The Almanac 2023

[auror]

FIeld of 68+3MW+Heat Check + whomever else is involved's The Almanac is out today. Now in website form.

The Almanac

A 2023-24 college basketball season preview

cbbalmanac.com

The highlights for UConn fans.

Ranking - #8 (2 seed)
Big East - 3rd (13-7)

Clingan 1st Team BE, #5 player in the country (2nd team All American, 4 players ahead of him all centers and they wanted to put a guard on 1st team), BE Best Pro Prospect

No other Big East awards for any UConn players, coaches, or team. The coaches apparently believe Clingan has already broken out.

Top 100 Player List
Donovan Clingan - #5
Cam Spencer - #60
Stephon Castle - #67
Tristen Newton - #76
Alex Karaban - #83

UConn is the only team with 5 top 100 players.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

So the whole starting lineup is top 100 yet 3rd Big East. Interesting

 

[BlueMAB]

So the whole starting lineup is top 100 yet 3rd Big East. Interesting

They must expect a large drop in production when we go to the bench. I'm cautiously optimistic they're under-rating our new guys + Samson.

 

[auror]

So the whole starting lineup is top 100 yet 3rd Big East. Interesting

They have 4 Creighton guys ahead of our 2nd best and Marquette beat us 2/3 last year and returns almost everybody.

They just really like Creighton is part of it. They have Creighton, Marquette, UConn back-to-back-to-back #6,7,8 overall.

Basically a toss up for the top.

 

[auror]

Also nationally have Castle #10 freshman, Spencer #13 transfer, Clingan #1 breakout, Newton EvanMiya's #1 returning glue guy.

Team #4 frontcourt, #7 backcourt. Kansas and Duke only teams ahead of them in both

 

[August_West]

They have 4 Creighton guys ahead of our 2nd best and Marquette beat us 2/3 last year and returns almost everybody.

They just really like Creighton is part of it. They have Creighton, Marquette, UConn back-to-back-to-back #6,7,8 overall.

Basically a toss up for the top.

I think Nova is going to be a problem.

 

[NJHoops]

They are predicting them to finish 3rd, which seems fair enough, but the 13-7 was last year’s record, not a prediction. The formatting is a little tricky.

I highly recommend buying The Almanac. The depth of information for literally every team is impressive, and it’s much easier to navigate on-line than Blue Ribbon.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I’m surprised they have karaban as our 5th best player. Don’t think that’s likely to hold true.

 

[HooperScooper]

I’m surprised they have karaban as our 5th best player. Don’t think that’s likely to hold true.

If that happens then the team will be really good.

 

[Captbluefin]

Karaban is very underrated by them.

 

[caw]

Karaban is very underrated by them.

It could be just factoring in the fact UConn has so many other weapons and Karaban is the least ball dominant of the starters not named Clingan (and most agree he is ahead of Karaban). There is easily a world where Karaban is “only” the fifth leading scorer amongst the starters.

 

[auror]

I do recommend people buying it to read the full UConn writeup and every other school.

Not a ton of crazy stuff in UConn section as the roster is pretty straightforward (1 guy for each position with clear role based on last seaon archetype, 1 guy clear backup for each position). As far as the most interesting nuggets in the UConn part to me:

-Working on Clingan's post game so he can utilize his passing to find shooters when doubled.
-Has been said before, but Solo and Jaylin are a bit behind due to summer injuries. But did list them as first off the bench as wings, which is notable because...
-Jayden Ross has turned heads, will get NBA buzz at some point. But I guess still behind those 2 currently?
-Potentially trying to play Samson as a "movement 5" like Oso Ighodaro, to give contrast to Donovan.

 

[superjohn]

I do recommend people buying it to read the full UConn writeup and every other school.

Not a ton of crazy stuff in UConn section as the roster is pretty straightforward (1 guy for each position with clear role based on last seaon archetype, 1 guy clear backup for each position). As far as the most interesting nuggets in the UConn part to me:

-Working on Clingan's post game so he can utilize his passing to find shooters when doubled.
-Has been said before, but Solo and Jaylin are a bit behind due to summer injuries. But did list them as first off the bench as wings, which is notable because...
-Jayden Ross has turned heads, will get NBA buzz at some point. But I guess still behind those 2 currently?
-Potentially trying to play Samson as a "movement 5" like Oso Ighodaro, to give contrast to Donovan.

My buddy talked to Hurley and Hurley said he thought Ross would be the freshman who would struggle the most but he's put in the work. Watch out for him.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

My buddy talked to Hurley and Hurley said he thought Ross would be the freshman who would struggle the most but he's put in the work. Watch out for him.

More than Singare? Or was Singare kind of out of the question?

 

[superjohn]

More than Singare? Or was Singare kind of out of the question?

Don't know but good question, I didn't even ask. That was the direct text from him. My guess is he just meant he thought he would struggle more as a freshman than Castle, Ball, and Stewart.

 

[HooperScooper]

My buddy talked to Hurley and Hurley said he thought Ross would be the freshman who would struggle the most but he's put in the work. Watch out for him.

When did Hurley say that? Very recently or before they got to campus? Need some context.

 

[superjohn]

When did Hurley say that? Very recently or before they got to campus? Need some context.

This past Saturday at the UConn football tailgate.

 

[Nebraskan18]

FIeld of 68+3MW+Heat Check + whomever else is involved's The Almanac is out today. Now in website form.

The Almanac

A 2023-24 college basketball season preview

cbbalmanac.com

The highlights for UConn fans.

Ranking - #8 (2 seed)
Big East - 3rd (13-7)

Clingan 1st Team BE, #5 player in the country (2nd team All American, 4 players ahead of him all centers and they wanted to put a guard on 1st team), BE Best Pro Prospect

No other Big East awards for any UConn players, coaches, or team. The coaches apparently believe Clingan has already broken out.

Top 100 Player List
Donovan Clingan - #5
Cam Spencer - #60
Stephon Castle - #67
Tristen Newton - #76
Alex Karaban - #83

UConn is the only team with 5 top 100 players.

I would be very surprised if Castle had a more productive season than Newton and Karaban

 

[auror]

I would be very surprised if Castle had a more productive season than Newton and Karaban

I think they'll all be pretty bunched up together, but Castle did lead the team in scoring on the summer tour.

 

[auror]

Karaban is very underrated by them.

There were 5 high major freshmen 6'7" or taller this past season who made at least 60 3's. 4 were lottery picks (Brandon Miller, Taylor Hendricks, jett Howard, and Gadey Dick), and the 5th was Alex Karaban. He was .001 below Dick for best 3pt% of the group.

 

[superjohn]

There were 5 high major freshmen 6'7" or taller this past season who made at least 60 3's. 4 were lottery picks (Brandon Miller, Taylor Hendricks, jett Howard, and Gadey Dick), and the 5th was Alex Karaban. He was .001 below Dick for best 3pt% of the group.

Wow, that's a great stat.

 

[rip7774]

I mentioned in the other thread I had never heard of this Twitter account until that thread & purchased the almanac & couldn’t be more impressed. Highly recommend. I agree they think our bench will be significant drop off. They talk a bit about Clingan’s passing acumen (I kind of forget about that sometimes) and the staff developing/putting him into position to be better in post to score and pass out of it.

 

[dennismenace]

My buddy talked to Hurley and Hurley said he thought Ross would be the freshman who would struggle the most but he's put in the work. Watch out for him.

Based on the commentary in this thread it came just in time. In being concerned and wondering about the bench and lack of experience my attention was drawn to the Uconn phenomena of what one reporter years ago referred to as Uconn's uncanny ability to attract these "six foot- six jumping jacks" when describing some of their latest recruits. In our better years they seem to been have found on the roster. These two kids Jayden Ross and Jaylen Stewart as well as Stephon Castle and a slightly shorter but still pogo stick like leaper in Solomon Ball look like an exceptional haul of talent that I don't think are going to be like a lot of freshmen we use to have. The culture that our staff has created (or recreated) and the young men that have bought into it has created a sea change where "taking care of business" is primary and individualism at the expense of team is frowned upon. Years ago one of our players (might have been Boat or Bazz) talked about going to an Invitational tournament and said "It's a business trip. We are going down there and we are going to take care of business. Yes we will have some fun and see some things but the primary reason we are going there is to take care of business." That was how he characterized the idea of winning. These kids are not only long, talented, and athletic but they are being further formed into winners. And that is very exciting to me and why I can't wait to watch them grow.

 

[shizzle787]

We are not going 17-3 in the Big East. Too many road banana peels and we will drop one or two head scratchers at home. 13-7 sounds about right.