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DHam made it official

I spoke to him on the phone for a few a little bit ago and wished him the best and go make us proud!!
 
Very sad to see Hamilton leave. I really thought he was going to come back and build on his postseason success from this past year. I wish him nothing but the best but this one does hurt.
 
I spoke to him on the phone for a few a little bit ago and wished him the best and go make us proud!!
Do you see us filling his spot with a grad transfer like Reinhardt or a freshman like Alpha Diallo? Hard to replace what he gave us on the boards too.
 
Darts!

Hope he doesn't go the Deandre Daniels route. Wish him the best.

Dies Larrier move into the starting lineup or do they go small with Adams, Purvis and Gilbert?
 
another DeAndre Daniels ??? no first round ??? no guaranteed contract ???.... I hope not and I hope he's getting good ( and honest ) feedback from who ever is telling him to stay in....I think he has a much better upside with his handle, rebounding and playmaking ability. I would just hate to see him do it for a second round slot or end up overseas like DD and then
injured without that guaranteed cash.....Thanks for your time as a Husky D-Ham.... all the best.....
 
It's Larrier turn. With Vance now getting more minutes.

Still need guard. Combo and a big. The big I hope is a veteran guy juco or 5th year that can come in off the bench and provide that punch and experience.
 
Blades, I obviously have a time machine. :) And I love how my spell check is always wrong.

I like DHam more as a player as well than Deandre,who may not have had a career triple double because he had like 4 assists in 3 seasons. I hope a team like the Spurs draft Ham and let him learn their culture and give him a year or two to develop.

Oz, if Dunham came in healthy, could he play some 3? Or is he a 4/5 all the way? Although, Larrier and Jackson seem like they'll handle the 3. But we could use another guard now and two if Purvis leaves.
 
" I had a great experience at UConn," Hamilton said. "It was a great ride. I'm glad we won the AAC Tournament and played in the NCAA Tournament. But after talking it over with my family, I just feel this is the best thing, to provide for my family, help my family out." "Wherever I get drafted, I'll be OK with it," he said. "I'm not really concerned with who else might be coming out for the draft."

He should be, it's good money( in the 1st) or not much guaranteed.....at least his bro Jordan- (NBA Stats) went #26 in the first and got over 3 million up front ...even though he's been on 10 day contracts lately....Though I'd like to see where some of "the experts" rank D-Ham now that he's all in
....NBADraft.net has him up to early 2nd but that's in 2017....those other guys 2017 NBA Mock Draft - DraftExpress still haven't bumped him much for 2017 .....very late 2nd... but all it takes is one GM to love you !
 
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KO on JD 2.0 : We have a versatile, four, slash 3 man, slash 2 man, slash 5 man in Juwan Durham.
 
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Canolee. I do not see Durham playing the 3 at all. Yes he has versatile skillset but he will be more stretch 4-5
 
Thanks gents. Let's just hope Dunham is healthy and ready to contribute.

How would use guys compare DHam to Valentine From Michigan State? I didn't see him play this year, I know he is a limited athlete but a very good passer.
 
Huge hit for next year's line up. Best of luck.

Ollie pick up the phone and call recruits. How much does losing Hobbs have on recruiting
 
I felt that Hamilton was showing flashes of morphing into a serious main man player at the end of last season. He definitely raised his stock at the end of the season, although he needed to after shooting 23% FGs in the first 8 AAC games. That might have been the worst 8 game shooting slump that I ever saw from an elite talent player at UConn. Ben Gordon also went through a shooting slump in the middle of his junior season, but it was not quite to the level of what Hamilton suffered through.

He has the potential to be a very good pro, but he has to get a lot stronger and become a better outside shooter.

However I am a bit disappointed, because had he come back to UConn, I really felt like he could have been a serious main man player. I was looking forward to one more season from him because I really, really liked how he was playing at the end of this season. In any event, he is a player who has not reached the ceiling of his talent, and I hope he can become a very good NBA professional.
 
Wonder if Purvis is next...would be a shame if we end up only getting Brimah back out of the 3 who declared.

If Purvis doesn't come back then we definitely need another guard for next season. We could have been real special with DHam returning but now it will take a lot more work.

Will it be addition by subtraction that now our two PGs will officially have the keys to the offense?
 
I very much doubt Larrier will put up the rebounding and assist numbers that DHam put up, but I think he could be as good a scorer. He is a better outside shooter and a better defender.
 
Been very quiet on the transfer front...gotta think we ramp things up across the board for JUCO, 5th year transfers, legit transfers and unsigned recruits. Extra schollies to work with and needs to fill. Time to roll up the sleeves and hit the road KO & staff.

Oh and you may also want to fill the Hobbs vacancy soon too...we are gunna need the recruiting help
 
It's Larrier turn. With Vance now getting more minutes.

Still need guard. Combo and a big. The big I hope is a veteran guy juco or 5th year that can come in off the bench and provide that punch and experience.

Next man up...KO has room for at least 3 more scholly players now, depending on Brimah and Purvis which could leave an 8 or 9 man roster

2016
GUARDS
2 Jalen Adams............6-3/187....PG/SG...SO........ Roxbury, MA
3 Alterique Gilbert....5-11/175... PG........FR......... Lithonia, GA

44 Rodney Purvis.....6-4/205......G...........RS SR... Raleigh. N.C.

WINGS:
22 Terry Larrier...... 6-8/195.... F........RS SO..........Bronx, NY
.....Vance Jackson....6-8/210....G/F..... FR................Pasadena,CA


FORWARDS
12 Kentan Facey.......6-10/217..... F.....SR........Trelawny, Jamaica
21 Mamadou Diarra..6-7/225..... PF... FR...... Corona, NY

24 Christian Foxen.. 6-8/223...... F...... JR....... Rocky Hill, CT (Walk-on or 1 year scholly ?)

BIGS
13 Steve Enoch....... 6-11/245....... C.... SO.........Norwalk, CT
23 Juwan Durham.... 6-11/210...PF/C.....FR.......Tampa, FL

35 Amida Brimah....... 7-0/232...... C......... SR...... Accra, Ghana
 
Also not good......a report from the NHR....Hope it's not a case of these long lines of kids who believe in theirself more than they should. The world and D-leagues are scattered with these kids.

Daniel Hamilton leaving UConn, will enter NBA draft and hire agent

Hope they're wrong but these guys usually aren't:
" NBA personnel have inquired about Hamilton. Still, it’s near-unanimous among NBA sources that Hamilton is a second-round pick — at best. "

“I think he has great upside, I think he’s one of Coach (Kevin) Ollie’s favorites,” one Eastern Conference scout told the Register last week. “I think he will be an NBA player. But I think he should stay in school for another year ... Next year, I think he’d be first round.”

“Coach thought it would be best if I stayed another year,” Hamilton reported, “but I talked it over with my family. He told me best of luck and he wished the best for me.”
“By NBA standards, he’s probably a little marginal athletically,” said a Western Conference scout. “He’s got a real nice feel for the game. For every ounce of athleticism you don’t have, your skill level has to be that much higher.”

Still, second-round picks are often stashed in the NBA developmental league, or overseas (a la former UConn standout DeAndre Daniels, who opted for the draft after helping the Huskies to a national title as a junior. He has played the past two seasons in Australia while also battling injuries).

“Say he gets drafted with guaranteed money,” the Western Conference scout said. “It’s not a great life. You’re on a bus in some God-foresaken, Palooka town. Whatever’s left of your adolescence is done. You’ve got grown men trying to take your head off in some God-forsaken place with 50 people in the stands. You’ve got a few bucks in your pocket, but you’re in Reno, Nevada, eating at a coffee shop by yourself.”
 
We can only read between the lines but these kids get pressure from family and friends to leave school because the family and friends are looking for handouts and other perks. Kids rarely have the only say. Hamilton would have been better off following KO's advice which I agree with based on the state of Hamilton's game currently. He doesn't appear to be an NBA ready player but could be a good NBA pro with a few seasons worth of seasoning and refinements to his game.
 
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Just throwing this out there but maybe he doesn't like school. Don't know how his grades were or how much he liked campus life.....but some kids just don't want to go to school. You're right KSTW, we can only read in b/w the lines and who knows how he ultimately came to this conclusion - we can only wish him well and dream of what could have been.

I remember when UC lost to Fl after Donyell had a chance to put the game away with the 2 free throws. My old boss said that'd be the closest they would get to the FF. And Donyell was our 1st player, at least that i can remember, who left early (jr year) for the draft. Never gonna get to the FF

I remember when Butler left after soph yr (of course he was older than most), when Ray Allen left early, Charlie V, etc. Nice thing about being a program...and it's been said in here many many times (including this thread) next man up. Lot's of opportunities next year.

what i hate to see if when someone leaves earlier than it would seem he should. DD, Josh Boone, and now maybe DHam. But we never know what drives this young men to make decisions as mentioned above.

I was completely fooled when Andrew Bynum chose to turn pro instead of 1st going to UC. Now, he may not have been ready, but to even HCJC surprise, he was picked 10th (i think) in that years draft...so, who knows but one thing is for sure....DHam is a great kid by all accounts, with a boatload of upside and maybe he gets picked by the right team in the 1st round, works his tale off and finds himself in the League for over a decade.
 
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Just throwing this out there but maybe he doesn't like school. Don't know how his grades were or how much he liked campus life.....but some kids just don't want to go to school.
I totally agree..could be it..had this same thought too. Who knows.... but this sounds like he's setting up a DD scenario which IMHO, is a big mistake. I recall the Daniels conversation and posters saying he can can go overseas make 100K a year if things don't work out in the NBA and that's more than alot of people make ...ya da ya da. But I wish these kids that are the borderline guys / second rounders would understand they aren't regular people....It's like they're holding a ticket to a million dollar lottery and are that " :D " close to cashing it in.... but rather than wait a year to take a chance on the full million $ they are selling the ticket for 10 cents on the dollar....when even if they didn't get the full million ( a first round pick) next year...that same 10 cents on a dollar will be there anyway.

Even Josh Boone( 5.4 million) like Marcus Williams( 4.4 mil) both hit homeruns because they bought theirselves time in the league with guaranteed tickets as first rounders that set them up for life. Teams that owe you that kind of change.... tend to keep you around and give you time to make it...Now if D-Ham gets that 1st round ticket....it's a long fly ball, back, back, back and over the fence too !
 
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Just throwing this out there but maybe he doesn't like school. Don't know how his grades were or how much he liked campus life.....but some kids just don't want to go to school.
One thing is certain: if Hamilton does withdraw his name from the draft at some point, he will be back at UConn for his junior year. There is no thought at all by the Los Angeles native of transferring.

“He loves it there,” Karen Hamilton said. “My husband and I were wondering whether he’ll ever really want to come home.”


http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20160324/uconns-daniel-hamilton-to-test-nba-draft-waters
 
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Next man up is right! We are good at the 3 spot....
Just bring in a guard that can go and KO and company have some names to work with :)
 
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The is going to be Adams team now and His development is going to be vital to our success. As well as Enoch to a lesser extent and how ready Gilbert and Larrier will be in year one.
 
Have to say Jacobs hit it right on point and echo's some of our thoughts above:
Jeff Jacobs: * Musings On Hamilton, Tuck Decisions, Marshall's Hiring

* Daniel Hamilton said it's the right time. No, Daniel, it's not the right time. It's the wrong time.
* He had six more weeks to play with and the fact he didn't use the time introduces questions about maturity and wisdom.
* Second, if he's entirely truthful with himself he'd know there are many areas of his game where he isn't NBA ready.
* He's no one-trick pony, not by a long shot. Yet, when you are nurturing so many facets of your game along, time is your friend, not your enemy.
* My read was if Hamilton stayed at UConn..... he'd be a first-round pick in 2017. Now — unless Hamilton knows something nobody else does — he is likely a later second-round pick.
* I'm told he is not in academic peril. In fact, he's doing online work from home in Los Angeles to finish up the semester in good standing.
* By all accounts, Kevin Ollie told Hamilton it would be better for him to stay another year at UConn. Ollie was right. And Hamilton should have listened.
* Daniel Hamilton has NBA potential. And the guy deserves good wishes. But, Daniel, you passed on a really good ride at UConn next season and a chance at considerable national attention. Just know, it's tough out there in the real world. Ask DeAndre Daniels.
 
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I think Uconn will move on fine.. with Larrier and Vance the 3 spot seems to be more than OK....but this decision seems worse the more you read about it from other sources
.....here's a complete breakdown of his game:

CBS- 2016 NBA Draft: Daniel Hamilton declares, putting UConn in bind

"Hamilton is currently the No. 95 overall player on the CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board, meaning he is not projected to be drafted"

Also Draft Express took him out of 2017 as a late 2nd rounder and only has him rated as #86 in the Top 100 Prospects. He could end up the worse Uconn early entry decision of all-time.
 
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Jacobs nailed it on Hamilton...not sure what the rush was for him to sign on with an agent. It's almost as if him and his camp didn't get the memo on the new rules. He really did leave a big chance to raise his stock and national notoriety next season on the table. UConn will continue to be UConn and we'll be just fine...can the same be said for DHam? Who knows but I can't honestly say that he's putting himself in the best situation to succeed - best wishes though
 
I think the record needs to be corrected on Daniels. Everyone is parroting Jacobs as mentioning Daniels as the new poster boy for leaving school too soon. However the facts show that Daniels had a very good rookie season in Australia, after which he sustained an injury (to his foot, I think). He did not come back until March of this year. It's true that the jury is still out on whether he is an NBA player. But 3 years from now it would not surprise me to see both Daniels and Niels Giffey playing somewhere in the NBA.

Regarding Hamilton, however, I agree it was a mistake to not simply put his name in the draft, see what happens, and then make a decision within the 10 days allowed to do so. It makes no sense that he would not take full advantage of the rule.
 
I think the record needs to be corrected on Daniels. .

I don't ....read my posts above, it's not about if he makes it later in the NBA.... Jacobs is parroting what we wrote first.... Australia and the injury are the problem when your a second rounder. ..the whole point is go for the first round when plenty of scouts or " experts" think your inches away and you have the options as in improving your stock only being a soph or even a JR..... see Marcus and Josh above... Homeruns financially for life because they waited and were picked in the first round (guaranteed millions not chump change) as JR's. Then who cares if you have an injury or go to the D-league....your still getting paid the big $$$.

Like I said above it's basic economics that applies to any of these kids:
It's like they're holding a ticket to a million dollar lottery and are that " :D " close to cashing it in.... but rather than wait a year to take a chance on the full million $ they are selling the ticket for 10 cents on the dollar....when even if they didn't get the full million ( a first round pick) next year...that same 10 cents on a dollar( Overseas or D-League) will be there anyway.
 
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As long as Purvis and Brimah come back we should still be really good. At least now the leader of the team will be a point guard like our last 2 Championship teams.
 
As long as Purvis and Brimah come back we should still be really good. At least now the leader of the team will be a point guard like our last 2 Championship teams.
True and the 3 position seems to be one place that KO has enough solid depth, especially if Purvis is back, KO can even run a 3 guard line-up.
 
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Brimah's offensive output will suffer from the absence of Hamilton. About half of his offense last year came on lobs from Hamilton. How will those lost points be made up?
 
Brimah's offensive output will suffer from the absence of Hamilton. About half of his offense last year came on lobs from Hamilton. How will those lost points be made up?
Good point....Hopefully Enoch, he seems to have a better offensive game potentially than AB, so maybe with Phil gone and more PT he'll give them more points out of the 5
 
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