Why Jayden Ross Starting Could Be a Game Changer for UConn

[@JBeck33]

I agree with you guys about Reed. I think he should and will (eventually) start. Johnson just appears to be more valuable as a change of pace guy that gives you a hard 15 minutes per night.

[@dougf-s6w]

Fans have yet to see the Jayden Ross of which Dan Hurley speaks. We would all love to see the player he is so high on

[@SanctuaryGardenLiving]

Last year he was saying Castle was a shut down defender and I was a bit suspect.. but now I trust when Hurley says something!

[@BlyGuy]

Reed is an absolute unit. I saw him as a guy that would be a preseason 1st team BE guy next year, but really think he could push for a spot this year as he will get better and better the longer he is under this elite coaching staff. It's going to really make Juwan look bad as a coach and developer of talent. I think we see Hass and Slamson in the same roles they were so successful at last year when the rotations are set, only both will be better, more impactful. I don't know about you guys, but I don't think it's all that crazy to say this is Hurley's most talented team to date. Like we saw with SHU and all last year, Uconn is deeper and better conditioned than their opponents, and now they have crazy depth to truly exhaust teams. If this team can stay healthy, the leadership is there to keep their heads focused on one game at a time.

[@glennprucinsky7968]

My only concern is keeping everyone happy. I saw a couple of sad faces on the bench waiting to get involved. Karaban as the captain of this squad is going to be called upon to keep his teammates engaged. URI game looked like a 2nd round tournament game and everyone was just pulling for each other. Multiple DD scoring and 11 deep. Patience from this roster is imperative to the success of this group.

[@MatthewMadler]

Richard Hamilton said this is what we do. Ray Allen said you dont come to Uconn to party, sure its campus is remote, you come here to be a basketball player.

[@dblshotz75]

Saw Ross last night and he looks special. Cannot believe thats the same kid i saw last year. A starting 5 of Solo Ross Mcneely Karaban Reed Is going to be a problem for the Big East.

[@carlfredb]

Off topic but out of curiosity I checked out Amari DeBerry stats at Maryland, 2 games no rebounds unfortunately not surprising. Then checked out INÊS BETTENCOURT and was pleasantly surprised, lots of mins. pts, some assists and not many turnovers. She seems to be clicking with her teammates. Great to see.

[@JStarx_1]

I would try starting Ross at point too because I didn't see anything special about Mahaney. And Hassan is well, Hassan

[@The_triple_fool]

Things felt a little clunky through the non-con schedule last year. By the time Big East play hit, they had the lineups worked out and found how to maximize individual strengths. The same will happen this year. They watch lots of film, they'll figure it out. I'm curious how the guard spots will work out if they choose to emphasize the talented wings. I'm also interested to see how effectively they help Reed simplify things, like when Sanogo's efficiency started to go way up.

[@glennprucinsky7968]

What’s probably going to happen is throwing 5 fresh guys out there in 4-5 minute stretches and play transition BB and maximize the amount of points per position and look for open 3’s or back door cuts. The luxury of having such a deep bench with athletic players wears down your opponents; they can’t keep up with the pace demands and allows more teammates to get involved.

[@glennprucinsky7968]

Making sure everyone touches the ball is going to be the key for this team’s success.

[@popsmokeandghost2416]

Ahmad should get more PT. I think he can really unleash if given the chance. He can defend, and he's a waaaaay better shooter than Hass. (No disespect to Hass, though.)

[@SanctuaryGardenLiving]

The thing with this program is they will give Hass every opportunity to excel because this is his final year and they prioritize doing right by players that put team first. I think Ahmed will get playing time though, especially considering his defense. Having a lock down defender has been a big part of past championship runs.. a la Ricky Moore and Stephon Castle.

[@evan_james]

As for the crowd, Gampel always has a lot of white hair in the lower sections. It is what it is...

[@ethan424040]

It’s small ball because the center is shorter but every other position is the same size or taller? Doesn’t make sense.

[@SanctuaryGardenLiving]

My thoughts exactly, that made no sense. Jayden is a SF, along with Karaban, Ball, Samson, and Liam that's not small ball. That's going BIG.... Lol

[@shawna7813]

No, They're playing Karaban at center. No Johnson or Reed in the lineup...

[@ethan424040]

@@shawna7813 They said they can do that. The whole segment is about a "small lineup" that is in fact a big lineup.