Why we should not be OK with losing right now

[MuchoDogYears]

This years freshmen class is Dan Hurley’s first full recruiting class and they haven’t played half a season of games yet.

I’m going to give Dan Hurley this season, and all of next, before drawing any conclusions on where I believe the program is heading.

That’s not to say I’m ok with the recent losses. But the saying is true that no team is as good as they look at their best, or as bad as they look at their worst.

If Dan Hurley is successful in instilling the culture that he’s trying to ingrain, we should see the team play more consistently as the season progresses.

 

[Bonk]

I have some news for you if you’re waiting for UConn to be like Kentucky in the ways you seem to want them to be.

Lmfao when have I said I'm waiting for UConn to be like Kentucky?

I shared a clip of John Calipari (the best recruiter in college basketball) to support my claim that results matter to recruits whether that be winning/making tournament runs or having the best chance to go to the NBA. That doesn't just apply to the 5 star Kentucky recruits either

 

[Huskygamble19]

Correct... we have lost to teams with much less talent than us and it's because we have not played as a cohesive team and our difference in talent isn't large enough to beat the less talented teams on talent alone.

A group of true 4* and 5* players who play hero ball could probably have won a few of the games we lost. A group of 3* and 4* players who play together as a team could probably also have won a few of the games we lost.

Right now the group of players we have is the ladder trying to play like the former.

A lot of them are playing like "ladders".

 

[Watchdog]

How the hell has Wichita St been able to rebuild over the last two seasons and keep winning doing it but we can't?

Or maybe more impressively, Ron Hunter at Tulane. Beat Utah and Cincy and only lost by 11 at Memphis. Of course, he did lose to Towson and Akron too, but it's a huge turnaround with 9 wins already versus 4 last year.

 

[Watchdog]

A lot of them are playing like "ladders".

And they've been 'rung' out the last two games.

 

[Watchdog]

I am not convinced that concentrating on 4* and 5* is the best way to go at this point in time.
There are way too many P5 and others goings after the same guys and when push comes to shove - both KO and Dan Hurley have experienced the pain - these guys have a huge propensity to go to those P5s.
There are tons of really solid 3* and non top 100 kids out there who are maybe not that well known but possess the skills and most importantly the body that can allow them to compete and contribute.
KO and Dan Hurley look at this like a lot of kids in high school look at a prom date - they put all this effort into 20% of the girls and like most, they don't have a chance.
I understand that if you don't try you don't get it, but the strategy has to be tweeked
The important thing right now is to WIN
Is our 2020 recruitment strong? I say its very good, throwing in Spriggs and Cole, but not strong.
Jackson is a freak athlete, has a lot of areas he needs to work on. According to 247/ESPN and other recruiting "experts" he was 58% UConn, 17% Cuse and 25% among Iowa, UCLA and Alabama. These aren't the elite.
Brown is young, very young and unproven but he is still growing and I think will be a really productive big in 2 years.
In my view, these two young men are not going to step into the starting line up and contribute - that is what a top 100 recruit should do. Both Jackson and Brown should be very good players down the road.
Why did UConn play so well vs Fla, Xavier and Buffalo? Because we matched up better with these teams physically and if you notice that these teams also struggle against all those teams that are bigger and stronger.
UConn needs size, UConn needs shooters, UConn needs scorers, UConn needs more men, not boys. UConn needs to WIN

Amen to that and WSU is a perfect example of how to recruit good players that may not be 4 and 5 stars and integrate them into a winning program. Their turnaround last year from the start of the year to the end was a classic.