Recruiting Boost?

[tuvent08]

UConn went from #7 recruiting class in 2016 to #87 in 2017.

To be fair, securing a Top 100 class using a YouTube algorithm from a barstool isn't easy.

But between this run and the staff's obvious ability to recruit, we should be in great shape to be pretty selective.

 

[NH Husky]

Definitely will help in the transfer portal. Definitely will help in future recruiting if UConn can keep a level of great performance. And by great not by the impossible standards some Boneyard posters would like. But by the continued improvement of players and teams that Hurley has demonstrated in the past five years which is why we have a top five class coming in next year.

I have spoken!

Couldn’t agree more. Especially considering Hurley’s recruitment of the portal is the reason we are in this Final Four.

 

[August_West]

One class? That's capitalizing?

Yeah, directly. The year after winning the title.

 

[August_West]

And how many of those kids bailed on him after coming.

That has nothing to do with with him pulling a monster class coming off a title. That's all.

 

[HuskyHawk]

That has nothing to do with with him pulling a monster class coming off a title. That's all.

It was a monster class on paper that didn't really pan out. Some of that was Alterique's and Mamadou's injuries. Vance Jackson left early and so did Juwan Durham. So Christian Vital was left as the main contributor. Can't blame Ollie for the injuries.

 

[UCTitleTown]

That has nothing to do with with him pulling a monster class coming off a title. That's all.

Do you think it's a major accomplishment to pull off a great class immediately after a championship? Shouldn't that carry-over last more than a year?

 

[Nebraskan18]

Boogie Fland come on down

 

[jibsey]

If you have a lot great players returning that automatically limits your recruiting class, right? How many of us have scratched out heads after 2014 when we thought there would be a line of McD’s at Ollie’s office door? We were coming off sanctions from things that happened with academics and Miles under Calhoun from violations and vicious negative media press which I think was a real factor. KO did have a lot of that wind in his face.

 

[August_West]

Do you think it's a major accomplishment to pull off a great class immediately after a championship? Shouldn't that carry-over last more than a year?

Goalpost move much?


I mean Look at Calhouns classes, did they always stay incredible? 3 years off of titles?

You dont get recruiting do you? The better you do one year, the harder it is to pull the elite the next year because elites dont want to sit on bench behind the top guys. Thats why Calhoun developed players more than hit top 5 recruit home runs.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I mean Look at Calhouns classes, did they always stay incredible? 3 years off of titles?

Calhoun made some mistakes with oversized classes and should have banked more scholarships. It's easier now with an extra one, but it led to a few lean years then. It's all changed now with the portal.

 

[7774]

Do you think it's a major accomplishment to pull off a great class immediately after a championship? Shouldn't that carry-over last more than a year?

Again, feel free at any time to embrace reality. Of course it's not going to continue once the players figure out the coach isn't trying and the program is a disaster. Doesn't change the fact that he did capitalize on the championship and bring in a great class in 2016. And the 2015 class had Jalen Adams, who was a top 25 recruit.

 

[upstater]

Absolutely. KO's undoing was not capitalizing on the recruiting trail after the 2014 title. I still find that mind-boggling. Some of the recruits he brought in were mid-major talent at best. I'm confident that won't happen to Hurley.

While this is true, Jalen Adams was a top get, Daniel Hamilton as well. But think of Isaiah Whaley. He is what you're describing, a mid-major talent. Yet he worked his butt off, he's in the G-League scoring and rebounding

 

[Tenspro2002]

He capitalized on it, we had a monster recruiting class come in post championship.

the revisionist history in this place is too much.

He had one amazing class (2016-17) and almost all of them were failures. The least-heralded guy, CV, was the only one whose career on the court here amounted to anything, and that was because he flourished under Hurley.

 

[upstater]

I should add that Ollie's problem as maybe looking at the recruiting rankings too much. We brought in some top 50 and top 100 guys who couldn't play. Needed more scouting

 

[nomar]

Goalpost move much?


I mean Look at Calhouns classes, did they always stay incredible? 3 years off of titles?

You dont get recruiting do you? The better you do one year, the harder it is to pull the elite the next year because elites dont want to sit on bench behind the top guys. Thats why Calhoun developed players more than hit top 5 recruit home runs.

Let's not compare JC's recruiting to Ollie's. JC's laziness didn't force him to recruit guys based on their Instagram dunks.

You made your point: Technically, Ollie did "capitalize" on the title, by doing what anybody should be able to do after winning a championship. And then, he put the car in cruise control and drove it into a ditch.

 

[UConnRock]

If this Final 4 tells us anything it is that veteran experience wins tough games. Strong recruiting classes with a sprinkle of strategic transfer portal additions is the formula. That is why I am hoping Jackson sticks around. UConn needs experience in the backcourt next year.

 

[August_West]

Let's not compare JC's recruiting to Ollie's. JC's laziness didn't force him to recruit guys based on their Instagram dunks.

You made your point: Technically, Ollie did "capitalize" on the title, by doing what anybody should be able to do after winning a championship. And then, he put the car in cruise control and drove it into a ditch.

Sure. That's a different issue. No one is defending what Ollie did at the end here.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Of course a Final Four appearance will positively impact recruiting. But there are so many other variables that are on UConn’s side, some of which have been mentioned here…. player development under Hurley is huge, of course. One cannot overlook the recruiting abilities of all three guys sitting next to Dan. Recruits have oftentimes mentioned those relationships over the last few years. But there are smaller, less tangible elements of this team that I believe high school recruits and portal candidates see: this team looks like it really enjoys playing together. It’s not just the walk-ons and super-cheerleader Clingan who show their support for teammates from the bench. Many recruits are looking for that “team vibe”. This team has it.

 

[REB1094]

I think we’re in a great spot. Hurley has already done a great job recruiting even before this year.

I think the next step is to consistently get top talent from outside of the northeast. Great start with Castle and Stewart, and a F4 appearance with a 1st round NBA draft talent will help greatly.

I’d think that excluding anyone who wants to stay close to home, we would be among the top choices for any and every transfer target we go for.

 

[superjohn]

It was a monster class on paper that didn't really pan out. Some of that was Alterique's and Mamadou's injuries. Vance Jackson left early and so did Juwan Durham. So Christian Vital was left as the main contributor. Can't blame Ollie for the injuries.

That class was already a bit of a bust when the kids said they were coming to Storrs and even more of a bust before they got to Storrs. Durham already had a blown out knee when we were recruiting him and then blew it out again days after he said he was coming to UConn. Alterique's injuries happened after he said he was coming to UConn, I think Diarra already had degenerative knees when we recruited him, and Vance Jackson was just overrated. By far our lowest rated recruit, Vital was our best.

On paper and in practice next year's recruiting class will blow that one out of the water.

 

[ctchamps]

Couldn’t agree more. Especially considering Hurley’s recruitment of the portal is the reason we are in this Final Four.

Recruiting is a crapshoot. The amount of time coaches get to observe games and interact with players is too limited to get an accurate assessment. Add in that most players still need more time to develop physically, skill wise and/or emotionally and you have to extrapolate where they might be in two to five years. That is mostly guest work. Definitely not a science. Even the best coaches end up with players that don't pan out like they hoped. Rahsool was one such player. Obviously there are a handful of hs players who have completed or nearly completed their development. But those numbers are small and only a few programs end up with them.

The transfer portal in its current rendition takes a lot out of the guesswork in projecting development. Programs can now observe that development in transfers and instantly repair weaknesses or augment strengths. They still have some guesswork as to whether the player can adapt to their system and if they can integrate as well with new players as their former teammates. So there is still chances for failures but that guesswork was there with high school players in additions to the aforementioned guesses.

One additional unrelated thing is that NILs allow programs to provide monies that can attract players at the expense of cheating boosters/agents.

My theory has been we would see more college parity as a result. The truly outstanding coaches should come to the fore and leap over those who had a cheating advantage. There still is not enough information as of yet to validate my theory and certainly players staying longer in programs as a result of Covid will need to be eliminated to properly determine this hypothesis. But I like where we stand with Hurley! Time will tell if he can provide a relatively consistent record.

I have spoken!

 

[Rocktheworld]

Absolutely. KO's undoing was not capitalizing on the recruiting trail after the 2014 title. I still find that mind-boggling. Some of the recruits he brought in were mid-major talent at best. I'm confident that won't happen to Hurley.

I mean we did get DHam that year, Jalen the next year, and then a top 10 class in 2016. Remember that we were in the AAC.

I definitely expect our recruiting to remain stellar now that we are in the BE

 

[upstater]

I mean we did get DHam that year, Jalen the next year, and then a top 10 class in 2016. Remember that we were in the AAC.

I definitely expect our recruiting to remain stellar now that we are in the BE

Adams and Hamilton were studs. It's unfortunate we didn't use capitalize on their time here.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

I'm sure it will help recruiting but unlike in the past, NIL will still be a huge factor as well. We need to be able to compete in that area at least to some degree.

Complete “free agency” via the transfer portal, in combination with NIL, will be the two biggest factors impacting recruitment in the years to come.

Enjoy this years final four and next years incoming recruiting class because college BB as it looks now is heading down a path that will no longer be about coaches, tradition, facilities, fan bases.

 

[superjohn]

Complete “free agency” via the transfer portal, in combination with NIL, will be the two biggest factors impacting recruitment in the years to come.

Enjoy this years final four and next years incoming recruiting class because college BB as it looks now is heading down a path that will no longer be about coaches, tradition, facilities, fan bases.

Did you just wake up from a long slumber? Things are going back more to how they looked before Covid in terms of transfers.