UConn Recruiting vs AAC Teams

[UConnJim]

I was surprised when I went back and compared UConn's recruiting rankings with their AAC peers for the last 4 recruiting classes plus this year's. Here are the top 5 ranked teams by year:

2012: 1) Houston, 2) UConn, 3) Memphis, 4) Temple, 5) USF
2013: 1) Memphis, 2) SMU, 3) Cincinnati, 4) USF, 5) UConn
2014: 1) UConn, 2) Cincinnati, 3) Memphis, 4) UCF, 5) USF
2015: 1) Memphis, 2) SMU, 3) UConn, 4) USF, 5) Temple

2016: 1) UConn, 2) SMU, 3) Cincinnati, 4) Memphis, 5) USF

From the 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes, UConn has one starter: Brimah. Also, the 2014 #1 ranked recruiting class has produced only 1 significant contributor, Hamilton, as Lubin has transferred and Cassell is on the bench.

Sure UConn has had grad students and transfers, but so have the other AAC teams. Bottom line is that UConn has not brought in significantly better players to dominate the AAC.

UConn recruiting used to be more dominant relative to the AAC. Look at the rankings from pre-2012:

2011: 1) UConn, 2) Cincinnati, 3) UCF, 4) Memphis, 5) SMU
2010: 1) Memphis, 2) UConn, 3) Tulsa, 4) Cincinnati, 5) Temple
2009: 1) UConn, 2) Cincinnati, 3) UCF, 4) USF, 5) Memphis
2008: 1) Memphis, 2) UConn, 3) Cincinnati, 4) ECU, 5) SMU
2007: 1) Cincinnati, 2) Memphis, 3) Temple, 4) SMU, 5) Houston (10 UConn 1 player Beverly)
2006: 1) UConn, 2) Memphis, 3) USF, 4) Cincinnati, 5) UCF
2005: 1) UConn, 2) Memphis, 3) Cincinnati, 4) SMU, 5) Houston
2004: 1) UConn, 2) Memphis, 3) Cincinnati, 4) Tulsa, 5) UCF
2003: 1) UConn, 2) Memphis, 3) USF, 4) Cincinnati, 5) Temple

The pre-2012 rankings show UConn first 6 times and second twice with one year a 10 ranking with a one player recruiting class.

The 2016 recruiting class should be a big piece of putting UConn back on top with 4 players coming in.

 

[tykurez]

This is what happens when you ban us

 

[upstater]

Cassell, Samuel, Brimah, Lubin, even Facey, were not the very high recruits that UConn typically grabbed in the past.

Add in other factors, like Omar Calhoun's injuries, and the difficulty of transfers like Gibbs and Purvis meshing well together, and you have a rather odd mix.

Anyone who thinks Ollie didn't coach his butt off in 2012-2013 and also 2013-2014 is just absolutely blind.

He proved he could coach in those 2 years.

We are still unbalanced going forward. The team is going to miss Shonn Miller A LOT next year. Here's hoping Larrier will be a transfer success. I can't actually think of many other than role players like Lasan Kromah. Go back to Ed Nelson, ACC Rookie of the Year. Thought he would be a big cog. Was not.

Alterique, Jalen Adams, Larrier, Hamilton, Facey, Enoch, Brimah.

That's the team next year. Vance Jackson is going to get spot minutes, also need other guards.

 

[Lefty2one]

I've been saying this the last couple of days so thanks for putting some facts/context to it - the talent level is THE biggest issue with the program right now. It isn't Ollie in-game abilities, despite the growing pains he's going through. Our program went through a really rough stretch with the loss of JC, being shunned to the AAC, the sanctions, transfers, injuries, etc. It's going to take time to bounce back from that crap. We had a three year stretch from '12-'14 where we brought in two starter-caliber players in Brimah and Hamilton. Normally that might not be too bad but given that the cupboard was rather empty it was a big problem.

'12 - Omar & Nolan
'13 - Brimah, Facey, Samuel
'14 - Hamilton, Lubin, Cassell

Thankfully we struck relative gold with Brimah as a 3-star prospect or that would have been a putrid three-year stretch. It was Hamilton and a bunch of 4-star guys near the 100-mark and 3-star guys.

TBH Ollie is recruiting better than I expected him to the last two seasons. Adams was a huge get, he's the first player we've signed since Drummond who seems more likely than not to have an NBA career. Though he has a long way to go, he stands out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of our backcourt in terms of his raw ability and potential. Who knows about the pro prospects of the '16 class but they seem far more talented than what we brought in '12-'14. Hopefully Larrier can be a good rotation piece. We're slowly rebuilding the cupboard. Ollie will get it there and build the usual way - not with stop gap grad students and transfers.

 

[Matrim55]

Cassell, Samuel, Brimah, Lubin, even Facey, were not the very high recruits that UConn typically grabbed in the past.

Add in other factors, like Omar Calhoun's injuries, and the difficulty of transfers like Gibbs and Purvis meshing well together, and you have a rather odd mix.

Anyone who thinks Ollie didn't coach his butt off in 2012-2013 and also 2013-2014 is just absolutely blind.

He proved he could coach in those 2 years.

We are still unbalanced going forward. The team is going to miss Shonn Miller A LOT next year. Here's hoping Larrier will be a transfer success. I can't actually think of many other than role players like Lasan Kromah. Go back to Ed Nelson, ACC Rookie of the Year. Thought he would be a big cog. Was not.

Alterique, Jalen Adams, Larrier, Hamilton, Facey, Enoch, Brimah.

That's the team next year. Vance Jackson is going to get spot minutes, also need other guards.

I agree with most of this, but I think it's crazy to not list Purvis as a successful transfer. He hasn't been a Ferrari, but the dude's averaging 13 ppg on 44/40/61 splits, and has improved both his defensive numbers and assist/to ratio year-over-year.

 

[upstater]

I agree with most of this, but I think it's crazy to not list Purvis as a successful transfer. He hasn't been a Ferrari, but the dude's averaging 13 ppg on 44/40/61 splits, and has improved both his defensive numbers and assist/to ratio year-over-year.

You're right. Unlike most, Rodney is actually one of my favorites on the team. I just expected more, that's all.

 

[Lefty2one]

Agreed, Purvis has given us exactly what I expected after seeing his one year at NC State. He's an inconsistent but overall solid contributor plus he's shown some improvement. He's definitely been a "successful transfer".

 

[Tenspro2002]

Our roster is held together by popsicle sticks and bubble gum.

These are the non-transfer recruits we've brought in over the last 4 classes, this year's freshmen through this year's seniors:

Calhoun
Nolan
TSam
Facey
Brimah
Lubin
Cassell
Hamilton
Enoch
Adams

Consider our traditionally dominant teams, or even developing teams, and ask yourself where these guys would fit in.

You'd have 1 starter (Hamilton), 6 bench players (Calhoun - Rashamel Jones type, TSam - Beverly, Facey - early career Gavin Edwards, Brimah - hard to find a comp but he wouldn't be a starter, Enoch - developing big, and a stud freshman 6th man in Adams - Kemba-like), and 3 guys who shouldn't be here (Nolan, Lubin, Cassell).

I don't blame KO for most of these recruiting difficulties -- yes, he could have done better in '14 and '15, but he's clearly turned things around for '16 -- JC deserves the lion's share of the responsibility here.

So we've been forced to assign major roles to transfers, who usually come with warts and don't easily fit in right away.

KO's coaching hasn't been great this year -- the lack of offensive creativity, which should have been his strength, taking too long to realize Adams and not Gibbs is the answer at PG, lack of development of frontcourt players, inability or unwillingness to stick up for his team with the officials are all concerns -- but he's also been hamstrung with a patchwork roster.

This is why calls to jettison KO are premature. If in 2 years we're still seeing the same problems and the same mediocre results with a team whose incoming talent actually befits the UConn name, then we should have that conversation.

 

[dogpause]

I only care about next year.

 

[UConnSwag11]

I agree with most of this, but I think it's crazy to not list Purvis as a successful transfer. He hasn't been a Ferrari, but the dude's averaging 13 ppg on 44/40/61 splits, and has improved both his defensive numbers and assist/to ratio year-over-year.

It's just that he goes through 5-10 minute spurt then disappears. if could put 25-30 minutes of the purvis we know he can be we'd be rolling. He needs confidence. Not shlitting on him at all, just need a fully game from him

 

[intlzncster]

Our roster is held together by popsicle sticks and bubble gum.

These are the non-transfer recruits we've brought in over the last 4 classes, this year's freshmen through this year's seniors:

Calhoun
Nolan
TSam
Facey
Brimah
Lubin
Cassell
Hamilton
Enoch
Adams

Consider our traditionally dominant teams, or even developing teams, and ask yourself where these guys would fit in.

You'd have 1 starter (Hamilton), 6 bench players (Calhoun - Rashamel Jones type, TSam - Beverly, Facey - early career Gavin Edwards, Brimah - hard to find a comp but he wouldn't be a starter, Enoch - developing big, and a stud freshman 6th man in Adams - Kemba-like), and 3 guys who shouldn't be here (Nolan, Lubin, Cassell).

I don't blame KO for most of these recruiting difficulties -- yes, he could have done better in '14 and '15, but he's clearly turned things around for '16 -- JC deserves the lion's share of the responsibility here.

So we've been forced to assign major roles to transfers, who usually come with warts and don't easily fit in right away.

KO's coaching hasn't been great this year -- the lack of offensive creativity, which should have been his strength, taking too long to realize Adams and not Gibbs is the answer at PG, lack of development of frontcourt players, inability or unwillingness to stick up for his team with the officials are all concerns -- but he's also been hamstrung with a patchwork roster.

I still don't think he took too long with Adams, maybe a couple of games late. Adams wasn't ready from the start; he grew into it. We might have 3 or 4 more losses if he had started all year. You never know.

One thing is certain though. People vastly underrated (and still do) the impact recruiting sanctions and post season bans (and the lack of an HOF presence in-house) would have on the players we brought in.

 

[UConnSwag11]

next years recruiting class is going to be exactly what ollie wants and needs. a smart, heady point guard with players who can pick and pop... ollie had to fill the voids with the mess he inherited and turned bazz into one of the best, if not the best players in the country, while getting the maximum potential out of boat, giff, and daniels... if you notice, compared to the years with bazz, we dont do any pick and pops anymore because we don't have the talent/iq right now, iq both offensively and defensively. add in that we have no chemistry and no a true leader and you have the season we're having... ollie is rolling with recruiting and hopefully it's going to feel like we havent had a drop off in the years to come