Folks, remember the mailbag? It’s back! Is it because you asked great questions or just because we needed some original content to break up the sponsored Homefield posts? That’s for historians to decide.
Onto the awful questions.
National Celebrity Penfield asks: Would you pass on the Big East tourney this year if it guaranteed passing covid protocols for the NCAA Tourney?
YMMV, but personally the answer is a definite yes.
The Big East Tournament is incredibly meaningful to me, and I suspect most UConn fans who were around for the 90s and/or 00s. Reclaiming our place as part of one of college basketball’s best traditions was a huge selling point in UConn’s move back to the Big East. And I think it’s fairly obvious that UConn’s best shot at winning something concrete in 2020-21 will come that weekend in MSG. So there would certainly be reasons to say “no” to that trade.
But part of the Big East Tournament tradition, at least for me as a New York-metropolitan-area-based fan, is taking a train into the city on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, scalping $20 nosebleed seats, buying too many $15 beers, and joining 10,000 other UConn fans and alums in collectively looking down our noses at the other fanbases while our guys play on national TV in the spotlight of the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Is it still “The Big East Tournament” without that element? I say no. In a surreal stop-and-start season that barely feels real, having UConn’s big return to the league consecrated by an empty-arena BET is just going to be weird. I still hope the tournament happens, and I’ll obviously be watching as much of it as I can because it rules even under the current circumstances.
But if you offered me a guarantee that UConn’s NCAA Tournament run (however long it might go) would be safe and healthy, and we could make our actual MSG March return in 2022 in front of (hopefully) a packed house, I’d take that with no question.
— Semi-local celebrity Kevin Meacham
Big Ron asks: Obviously Paige Buckets is already among the greatest freshmen in program history but who do you see as comps for what Edwards has delivered thus far?
This is a great question. Aaliyah Edwards has exceeded all expectations up to this point. We had heard she was good, but honestly I don’t think anyone could have predicted how skilled and strong she is. I’m not sure there’s a perfect one-to-one comp, but she does remind me a lot of Swin Cash: that high skill level, great hands, great feet, moves really well in the lane, gets up and down the floor. And that take-no-shit attitude. Swin was always super competitive, and I see a similar vibe in Edwards. Edwards is only an inch taller than Swin, though she does bring more size into the post. But both Swin and Aaliyah could do that hybrid wing/post player thing. Edwards is already proving to be a monster on the boards, and she seems to be channeling some Jamelle Elliot-level toughness, so she’s on a trajectory all her own. But yeah, Aaliyah Edwards gives me some Swin Cash vibes. Which is a nice because Paige is pretty much an amalgam of Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, and when those three were on the floor together, things worked out pretty well.
Postradamus asks: UConn was able to lock up Corey Floyd. What is your best guess on who the next commitment will be?
In the class of 2022, the player I most strongly believe will end up signing with UConn is Donovan Clingan. Hurley has been in on him since the beginning, he’s very interested in UConn, it’s a great fit personnel-wise, and they want him badly. Anything can happen in recruiting, but I would be pretty surprised if Clingan didn’t end up at UConn. Hurley would also love to add a high-level scorer like Justice Williams. He would be a great fit as well, but there are some serious programs heavily invested there, so it will be harder to pull off.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that the next player to sign with UConn is a 2021 recruit, rather than 2022. With Javonte Brown’s decision to transfer, UConn has a scholarship available in the 2021 class, and with James Bouknight expected to enter the NBA draft at season’s end, it seems more likely than not that Hurley will have two spots to play with for next season. Keep an eye on Jaylen Blakes, a sharpshooting combo guard from Blair Academy, as a potential option if Bouknight leaves. If Hurley wants to add another big man in that class, he could look to Penn State de-commit Elijah Hutchins-Everett, who was originally recruited to University Park by Kevin Freeman. If the Huskies do manage to add Blakes and Hutchins-Everett to their already impressive group of Rahsool Diggins, Jordan Hawkins, and Samson Johnson, they would be looking at a potential top-3 recruiting class.
Dave asks: Gampel really getting beer sales? Rate the rowdiness level of Gampel’s drunk future.
I asked a UConn spokesman about this today and he said there has not been any policy change regarding alcohol sales at on-campus venues. AD Dave Benedict seemingly hinted that might change in the future during an online tour of the new sporting facilities but no official decision has been made.
Obviously it should happen for a host of reasons — revenue, the fact that it’s not 1920, etc. — and it will eventually. When it does, Gampel’s rowdiness level will probably be approximately the same. Raise your hand if you’ve been drunk as hell in Gampel…
Exactly.
— Tyler
Colonel Calhoun asks: Let’s get dark. Who’s the worst player to play for UConn MBB in the last 15 years? Walk-on’s excluded.
As a general rule, here at ADB we try to be careful not to criticize players too harshly (podcasts don’t count because we’ve been drinking) mostly because we’re unathletic olds now who are in no position to judge, but also because they give away their labor for free to entertain us.
That said, I thought it might be interesting to see if there’s a scientific answer to this. Maybe lowest FG% or ORtg? Win shares per 40? I made it like five minutes into that endeavor before it made me sad so I quit.
So we’ll just say the answer is Scottie Haralson.
— Tyler
