Who will surprise us the most? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Who will surprise us the most?

Great post! I'm in the Nowell camp. Will watch his highlights any chance I get. Look forward to his highlights in the next 10 months or so.

Kid just knows how to play, his physical ability combined with court savvy that will make him a handful for opponents. Him combined with either of Diarra or Mahaney will be dynamic duos. All 3 on the floor together?? Triple smalls, the little known brother of double bigs!!
 
Going with Johnson. Not best player but biggest surprise. No one expected a thing out of him this year and was top 5 backup centers in the country and would have started for 90 percent of D1.

Now every one seems to think he should come off the bench this year.

I would not be shocked if he is a second round pick this coming year.

I really think a year from now everyone on the yard will be saying what a massive leap he took this year, can’t believe we wanted Reed to start over him.
 
JonnyRI said:
Going with Johnson. Not best player but biggest surprise. No one expected a thing out of him this year and was top 5 backup centers in the country and would have started for 90 percent of D1.

Now every one seems to think he should come off the bench this year.

I would not be shocked if he is a second round pick this coming year.

I really think a year from now everyone on the yard will be saying what a massive leap he took this year, can’t believe we wanted Reed to start over him.
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If Johnson expands his offensive game beyond alley oops then he will surprise me the most.
 
FreeKlaiber said:
Samson will be drafted next year based on his play this upcoming year
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A couple of months ago I read Hurley commenting on SJ, and what he was saying was that he wants SJ to play like Oso Ighodoro from Marquette, hanging around in the lane, with those jumping push shots and feel for the game. He's not a post up guy, not a banger. With this offense, all this motion, screening, and passing, he has to find ways to score from 8ft and in primarily. Oso has a nice game and was a big part of that Marquette offense. If SJ can figure it out he could be big for us.
 
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Hoping on Abraham as multi-purpose sub and defensive dog. Boy do we have some hungry huskies next year. Once again wish we had access to the practice battles. They (and the staff) must be so happy that Dan Hurley is back. I think (and hope) that this upcoming season will be the most intriguing of all with all these options. Can't wait.
 
I'm going to go in a different direction. I think Alex rises to the level of a lottery pick in what is currently considered a stronger draft than this year's. I think it's pretty much a given that Stewart makes a jump to an extremely valuable 3 or 4, but it will be Alex's job, perhaps moreso than whomever plays PG to conduct the orchestra out of the court, maybe as point forward at times. And I see him with more cutting, more daggers and more defense, knowing what he now knows he must do to get into the 1st round.
 
Hey Adrien! said:
When I watched the VCU/Saint Mary's game in Albany during the 2023 NCAA Tournament, I was able to sneak down to a few rows from the floor. Mahaney was a major focus of my attention, especially after all the buzz on him that year.

Randy Bennett teams play with such intention on both ends of the floor (he's an amazing defensive coach) so it was very fun to watch Mahaney's creativity within that system.

He's a fearless kid and can create can anywhere in the backcourt, which aligns perfectly with your prognostication. I guess I'd describe Mahaney as a three-level creator.
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I'm excited for his contributions as are you. All good. It's easy to say that he will take Cam's spot in the rotation . I just think they're both talented guys with high BBIQ and intensity that really fit with Dan's/Luke's offensive scheme. Each unique but bucket- getters. I'll put it this way. I expect Aidan to be highly efficient and effective for us with some improvisational creativity at the end of the shot clock when or if needed.
 
Mr. French said:
Solo and Liam … but I think people expect Liam to be instantly good.

I’m with @NJHoops that Aidan is really intriguing with his Cam-esque traits and versatile skill set.
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Fully expect both Reed and Mahaney to look better as Huskies than they did on their prior teams. I agree that Aidan in particular should shine in Hurley's office getting easier looks.
 
Based on all these comments, whole UConn team will surprise, 3rd consecutive year of getting better. 2023 better than 2022, 2024 better than 2023, 2025 better than 2024.
 
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CL82 said:
Fully expect both Reed and Mahaney to look better as Huskies than they did on their prior teams. I agree that Aidan in particular should shine in Hurley's office getting easier looks.
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Agreed. But shining in Danny’s office is way less impactful than on the court.
 
Singare agreeing with OP. Saw him be the first on the floor at last year's Open Practice and think he has a world of potential. Could be a beast.
 
I’m going Solo Ball. We saw flashes of three point shooting, flashes of midrange shooting, flashes of fast breaks/bullying to the rim last year but he didn’t have the opportunity or consistency to fully display it. It’s a crowded backcourt again next year but I wouldn’t be surprised if Solo averaged double digit scoring next year

Feels like Jaylin is expected to make a big jump. Also feels like we expect big things from Tarris/Samson/AK/Mahaney/Diarra already, and we’re expecting Mahaney to be a lottery pick. Solo is the most in the air

I’d like to be surprised and have the answer be Ross or Abraham, but I got Solo!
 
Alex. Were used to him letting the game come to him when it needs to. I’m expecting him to be much more aggressive and assertive this year.
 
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Sphinx said:
The biggest surprise, I think, will be how much the need for defense and rebounding alters our roster expectations. I see more time for Stewart, Ross and Abraham and less for McNeeley and even Karaban than most expect.

It's unfair, I know, to judge a player's defensive abilities by his play in an all-star game. but Liam simply did not show up at all, defensively, in the Jordan Brand Classic. He not only was beaten many times on defense, but every time. He not only grabbed no defensive rebounds but made no effort to do. His lack of aggressiveness was almost Polleyesque.

I know, he was MVP of the game, but I wonder if he would have been MVP on Dan Hurley's ballot.

Karaban will get his minutes, of course, but Stewart stole a few minutes from Alex several times last year and I see that happening routinely this year (that is, unless Stewart starts at the 3 over McNeeley).

I just think that Alex and Liam at the corners leaves us vulnerable both defensively and on the boards Last year we had very aggressive, strong rebounding guards (Newton and Castle) to offset a lack of agility at the fore corners. And Spencer, although slow-footed, was an instinctive rebounder. I'm not sure we have that offset this year.
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You should take your own advice, don't ever judge a player based on an all-star game. McNeeley is a good defender and a complete player.
 
Jaylin Stewart. In limited minutes last year I became a believer. Potential is thru the roof. First round pick next year. Also, I disagree with people who say Solo won’t start. Kids gonna be a stud this year. Needs to relax and let the game come to him.
 
AllHusky said:
Great post! I'm in the Nowell camp. Will watch his highlights any chance I get. Look forward to his highlights in the next 10 months or so.

Kid just knows how to play, his physical ability combined with court savvy that will make him a handful for opponents. Him combined with either of Diarra or Mahaney will be dynamic duos. All 3 on the floor together?? Triple smalls, the little known brother of double bigs!!
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Agree with you completely. Of the newcomers I think Nowell will fit our culture best. He seems positive, upbeat and 100% bought in.
 
Ricker said:
I like our players and have confidence in their abilities. I'm afraid my only important surprises would be on the down side.

I'd be surprised if:
Liam wasn't a 'go to' star out of the gate
Solo was less than an impact player
Johnson & Reed didn't give us what we need at center
Stewart & Ross weren't solid sophomore leap contributors

On the other hand, if Singare has a meaningful role on the court, that would surprise me with Reed & Johnson & small ball available.

Similarly, if Abraham has a meaningful freshman role that would surprise me with Stewart, McNeeley, Alex, Ross, and 3 guard lineups.
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That's where I am. This is our most talented team ever from top to bottom. All these guys would be getting major minutes at other programs but it's just a numbers game with this much talent throughout the roster and some guys are going to get squeezed. We have an embarrassment of riches at the wing so Abraham will likely be low on minutes. Singare is still probably a year away from being a valuable gametime contributor at UConn and as talented as Nowell is I see us having multiple guards ahead of him. The practices are going to be battles.
 
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Solo Ball is extremely talented, but can he conduct he orchestra--or does he just flash his skill?
This offense requires judgement, "BBIQ", and the maturity Aiden and Ahmad have demonstrated--and they are 40% 3-pt shooters.
 
Lambeau said:
Solo Ball is extremely talented, but can he conduct he orchestra--or does he just flash his skill?
This offense requires judgement, "BBIQ", and the maturity Aiden and Ahmad have demonstrated--and they are 40% 3-pt shooters.
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Hassan?
 
Hassan will surprise us by being picked as 6th man of the year for the Big East.
 
Mr. French said:
Agreed. But shining in Danny’s office is way less impactful than on the court.
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If he's shing some of the trophies I'm not sure. If he's shing Danny's shoes, well, that won't impress me.
 
LStudfellow said:
I think the guy who is going to surprise us the most is Ahmad Nowell. With all of the things that have happened since his commitment last year, particularly with McNeeley in addition to Reed and Mahaney as well as how deep our backcourt looks again, I think many have forgotten just how much of a baller this young man is.

I believe he will play above his ranking and force his way onto the court as the year progresses. He has that Hurley balls out, fearless leader mentality that we are all going to fall in love with... and so will Dan.
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You made me look. Just watched some highlight clips and he looks like he would have fit in on last years team, so that makes hiom perfect for this year's team, IMO.
 
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