Yakwe Commits

[Pudge]

Oooo ... the moaning

Frankly, when you are not recruiting/selecting/filling your Roster from strength, you do the best you can. Late late April last year, having lost (inexplicably) Enoch, Durham, Vance, it was very hard to get a quality Fr and then a quality GRTransfer. Bringing in miracles aren't happening when you are off the grid of March Madness several years in a row. Dave O and AA were not of the level of Top 8 guys from UConn the past 25 years. And then ... Hurley is supposed to grab better as he arrives - with weeks to gather? I don't think matching Fordham's AA stats to Duquesne's TS is fair; it is an evaluation. That means you really need to know the kid and understand the fit. There is the possible explanation that Bob Hurley Sr conveyed to our Hurley that Smith could fit. (no denigration to Anderson intended) Our hope for bigs ... has to be growth in Whaley, Carlton, Diarra, Polley and maybe some boost from Yakwe.

Win. Build a Brand back up. March Madness. Then, from strength, we will approach the years where we got NBA quality guys.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Nice to not fall victim to all the negative recruiting anymore

 

[CL82]

Awesome. Nice to have 2018 class accounted for meaning they can move on to 2019. Time for the staff to hone in on 2019 recruits, there's a lot of work to be done and Hurley and his guys need to get off on the right foot... lots of high-rated local talent we need to land.

Yep, and it sure seems like the coaching hires and 2018 recruiting were handled in an intelligent and efficient manner. Let's see if the streak continues for 2019.

 

[Guapo]

I don't want to look too stupid here, so let me acknowledge the obvious. In one short month, Hurley has done the three things he had to do. He has assembled a first-rate coaching staff; he has filled the glaring needs on next year's roster; and he has freed up four scholarships for the following year, when the true rebuilding process begins. If I seem impatient, it is because I turn 80 in the fall, and I fear I will be watching it all from the nosebleed seats.

I know you're not a troll, so I'm sorry if I was too mean in my response.

But, I promise you have a better chance of seeing higher quality basketball in both the near and long term future (80 is the new 65!) with Hurley at the helm.

 

[UConnStats]

Also, @Whtdmd is a self proclaimed St. John's fan - maybe he can give us the rundown on him.

It's baffling they're doing so poorly, given how big of a hit Mullin is at Hoophall.

 

[Hoophound]

We are still recruiting for fall.....

 

[LIuconn]

Recruiting over is a good thing at this juncture

 

[len0322]

Looks like tarzan...hope he doesn't play like Jane. Welcome!!!

 

[Ewekon]

Oooo ... the moaning

Frankly, when you are not recruiting/selecting/filling your Roster from strength, you do the best you can. Late late April last year, having lost (inexplicably) Enoch, Durham, Vance, it was very hard to get a quality Fr and then a quality GRTransfer. Bringing in miracles aren't happening when you are off the grid of March Madness several years in a row. Dave O and AA were not of the level of Top 8 guys from UConn the past 25 years. And then ... Hurley is supposed to grab better as he arrives - with weeks to gather? I don't think matching Fordham's AA stats to Duquesne's TS is fair; it is an evaluation. That means you really need to know the kid and understand the fit. There is the possible explanation that Bob Hurley Sr conveyed to our Hurley that Smith could fit. (no denigration to Anderson intended) Our hope for bigs ... has to be growth in Whaley, Carlton, Diarra, Polley and maybe some boost from Yakwe.

Win. Build a Brand back up. March Madness. Then, from strength, we will approach the years where we got NBA quality guys.

I just hope Leque stays in '19 now.

 

[Kemba429]

This is great! I cant wait til next season!!!

 

[Chuck]

I'm loving Hurley's methodical approach so far. He put together a strong and diverse (from different programs, if not geographically diverse) coaching staff. Now he's doing the college version of preparing for a big free agent year. Mediocre grad transfer vs. 4 year players that weren't his choice (even though some may turn out fine) is our version of a salary dump while at least meeting a certain level of quality.

 

[freescooter]

Hurley obviously sees potential he can work with and develop here. Seems like a nice opportunity for us...and him! Welcome aboard!

Yeah, I kinda doubt it. He is looking for someone to step in and strengthen a pretty below average front court for a year until he can start recruiting guys that he can actually work with. Stopgap guy who brings some ability. If he gets better, that’s great. If not, it’s an open scholarship for next year.

 

[Pgh2Storrs]

Assuming Carlton and Diarra are penciled in at the 4 and 5 spots, it will be interesting how KW and Whaley's roles shake out with Yakwe aboard.

I think it's very clear that Hurley/the staff want guys who are a bit more physically mature.

 

[B1GEast]

Rolling, rolling, rolling,

Keep them doggies rolling!

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

We are still recruiting for fall.....

It's a nice to feel somewhat complete if this is it and hopeful if it's not.
This is a much better place without rampant panic, negative recruiting trolls, civil war threats, and daily doses of doom.

 

[Dove]

Hurley and Co. are three for three !!

Get Lecque !!

 

[2Infinity]

Yeah, I kinda doubt it. He is looking for someone to step in and strengthen a pretty below average front court for a year until he can start recruiting guys that he can actually work with. Stopgap guy who brings some ability. If he gets better, that’s great. If not, it’s an open scholarship for next year.

Politely disagree here. Based on what Yakwe did the last two seasons, I can't imagine Hurley bringing him on board for one season UNLESS he felt he could extract something more from Yakwe than he delivered at SJU! Otherwise, why not let the present guys develop further for one more season? I believe in Hurley's eyes, Yakwe brings something to the court that we just don't have on our current roster. This is a good and very inexpensive (1 yr scholly) "gamble".

 

[Storrs South]

Pretty good synopsis of his game and where he can improve to be effective his one year here

Kassoum Yakwe transfers to UConn for final season

 

[MadDogRevival]

I wasn’t excited at first but I’m cool with it.

Phew. Good thing! We were concerned that it wouldn't end up suiting you.

 

[MadDogRevival]

I'm sorry, but I look at the resumes of Smith and Yakwe and I see next year's Anderson and next year's Onourah.

We're sorry to disappoint you Nostradamus.

 

[The Funster]

We have (or are getting) the meat!

 

[MSGSeven]

Jalen Adams will make things easier for all these kids by drawing a lot of attention.

My only concern at this point is scoring.

Need a second go-to guy.

I'm not saying I expect a good year, but these new guys will improve simply because they were not playing with a guy of Adams' caliber.

Same with Anderson last year. He gave UConn more than he ever gave at Fordham.

He averaged double digits in scoring his last year at Fordham and made a few game winning shots against some good A10 schools. He was one of the worst players (who played significant minutes) to wear a UConn uniform in the last 30 years. This statement couldn't be more wrong.

 

[businesslawyer]

Assuming Carlton and Diarra are penciled in at the 4 and 5 spots, it will be interesting how KW and Whaley's roles shake out with Yakwe aboard.

I think it's very clear that Hurley/the staff want guys who are a bit more physically mature.

I wouldn't assume any spots are safe in the frontcourt. We have six bigs to hopefully form a competent 4 man rotation. But we have no idea how Hurley views the individuals, and neither Carlton and Diarra were so far superior to the options that they or you sould assume they are locks.

 

[AntG168]

I'm sorry, but I look at the resumes of Smith and Yakwe and I see next year's Anderson and next year's Onourah. The resemblance, even physically, is uncanny. In the case of Yakwe and Onuorah, there's even the mystery of why these guys all but disappeared after their freshman year. We all have high hopes for Dan Hurley, but so far it has resulted only in a trade of Akinjo, Matthews and Kisunas for Adams, Smith and Yakwe. Yikes! As I said before, an awful lot of blind trust is being asked for here.

I think Yakwe is much more talented that DO

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

We have (or are getting) the meat!

I believe it's "meats" (plural).