Courant article about 24/25 roster

[inWV]

Bazz and Boat and Florida/Kentucky might want you to rethink that small thing. Also look at Houston and their crazy good D with Snead and Cryer both listed at 6'1" (don't think they are that tall even in sneakers).

Small guards who have quick feet can really get into opposing guards on D.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Hass isn’t a classic PG. he makes too many head scratching mistakes. Can’t win championships with that as your primary ball handler.

He’s a good bench player and spark plug

Have to agree. Some guys just fit certain roles and he is not only good as that first guard off the bench he is GREAT at it. He absolutely killed teams this past season. He was either sparking a run or putting an end to the opponents run with a couple of steals that would sometimes turn into points instantly. That is just far too valuable to mess with.

 

[aburks41]

Bazz and Boat and Florida/Kentucky might want you to rethink that small thing. Also look at Houston and their crazy good D with Snead and Cryer both listed at 6'1" (don't think they are that tall even in sneakers).

Small guards aren’t an issue unless you run into a Newton/Castle combo (and just gonna say it, but the Harrison twins were nowhere near as good as Tristen and Steph so that doesn’t count)

Thankfully I don’t think anyone will have a 6’5” consensus first team AA and a 6’6” top 3 pick in their starting backcourt next year so we should be fine haha

 

[UConnSwag11]

Small guards who have quick feet can really get into opposing guards on D.

But big guards can shut down smaller guards. See UConn 2024

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Dan Hurley commits to UConn’s future, starts construction of 2024-25 roster as he hunts ‘three-peat’

Where UConn’s roster stands as a handful of players face potential NBA options and how coach Dan Hurley, committed to return, is building his next roster.

www.courant.com

Couple great articles in the Courant today but this quote stood out to me:

“What (Diarra) envisions for himself next year in terms of role has got to be aligned with what ours is,” Hurley said. “I think what’s been effective for us the last two years is that the level of honesty has created great rosters. Because the players that didn’t align with what we viewed for them, they left, we brought in appropriate players in both years and then we won back-to-back championships. We’re just gonna tell the truth with players about where we see them, but we would like to return as many of the players as we can.”

I think most if not all of us have Diarra penciled in as a starter should he return. Slightly wondering if Hurley feels differently

Diarra's role next year is really dependent on so many other variables that we aren't close to establishing yet.

For this season, he was a perfect energy spark plug off the bench who could fill in any backcourt position.

Next year, he could reprise the same role; he could start at PG role w/ Nowell off the bench; he could start alongside Nowell at the 2-guard w/ a microwave scorer spelling him off the bench...too many variables to count now.

Bottom line, Diarra is a championship caliber player and does so many things well and I sure hope he's a part of next year's roster.

 

[James]

Hass is just so versatile due to his defensive scalibility and spot up shooting; he's just so far ahead of any other perimeter guys on the team that he will fall into 20 mpg+ easily. He doesn't have the creative scoring of newton so I hopefully thats something he works on in the summer, just increasing his overall scoring prowess.

I'm quite excited to see Nowell (classic philly pg a la lowry), Diarra and Ball get after it next season on the perimeter. The Villanova shooter fits like a glove too so hopefully that comes to fruition

 

[willie99]

I would hope they don’t share the court together. We would be so small defensively

Like Bazz & Boat?

 

[Chin Diesel]

Diarra is interesting. Unless he has an otherworldly season, NBA isn't his future.
He will play between 20-25 mpg nest season whether he starts or comes off the bench.
If his main goal is to be a scorer and average 15ppg, UConn ain't it for him.
If he wants to play all his games on national TV and get plenty of air time, YConn is the place for him.

I can see 9-10 ppg, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game with him.

 

[CL82]

This article is a really good read and describes a very healthy program.

There are more examples. I honestly don't know how long it is sustainable at this level but with Dan Hurley and staff has done and is doing is amazing.

 

[CL82]

I suspect this mindset is a key reason why:

Cleary Hurley and staff isn't being seduced by the splashy portal transfer or recruit. He squarely focused on his job which is putting together a functional team that can succeeded at the highest levels.

 

[mauconnfan]

I hope Hass stays for sure. I was afraid of what we saw 2 years ago but much like Samson, their improvements were vital to getting this NC. I’m of the belief his best role is what we saw this year. The spark coming off the bench is really important and a huge impact to success. John Gwynn was never a starter and for good reason, needed that mentality coming in for a change.

I don’t know how it works out but having that young man as the defending 6th man of year back is fairly important. I’m afraid seeing the words from Dan he’s checking his options. We will see.

 

[RuffRuff]

While I love Hurley’s honestly I also sense, as a former PG, that he respects the process Hassan has gone through and will give him every chance to start, if that’s what he wants. Nowell is a freshman, he won’t come in and start in a leadership position unless he fully earns it. I don’t think he will. For all those saying Hassan makes mistakes, so does TNewt. The pros far outweigh them.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I think Hurley recognizes that we're not going to be in as stark of a "win now" mode as we were this past year, knowing that Newton, Spencer, Castle, and Clingan were going to be here only one more year.

Maybe he envisions part of Diarra's role as being a mentor and a bridge to the next generation and wants to make sure that he's comfortable with that.

 

[microfich]

Knowing Hurley, he'll tell Hass what he has to improve upon over the summer in order to start. Work, work, work on your shot. Become a director out there. Watch video of Newton, Napier and Spencer. See how they see the court.

Pre-portal or late HS commit, the guard position bothers me a bit. Having three smallish guards (Hass, Solo and Nowell) removes a big advantage Newton, Spencer and Castle had. Going from 6'5", 6'4", 6'6" to 6'1", 6'2", 6'2" changes our approach and removes some serious advantages.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

This article is a really good read and describes a very healthy program.
View attachment 99638
View attachment 99639
There are more examples. I honestly don't know how long it is sustainable at this level but with Dan Hurley and staff has done and is doing is amazing.

While I am optimistic that DH will be able to continue to build teams capable of consistently making deep tournament runs, I think it will be difficult to assemble this great of a group of kids again.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Hass should stay and kill it on his NIL. He is so nice in his current role. I would like him to continue to come off the bench but get more minutes. If he’s the starter, he’ll do great

 

[uconn_jack]

So the whole small (Diarra) vs big (TBD) guard thing. Would you rather risk him leaving for a starting spot somewhere (that he'd absolutely get, and at a good program) by recruiting a big transfer guard over him (whom isn't guaranteed to work in our system/offense like Hass is?)

I know my answer.

 

[AllHusky]

To expect that we will have the same guard measurables next year is not realistic, nor do I think it is "the goal".
Can Nowell and Hass play side by side effectively? Can Solo join those two on the floor and be effective? Why not? Will it culminate in Seven, who knows? Guaranteed once the roster is finalized, the plans will be drawn up to allow the athletes to be successful. Adaptability is the key. Look at the small lineup with Karaban at the 5. Necessity is the Mother of invention.

It will not be a matter of if we can be good, but rather how good can we be. Personally I think the season will be really exciting, and if you can stomach crazy, lots of fun!!

 

[Hunt for 7]

I think we have two glaring needs in the portal. A center who is strong and big enough to protect the rim and can pass. Good low post offensive game would be a plus to that talent set. We also need a big guard who can shoot and is good defensively. That is a tough combination to find. I want Diarra to come back. But I don’t think we want to see a lineup with Ball, Diarra and Nowell all on the floor together.

Looks like Stewart will be back.

Everything else is kind of contingent on what happens with Alex. This assumes Castle will be a top 15 pick in the draft. Also assuming Johnson returns.

Then what is the status of Ross, Romo and even Ball. Who is going to stay? It is really tough because I think all three of these guys can be good to very good college basketball players. Ross is a super athlete who is capable of creating his own shot off the dribble. Ball is a + two guard and will play bigger than his height because of his wing span. He is very talented and I could see him able to find a role in the nba. Romo is a 40% three point shooter and a true 6’8”.

 

[UC0NN]

Hass starts on 90%+ teams in America. Here, maybe not depending on the other studs. For sure Hass will get his 25 minutes a game so starting is just a label.

His improvement last year was incredible, and you better believe he will improve again.

 

[Kitaman]

Diarra will be our most important piece if he returns. I don't understand how posters suggest an unproven/untested D1 freshman will be instantly better than a 5 year, 2 time Champion, BE 6th man of the year winner who has years of D1 experience, including some BE.

He knows Hurley's system, he's a proven leader and is the perfect player to help train Nowell and get him up to speed. Diarra doesn't need to be an NBA prospect, he just has to continue being a very good collegiate guard.

I remember Boatright recruit where people felt he was going to start over Bazz. There are other highly prized recruits that didn't start as a freshman, including our most recent 7'2" NBA prospect.

I'm not saying that Diarra will end the season as the starting guard, but I would bet a lot of money on him starting in November and running Hurley's offense which he knows very well. I also don't think he's returning to be on the bench in November.

Just saying freshman are freshman, at least until February and I won't make the mistake of overestimating incoming freshmen contributions.

 

[husky429]

So the whole small (Diarra) vs big (TBD) guard thing. Would you rather risk him leaving for a starting spot somewhere (that he'd absolutely get, and at a good program) by recruiting a big transfer guard over him (whom isn't guaranteed to work in our system/offense like Hass is?)

I know my answer.

Hass isn't afraid of competition.

 

[husky429]

Diarra will be our most important piece if he returns. I don't understand how posters suggest an unproven/untested D1 freshman will be instantly better than a 5 year, 2 time Champion, BE 6th man of the year winner who has years of D1 experience, including some BE.

I have a feeling Diarra will start for those reasons. Experience on tje biggest stage pbviously matters. But you're discounting how talented Nowell is.

Sooner or later, he's going to be a better player than Hass. At the same stage of development his scoring bag is deeper, he's a better shooter, better passer, better ballhandler and is stronger. He's better than Hass was as a senior in HS by a huge margin. And he definitely has better handles, passing, and a bigger scoring bag than Hass does today.

If Nowell adjusts as quickly as Castle did the pace of the college game, Diarra isn't going to have the skill to beat him for the starting spot. Is that LIKELY? No. Castle was an anomaly.

 

[UC0NN]

Diarra has zero chance at the NBA due to his size. Unless he can improve to shoot like Ben Gordon, that still might not be enough.

 

[UC0NN]

Castle adjusted faster than anyone. Look at the 5 stars from Castle's class. Certainly isn't the norm to be Caron Butler ready from day 1.