UConn, top 30 team next year.

[Kenny11]

Agreed...why would they redshirt him?

I think the BY is very suspect on him because some of his high school game videos that were posted here. He played on an unwatchable, disorganized team which made him and everyone else on the court look bad. But he has some gifts with size, length, a quick jump and some skills with the ball. I think he will make a positive impact as a freshman. He will be in a structured setting with a clear role of finishing, rebounding and blocking shots and nothing more as a freshman.

 

[Dooooooomed]

It's much easier to teach defense than scoring. And Hurley is a damn good teacher. Love Al, but give me RJ every time.

 

[Son of Robert]

RJ Cole is going to blow the doors off what a lot of people are expecting on this board.

I fully expect 16-17 PPG shooting 40% from 3 and 6 APG. Anyone who calls this prediction crazy can feel free to call me out this time next year. This man is the truth.

This put a smile on my face. You calling RJ 'the truth' 6 months before the season starts. I'm with ya though, here's to RJ filling the leadership role, being a floor general, and putting up good numbers.

 

[UofCT]

They are not close to the same, that is a fact. CV played very well the past three weeks, while Kemba played as good as any player in the nation and was a First Team All American and received votes for player of the year. Kemba averaged 26.7 points per game as a junior and was second to Jimmer in player of the year "He should have won it." He won the Bob Cousy award and the MVP of the NCAA Tournament.
Vital is a First Team All-AAC but no one has him as a All-American or any other awards.

Why are you comparing the two?

 

[Jbirdp5]

Thank you for agreeing with me. We didn’t start winning games until this happened. Now I mentioned several seasons where not having a leader led to disappointing seasons. My concern is not having a leader next year.

I appreciate you calling me a drunk and trying to make fun of me for having a legitimate point backed up by recent uconn examples.

He didn’t call you drunk someone else did, but again comparing the best player in the nation to CV is not a good comparison and that’s why your getting so much flack.

 

[ToolzieFan]

I’m going to go with Cole, Gaffney, Bouk, Springs, Whaley starting. Jackson, Carlton, Adams, Polley off the bench. Javonte Brown Ferguson and Akok red shirting. Still feels like this team is missing a guard and maybe a little scoring, toughness.

With only one true center (I see Whaley as a 4/5 who might struggle against bigger players, even though I loved his improvement this year) and Akok possibly out for the year, I don't see any way Brown-Ferguson would redshirt. Even if is only a role player, he will be valuable off the bench.

 

[UofCT]

He didn’t call you drunk someone else did, but again comparing the best player in the nation to CV is not a good comparison and that’s why your getting so much flack.

I didn’t compare the two as players I compared 2020-21 to the four disappointing seasons in UConn recent history after a leader left. Boneyard is boneyardin hard today. I stand by my take

 

[tcf15]

RJ Cole is going to blow the doors off what a lot of people are expecting on this board.

I fully expect 16-17 PPG shooting 40% from 3 and 6 APG. Anyone who calls this prediction crazy can feel free to call me out this time next year. This man is the truth.

Just want to let you know that only two guys from high major conferences put up numbers like that in the last 10 years...

2017-18: Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham

Accolades: Consensus first-team All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, First-team All-Big 12​

2015-16: Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine

Accolades: AP Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year, Consensus first-team All-American, Julius Erving Award winner, Lute Olson Award winner, Big Ten Player of the Year, First-team All-Big Ten​

I sincerely hope that you are right.

 

[Jbirdp5]

I didn’t compare the two as players I compared 2020-21 to the four disappointing seasons in UConn recent history after a leader left. Boneyard is boneyardin hard today. I stand by my take

If you wanted to make that point you just picked a bad example is all. I think hurley has spoke glowingly about Rj cole as a leader and this team is also a bit more humble than the teams you mentioned. The 2012 team was coming off a chip and feeling themselves heavy. You think this team is going to be anything but hungry?

 

[Huskyforlife]

RJ Cole is going to blow the doors off what a lot of people are expecting on this board.

I fully expect 16-17 PPG shooting 40% from 3 and 6 APG. Anyone who calls this prediction crazy can feel free to call me out this time next year. This man is the truth.

I wouldn't want to call you out, I really hope you're right. It just seems very unlikely.

 

[CTBasketball]

We witnessed the same thing when Kemba left. We looked GREAT on paper but we lost the emotional heart and soul. The same can be said for other heart & soul departures

1) Post AJ/Adrien = NIT
2) Post Kemba = Bubble
3) Post Shabazz = NIT
4) Post Boatright = Bubble

I hope the same thing does not happen with Vital but we are losing a lot more than his statistics.

If we lose heart and soul after this season then they are enrolled in the wrong school.

 

[uconnfan68]

I think it is very possible that Tyler Polley starts at the 3 or the 4, Dude has started every game since he's been here. Hurley wants to play 4 out and Tyler is a 40% 3 point shooter which opens the floor up. I think Tyler had finally grabbed hold of playing tough and aggressive, grabbing rebounds, playing more physical ball. We have that one game snapshot of him putting it all together and then BAM he was gone, but to repeat, I think he finally put it all together, which he needed to do in order to stay on the floor. If, he comes back the same player I see him starting.

1 RJ Cole
2 Gaffney or Bouknight
3 Bouknight or Jackson or Polley
4 Polley or Whaley
5 Carlton ( need to establish rim protection and scoring inside
and he has the best size and post moves)

Definite starters:

RJ Cole at he 1
Bouknight at the 2 or 3
Polley at the 3 or 4
Carlton at the 5


Gaffney, Jackson, or Whaley may earn a starting position, but I think just one of these players with the four listed above.

This is based on the roster we have today, we'll have to wait and see what happens. Sure do like the prospect of Landers Nolley joining the team.

Boneyard speculation to while away my time.

If Polley plays like he did in his final game, anything is possible.

 

[glastonbury50]

Vital was great the last 3 weeks of the season but I think you're underestimating how good Bouknight is going to be, how much Gaffney is going to improve, how much better all our additions and having a full roster instead of 8 players is going to make us.

Vital was great the last 3 weeks of the season. A lot of people on here are prisoners of the moment. Vital was extremely frustrating for a large portion of his career. He finally fell into his own as a leader towards the end, but he was absent in times where we needed him as well. Indiana game, St. Joe's game, and multiple other games where we needed a leader to step up and bury a game winning shot.

 

[ToolzieFan]

We witnessed the same thing when Kemba left. We looked GREAT on paper but we lost the emotional heart and soul. The same can be said for other heart & soul departures

1) Post AJ/Adrien = NIT
2) Post Kemba = Bubble
3) Post Shabazz = NIT
4) Post Boatright = Bubble

I hope the same thing does not happen with Vital but we are losing a lot more than his statistics.

In Boatright’s senior season, we finished 20-15, 73rd in KenPom. We made a nice run the in AAC tourney, but we were not even a bubble team, and we lost in the first round of the NIT. In the following year, partially carried by two grad transfers and a freshman guard, we won an NCAA tournament game and finished 26th in KenPom. Despite talk that we might not have made the tourney without Jalen Adams’s shot against Cincy, we were solidly a top-30 team. I love Boat, but I don’t think including h him is helping your argument.

 

[JimHurley]

Just want to let you know that only two guys from high major conferences put up numbers like that in the last 10 years...

2017-18: Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham

Accolades: Consensus first-team All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, First-team All-Big 12​

2015-16: Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine

Accolades: AP Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year, Consensus first-team All-American, Julius Erving Award winner, Lute Olson Award winner, Big Ten Player of the Year, First-team All-Big Ten​

I sincerely hope that you are right.

Didn’t realize these numbers were that rare. But that’s absolutely what I’m expecting from RJ. The dude can shoot and he’ll have space at UConn that he never had at Howard. That’s why I think he’ll shoot a better percentage. He’ll also have pieces around him that he didn’t have at Howard.

 

[lange10]

Didn’t realize these numbers were that rare. But that’s absolutely what I’m expecting from RJ. The dude can shoot and he’ll have space at UConn that he never had at Howard. That’s why I think he’ll shoot a better percentage. He’ll also have pieces around him that he didn’t have at Howard.

Maybe you should hope for those numbers rather than expect them? The sensationalism in your recent posts regarding next year is a little overboard.

We're a good team trending in the right direction. We have a ton of new pieces to the puzzle and potentially another player or two being added as well. A lot of unknowns right now to accurately forecast next season.

 

[AntG168]

Maybe you should hope for those numbers rather than expect them? The sensationalism in your recent posts regarding next year is a little overboard.

We're a good team trending in the right direction. We have a ton of new pieces to the puzzle and potentially another player or two being added as well. A lot of unknowns right now to accurately forecast next season.

I’m not bold enough to proclaim my optimism for next season because if the last half decade has taught us anything it taught us what can go wrong will go wrong. But in the comfort of my head.....I think we’re going to be REALLY good next season.

 

[lange10]

I’m not bold enough to proclaim my optimism for next season because if the last half decade has taught us anything it taught us what can go wrong will go wrong. But in the comfort of my head.....I think we’re going to be REALLY good next season.

I also think we’re going to be really good and tournament bound. But for a team that didn’t once finish top 3 in the AAC to now be a “lock” or “guarantee” to finish top 3 in NBE, regardless of all the talent we’ll have, is a bit premature in my opinion. That’s all I’m saying.

 

[auror]

Didn’t realize these numbers were that rare. But that’s absolutely what I’m expecting from RJ. The dude can shoot and he’ll have space at UConn that he never had at Howard. That’s why I think he’ll shoot a better percentage. He’ll also have pieces around him that he didn’t have at Howard.

The 6 assists is a pretty high bar, as is 40% 3pt on the volume required of a 16+ per game scorer (for example Vital only got to 35% after slumping midway in year). 15 with 4 assists and 36% is still pretty rare stuff that would be a nice bar to aim for.

There's about 20 guys per year (out of 353 point guards/primary playmakers) that get to that statline per year (193 guys in last decade). So that's a top 95th percentile statline. Of the 18 last year, only 6 were 6+ assists per game, and 12 were above 40%.

 

[HooperScooper]

Just for the heck of it here's CBSSports' Top 25 and 1. Creighton # 3 and Villanova #5. No UConn though.

2020-21 college basketball rankings: Gonzaga is No. 1, Kentucky is No. 2 in never-too-early Top 25 And 1

The Zags are the top team, Duke and Kansas are in the top 10 and North Carolina is in our first preseason rankings

www.cbssports.com

 

[AZHuskiePop]

With only one true center (I see Whaley as a 4/5 who might struggle against bigger players, even though I loved his improvement this year) and Akok possibly out for the year, I don't see any way Brown-Ferguson would redshirt. Even if is only a role player, he will be valuable off the bench.

We will probably need his 5 fouls more than anything else.

 

[SixRings]

RJ Cole is going to blow the doors off what a lot of people are expecting on this board.

I fully expect 16-17 PPG shooting 40% from 3 and 6 APG. Anyone who calls this prediction crazy can feel free to call me out this time next year. This man is the truth.

Dude, you got the scrappyvirus.

 

[JimHurley]

Dude, you got the scrappyvirus.

I’m not into arguing over a guy who hasn’t played a minute for UConn yet. Time will tell.

 

[navery12]

I’m not into arguing over a guy who hasn’t played a minute for UConn yet. Time will tell.

You won't get any argument from most people by saying he'll be good. When you claim he'll have one of the 3 best seasons for a PG in the last decade that's a Scrappy prediction

 

[UofCT]

I’m not into arguing over a guy who hasn’t played a minute for UConn yet. Time will tell.

Can you share one quote or article about RJ dominating practice this year? Anything at all?