Trace Young

[JMick]

To me, that indicates he's a mid major guy...

well it probably means he wouldn't transfer if Ollie was fired. Next coach would have at least one guy on the roster

 

[UConnDan97]

To me, that indicates he's a mid major guy...

Or...that he's a tournament player, since there are 68 teams there.

Seriously though, if we are counting up schools in the major conferences + top 7 teams in the Big East + top 4 teams in the AAC, you are already safely over that number. Even without including schools from the A-10 or schools like Gonzaga. Top 50 in a position is the definition of "major", not mid-major...

 

[SouthBayHusky]

Fully ambivalent on whether or not taking this kid (whom we may never end up offering) would be more beneficial than banking the scholarship.

That said, I would love to see the meltdown him committing here would cause. I'd set the over/under on posters who would tweet at the kid asking him to immediately rescind because he isn't a UConn-caliber player at 3.

You are an annoying little twit

 

[UConnDan97]

This number crunching is only valid if talent was distributed evenly among all the D1 programs by HS rank, which we all obviously know isn't the case. Kentucky is bringing in 5 top 35 kids or so alone.

Actually, your statement makes the number crunching more valid, not less. If a school like Kentucky takes two top 50 SFs in one year, then that means that there are only 48 left for the other top 49 teams. If UNC does the same, there are 46 left for 48 teams, and so on.

That's essentially why people shouldn't be so sour on the #50 SF. Not to mention the fact that it is a talent assessment, and he may be just as good as the #30 SF...

 

[Storrs South]

While we are arguing about the potential of this one player, Syracuse is having to dig arguably deeper into the well to fill out their roster

 

[Tenspro2002]

Last year UConn was #96 in kenpom. The top 96 schools in D1 take in 96*13/4 = 312 new players every year. The kid is in the top 312. Therefore his level of play is not likely to degrade our level of play. He would have been good to have last year.

Now, maybe we can do better leaving the roster spot unoccupied in 2017-18 and getting another class of 2018 player. But now is not the time to be sneering at competitive players who may be able to help us.

To me, that indicates he's a mid major guy...

There's 65 P5 teams, and they recruit a small forward on average once per year. So he's a marginal P5 player.

Guys, let's not overthink this. Rakim Lubin was a #300-level recruit.

Granted, different positions, but unless he's badly mis-ranked, this is not an impact player.

 

[UConnDan97]

While we are arguing about the potential of this one player, Syracuse is having to dig arguably deeper into the well to fill out their roster

2 star SF on one recruiting service, and unranked by most.

Still, Boeheim must think he can contribute...

 

[Balker]

2 star SF on one recruiting service, and unranked by most.

Still, Boeheim must think he can contribute...

They were probably laughing their asses off when we got Giffey out of some German dumpster, too.

 

[BUConn10]

Actually, your statement makes the number crunching more valid, not less. If a school like Kentucky takes two top 50 SFs in one year, then that means that there are only 48 left for the other top 49 teams. If UNC does the same, there are 46 left for 48 teams, and so on.

That's essentially why people shouldn't be so sour on the #50 SF. Not to mention the fact that it is a talent assessment, and he may be just as good as the #30 SF...

But these are the teams we are competing with for a title... all talent evaluation is relative.

 

[pj]

Guys, let's not overthink this. Rakim Lubin was a #300-level recruit.

Granted, different positions, but unless he's badly mis-ranked, this is not an impact player.

Trace Young is ranked a bit better than Rakim:

• Trace Young: ESPN 75 rating, Trace Young - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN, 247 composite #286, Trace Young, North Hardin, Small Forward
  
• Rakim Lubin: ESPN 70 rating, Rakim Lubin - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN, 247 composite ranking #344, Rakim Lubin, Gadsden City, Power Forward

Ratings this far down are based on relatively little information. Trace could be the 150th best player or the 400th. In retrospect Rakim was ranked better than he deserved. If we offer Trace, let's hope he's better than his rank.

 

[Stainmaster]

Guys, let's not overthink this. Rakim Lubin was a #300-level recruit.

Granted, different positions, but unless he's badly mis-ranked, this is not an impact player.

I don't know how I feel about this comparison, given that a) we were Lubin's only offer, b) after transferring, the Big West was his next best option, and c) it looks like he's washed out of there. Young may be ranked similarly, but his offer list is objectively better than a guy like Mamadou Diarra's, despite Diarra being a Top 100 guy according to ESPN. Vital's too, I think -- wasn't he just Louisville, BC, and a bunch of A10 schools.

Buzz Williams and Bruce Weber both got at-large bids to the tournament this past year while contending with far tougher conference schedules (ACC and B12 respectively) than ours. When it's late May and we still have 3 scholarships to fill, I would feel much more comfortable taking a flyer on a prospect both of them have determined is good enough to help their programs than any random unranked kid like Lubin.

 

[UConnDan97]

But these are the teams we are competing with for a title... all talent evaluation is relative.

I understand that. But historically, we are competing against Kentucky's super 1-and-dones with less highly ranked but polished juniors and seniors. And in the big games, our juniors and seniors win...

 

[Tenspro2002]

I don't know how I feel about this comparison, given that a) we were Lubin's only offer, b) after transferring, the Big West was his next best option, and c) it looks like he's washed out of there. Young may be ranked similarly, but his offer list is objectively better than a guy like Mamadou Diarra's, despite Diarra being a Top 100 guy according to ESPN. Vital's too, I think -- wasn't he just Louisville, BC, and a bunch of A10 schools.

Buzz Williams and Bruce Weber both got at-large bids to the tournament this past year while contending with far tougher conference schedules (ACC and B12 respectively) than ours. When it's late May and we still have 3 scholarships to fill, I would feel much more comfortable taking a flyer on a prospect both of them have determined is good enough to help their programs than any random unranked kid like Lubin.

This is a good point -- rankings are not the whole story and other offers paint a picture as well. Arguably, they may be even more instructive.

I would certainly expect more of this kid than Lubin.

 

[BUConn10]

I understand that. But historically, we are competing against Kentucky's super 1-and-dones with less highly ranked but polished juniors and seniors. And in the big games, our juniors and seniors win...

We need the right guys first to be able for them to turn into those juniors and seniors you speak of, lately we haven't even been retaining our freshman, but I get your point though.

 

[uconnbill]

He played at a top prep school which should help him at the next level and he is 17 years old. Unlike a number of those who play at Huntington Prep, he is young, has upside and a very good basketball IQ.

I will add this since UConn is out of the Waters race, this would be the last player I would want UConn to take.

 

[Fishy]

He was an unexceptional player at Huntington - he scored about eight a game.

He wasn't considered one of the top ten players in Kentucky before the season and looking at their Kentucky/Indiana all-star game, he wasn't at the end of it either. (He was the alternate - 12th man.)

I'm sure he has a place in college hoop, but it just isn't here.

Preseason rankings | Top 25 players in Kentucky

 

[superjohn]

He was an unexceptional player at Huntington - he scored about eight a game.

He wasn't considered one of the top ten players in Kentucky before the season and looking at their Kentucky/Indiana all-star game, he wasn't at the end of it either. (He was the alternate - 12th man.)

I'm sure he has a place in college hoop, but it just isn't here.

Preseason rankings | Top 25 players in Kentucky

And Kentucky is a state that puts out little D1 talent. People are doing all sorts of intellectual gymnastics trying to make players something they're not. Guess that's what happens when you miss out on your A,B,C,D recruits and get down to the end of the alphabet.

 

[Fishy]

And Kentucky is a state that puts out little D1 talent. People are doing all sorts of intellectual gymnastics trying to make players something they're not. Guess that's what happens when you miss out on your A,B,C,D recruits and get down to the end of the alphabet.

I doubt UConn is even that interested.

All this was started by Twitter account that seems to spend most of its recent efforts on promoting the kid.

Troy State and whoever else will battle this out.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I'd honestly rather hold on to the scholarship. Depth means nothing if it has little talent.

 

[David 76]

Holding onto 3 scholarships would be crazy.

 

[AntG168]

Holding onto 3 scholarships would be crazy.

Agreed we'd have 6-7 schollies next yr assuming jalen ans terry leave, and banking on 1 transfer. Thats a lot of pressure on 1 reccruiting cycle

 

[UConnDan97]

We need the right guys first to be able for them to turn into those juniors and seniors you speak of, lately we haven't even been retaining our freshman, but I get your point though.

Well, those guys are Jalen, Christian, Alterique, and Terry, but I get your point also...

 

[djct1999]

Agreed we'd have 6-7 schollies next yr assuming jalen ans terry leave, and banking on 1 transfer. Thats a lot of pressure on 1 reccruiting cycle

That's not pressure. That is more of a death sentence.

 

[Huskymagic]

We have 3 open scholarships and have plenty open scholarships for 2018 recruiting cycle.

Taking a risk on an elite athlete with good basketball IQ who is 6'8 is worth taking because he doesn't hurt your team. He also provides solid insurance for Terry.

PS: This kid has an offer from Southern Cal whose roster is full of NBA level talent. He is good enough to play for us. Comparing Trace to Rock is laughable as the differences in athleticism between the 2 is like the distance between the Earth and Pluto.

 

[UConnDan97]

And Kentucky is a state that puts out little D1 talent. People are doing all sorts of intellectual gymnastics trying to make players something they're not. Guess that's what happens when you miss out on your A,B,C,D recruits and get down to the end of the alphabet.

Nobody is doing "intellectual gymnastics" to make anyone into something they are not.

Some of us are just being calm enough to wonder if a kid that holds scholarship offers from K-State, USC, UMASS, and DePaul might be worth 3 minutes per game for us. Nothing more than that is going on here, except for those few who think we are making him into little LeBron...