to see copy cats quickly. Expect some junk defenses thrown at us. We're not taking anyone by surprise anymore, even if they can't quite duplicate what we do on the offensive end...
 
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I think we should pick one of these high schools and offer them all a scholarship. They would put an end to the XL Gampel debate. Probably help us get a 3rd.
 
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If you give CBS Sports any credence, UConn has "reloaded" for next season by acquiring the 45th and 80th best available players in the portal. To this they have added the #9 best freshman.

There's an argument that an awful lot of of teams have "reloaded" with higher-rated personnel. Yet the euphoria in this forum is such that it's been suggested that our second five would probably rank in the Top 25.

The truth, I believe, is that we have not come close to replacing the loss of Clingan, Castle, Newton, Spencer and probably Karaban, either individually or collectively. If you told me that we could have any one of these players back, there is no one on next year's roster I would not trade for him.

But here's the good news -- and the hope. We probably have the team our coaching staff wants. No doubt we could have recruited higher from the portal. Instead we recruited the pieces we wanted to build the team we wanted. Now it's up to the coaching staff to mold that team.

We're not going to three-peat by out-talenting the rest of the field one-on-one. We'll do it by piecing together the best team -- and that is mainly a bet on the coaching staff,
Las year we said we can’t replace Jackson, Adams, Jordan or even Joey c. We are now cloning the women’s program.
 
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Pretty good interview from Katz besides missing the Texas game next year.


"We have several members from one of the best recruiting classes in the country returning. I think we solve a lot of our problems through player development...."

I think this is the part that many of us have a hard time envisioning even though we've seen it over and over.
 
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Las year we said we can’t replace Jackson, Adams, Jordan or even Joey c. We are now cloning the women’s program.
I’ve tried to adjust my anxiety levels but they’re pretty entrenched. I did not expect the team to be as good as they were this year. I didn’t expect Spencer to be as good as he was and while I always thought Castle was a top 5 talent, you never really know how that plays out in terms of freshmen minutes and production. I’m trying to not worry about next years team but to be fair, you take that much talent away two years in a row, any fan base is going to worry a bit. Either way I was 100% all in on Hurley when Adama committed so I’m not sure there’s a result that could seriously damage that for the next couple years.
 
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Uconn is "returning 5 of their top 9 scorers" is a really generous way of saying we are trying to recover after losing our 4 of our top 5 scorers. lol
We should be expected to take a step back from last year. I think our best shot would have been Cam getting the waiver to return. That's a dagger in terms of a distributor and clutch shot maker directing your offense in a tight game. His experience would have been invaluable in developing a chemistry with this new team. It's why I expect us to have a couple of frustrating games through the first half of the season. Karaban would be a big help but overall we could still have some effective shooting with the existing guys and new ones coming in. It will be a very interesting transition.
 
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My view of how other fanbases will think about UConn's run in the distant future and the time period since anybody else won.

Its Been A Long Time Waiting GIF
There was definitely room for 2 people on that door.
 
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Borges thinks Nowell will start. If AK returns, with Mahaney and McNeely there is collective career 41% 3 pt shooting. Curry 42%.
 
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Borges thinks Nowell will start. If AK returns, with Mahaney and McNeely there is collective career 41% 3 pt shooting. Curry 42%.
Not quite. The quotes are:
While the loss of Karaban would mean all five starters will have turned pro, there are experienced returnees in Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson, both poised for starting roles.
...
Four-star recruit Ahmad Nowell, who committed to the Huskies last summer, already boasts a Big East body and should fight for starter's minutes.
...
Will Diarra, the reigning Big East Sixth Man of the Year, keep that role with Nowell banging at the door, or will [Diarra] take over starting point guard duties as one of the main players Hurley will be looking to for leadership?
"Can you go from Sixth Man of the Year in the Big East to a true driving force?," Hurley asked, rhetorically about Diarra. "How much better can you get with the basketball, with decision-making, as a 3-point shooter, as a finisher in the paint, as a facilitator, with the level that Tristen and Cam played at? He made a big jump from his first to second year here. You need to make another big jump here. That's the challenge for him."
 

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