Where do we go from here? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Where do we go from here?

"Missing" on Ngongba and Flagg stings but those recruitments both felt a lot more like a luxury recruitment over needing to fill a hole on the roster. 2024-25 roster seems pretty set at the 3-5 spots if Karaban does come back. If not I think our system makes finding a stretch 4 to plug in easy enough.

The guard spots are thin right now, but also pretty locked in with Nowell and Ball as starters, even if Nowell isn't starting day 1 and it takes until conference play. The openings there are suited for transfer role players over HS freshman IMO, and considering the number of offers we had out to guards this cycle that seems to be the mindset of Hurley too
Nowell starting as a freshman point guard? Don't think I want to depend on that.

Only point guards I've seen in 30 years who were ready to lead the team here as freshmen were Khalid and Sheffer and Sheffer was a 22 year old professional basketball player when he came here.
 
Nowell starting as a freshman point guard? Don't think I want to depend on that.

Only point guards I've seen in 30 years who were ready to lead the team here as freshmen were Khalid and Sheffer and Sheffer was a 22 year old professional basketball player when he came here.

Hassan will be starting PG next year
 
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Nowell starting as a freshman point guard? Don't think I want to depend on that.

Only point guards I've seen in 30 years who were ready to lead the team here as freshmen were Khalid and Sheffer and Sheffer was a 22 year old professional basketball player when he came here.
He'll be ready by December or January, and I'm good with a transfer guard who's ready to move to the bench once he's ready
 
Nowell starting as a freshman point guard? Don't think I want to depend on that.

Only point guards I've seen in 30 years who were ready to lead the team here as freshmen were Khalid and Sheffer and Sheffer was a 22 year old professional basketball player when he came here.
I don't think there is anything wrong with a freshman point guard. Especially a top 30 kid like he is. I dont think Duke or Kentucky fans worry about having a few freshman in their starting lineup. In my opinion the perfect situation would be a mix of upper classmen sophomores and freshman in our starting lineup
 
Nowell starting as a freshman point guard? Don't think I want to depend on that.

Only point guards I've seen in 30 years who were ready to lead the team here as freshmen were Khalid and Sheffer and Sheffer was a 22 year old professional basketball player when he came here.
He'll be ready by December or January, and I'm good with a transfer guard who's ready to move to the bench once he's ready
What about pairing him with 5th year Diarra? More comfortable then?
 
Diarra / Nowell
Ball / GRAD TRANSFER
Ross / Abraham
KARABAN / Stew
Samson / Singare
it’s a solid squad if Karaban Samson and Diarra come back. Would be fighting for a tourney bid. Just need a steady CG from the portal as a third ball handler incase Diarra/Nowell aren’t consistent. Perhaps a grad transfer from a midmajor that won’t care if he starts. As you said in the other thread those are the easiest guys to find in the portal.
 
Nowell starting as a freshman point guard? Don't think I want to depend on that.

Only point guards I've seen in 30 years who were ready to lead the team here as freshmen were Khalid and Sheffer and Sheffer was a 22 year old professional basketball player when he came here.


I hope and think castle may surprise us.
 
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it’s a solid squad if Karaban Samson and Diarra come back. Would be fighting for a tourney bid. Just need a steady CG from the portal as a third ball handler incase Diarra/Nowell aren’t consistent. Perhaps a grad transfer from a midmajor that won’t care if he starts. As you said in the other thread those are the easiest guys to find in the portal.
Fighting for a tourney bid? Come on. It's way better than that. Let's see what we've got before we project these players. Samson could emerge and look like a 1st rounder. Solo could as well. Ross/Stewart could be Karaban like in their impact.
 
We have plenty of talent and enjoy winning titles with a chip on our shoulder. If Flagg goes there how much fun would it be to beat them?
 
We got Newton & Spencer in the portal and they are starting....so not overly concerned about 24-25 at the moment. Don't like losing out on high targets, but considering every eligible cbb player is a free agent at the end of season any needs will be filled by Dan Hurley.
 
It would've been nice to land a #1, generational talent, but UConn has never really recruited at that level. Even in the Calhoun days we've always focused on that 20-50 range. It's helped us to win 5 titles. If that's what we have to continue to do I'm ok with it.
 
It would've been nice to land a #1, generational talent, but UConn has never really recruited at that level. Even in the Calhoun days we've always focused on that 20-50 range. It's helped us to win 5 titles. If that's what we have to continue to do I'm ok with it.
The issue is, we have one commit in that range, and no others on the horizon.
 
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Ngongba and Betsey hurt, especially Betsey can’t lose the home state kids that can impact the program. They did bring in what will be a very good combo guard as well as a solid wing piece. The portal will be important, maybe even coaches getting fired so kids change their minds.

We know this staff will land on their feet somehow but we won’t know for a long while. Until then enjoy the season should also be very interesting!!!

Being that Betsey chose Cincinnati, I think it might be a good thing he didn't come here. IQ might not be all there.
 
You don’t build programs on one and dones. Historically it has not worked.

Stay the course and continue to build with program type of kids. Best of luck to Flagg, UConn will be fine.
 
Fighting for a tourney bid? Come on. It's way better than that. Let's see what we've got before we project these players. Samson could emerge and look like a 1st rounder. Solo could as well. Ross/Stewart could be Karaban like in their impact.
i dont view fighting for a bid as a bad thing. always happy to make the tourney.

but if we're expected to come in third in the BE this season with a team we all think can make a final four run, then it's reasonable/realistic to think next year's team, which is projected to lose four starters, would be middle of the pack in the BE and thus fighting for a bid.
 
i dont view fighting for a bid as a bad thing. always happy to make the tourney.

but if we're expected to come in third in the BE this season with a team we all think can make a final four run, then it's reasonable/realistic to think next year's team, which is projected to lose four starters, would be middle of the pack in the BE and thus fighting for a bid.

Maybe. A lot can happen in a year. This time last year we were seen as a fringe top 25 team.
 
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Tough couple days on the old cruiting trail.

I don’t think we have any other offers out to 24s.

Do we pivot to purely 25s and then portal?

This sure stings right now, but I know this will only motivate this staff.
Hurley & Co have proven themselves masterful HS recruiters & portal recruiters.

Flagg was a long shot, so I’m not down at all. Confident we are gonna build a strong roster for every year going forward and be perennial contenders for all the trophies & awards.

I’m sure the staff has a good feel already for who could leave for the NBA at the end of this year vs next year, and will prioritize portal vs HS accordingly.

!!!
 
i dont view fighting for a bid as a bad thing. always happy to make the tourney.

but if we're expected to come in third in the BE this season with a team we all think can make a final four run, then it's reasonable/realistic to think next year's team, which is projected to lose four starters, would be middle of the pack in the BE and thus fighting for a bid.
Ignoring all other context, yes. But the top of the Big East is all going to be in a similar position. The reason why Marquette and Creighton are at the top with us this year is they returned a ton of juniors and seniors that they're going to lose. Villanova brought in a bunch of transfers with 1 year left, so they're also going to be losing a ton. A lot can happen between now and May, but the expectation should be we end up in the top tier again
 
Tough couple days on the old cruiting trail.

I don’t think we have any other offers out to 24s.

Do we pivot to purely 25s and then portal?

This sure stings right now, but I know this will only motivate this staff.
Please step away from the ledge.

Until at least next April we will carry the label National Champions and we have been recruiting more than well enough recently that nobody qualifies as a make or break recruit. If we land Flagg and/or Ngongba things will be great for UConn men's hoops. If we don't land Flagg or Ngongba things will be great for UConn men's hoops.

Additionally, I don't know why anyone is convinced this is over and we lost. An alleged major Duke insider (from the now closed thread) claimed on Saturday that Flagg was officially committing to Duke on Monday. That didn't happen yet a lot of people are using that insider's supposed knowledge as evidence that this is done.

Again, if we land Flagg and/or Ngongba things will be great for UConn men's hoops. If we don't land Flagg or Ngongba things will be great for UConn men's hoops.
 
I remember the time UConn was accused of loading up the way Duke is loaded right now. It was in 2005. By 2006, all the elements were there.

Look at those rosters and look at the recruiting ranks:

Rudy Gay 5
Charlie Villanueva 18
Rashad Anderson 24
Denham Brown 34

And 5 more top 100s: Marcus Williams, Adrien, etc.

Heck, 2 of the guys that weren't ranked in the top 100 ended up going in the 1st round of the NBA draft: Hilton and Boone.

But what really sent the national media and other coaches over the top was brining in the ACC's Rookie of the Year Ed Nelson. That infuriated people.
 
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