http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...-middlesex-breakfast-1008-20161007-story.html
On freshmam Christian Vital:
"CV is a very confident player, you'll see him come in with confidence, a swagger. He can shoot it real well. He Went to St. Thomas More and played for a great coach [Jere Quinn] there, so he has a winning pedigree."
Freshman Mamadou Diarra:
"We have Mamadou, a very tough player, an old school player. You've seen a lot of our teams over the years have had toughness, I think that's what he's going to bring. He's a rebounding machine, he's got to get his legs back under him and I think you'll see some monster rebounds. He's old school, he doesn't do a lot of pump-faking, it's all dunks, which I love. A great young man, an infectious smile."
On freshman Juwan Durham:
(working his way back from torn ACLs in both knees) Juwan reminds me of Donyell [Marshall], 6-11, versatile, can shoot, put the ball on the floor. High basketball IQ. He tore both ACLs, but he never made excuses. We stayed on him because we knew what type of heart he had and what type of player he still is. He has to get over the mental barrier and be able to say 'man, I'm Juwan Durham again,' because when you come off of two torn ACLs you don't want to cut like you did. It might happen again. That's what he's going to fight through. I think he's going to be a great, great player, and I don't say that often."
On freshman Vance Jackson:
"Vance is a shooter, he's 6-9 — versatility, size and length. He's going to stretch the floor for us. We always talk about pace, and about spacing. He's going to give us a spacing threat we didn't have last year."
On freshman Alterique Gilbert:
"He's 5-10, about as short as [Ryan] Boatright but as hard as Boatright also. The toughness he has is unbelievable. You're going to love this kid from day one. I'm going to give him the keys, him and Jalen [Adams] and let them fuel our engine. I'm teaching him the little nuances of being an elite point guard, he already has the talent, but how to get respect from your teammates, gain respect each and every day as a point guard, that you can handle the responsibilities."
Sophomore Jalen Adams:
"He's not just 'The Shot.' I just think he's going to do some great things. He came back with great leadership, great intensity. He has great talent, but it has to be congruent with his work ethic. He's so used to prep school, where he can dominate with just talent, but it takes more than just talent, it takes things behind the curtain."
Sophomore Steven Enoch:
"He didn't play that much last year, but everybody saw glimpses when he did come into the game of how good he can be. I think he's going to come in with a sense of confidence, a sense of assurance that he can get the job done."
Sophomore Terry Larrier:
"Terry is a 6-8 versatile guy who is going to come in and excite the crowd. He's probably our fastest player baseline to baseline."
Seniors Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey:
"With both Kentan and Amida, when they step out onto the court, you're going to see a transformation in their bodies. Amida's up to about 245 pounds now, Kentan about 232, with the hard work they put in."
Senior Rodney Purvis:
"Rodney is going to really leave his footprints here at UConn. He lost his God brother [Tyrek Coger to heart disease] this past summer. It takes a strong man to be resilient, to talk to your God brother that day, that morning and find out at 2 O'clock that he's passed away. Rodney is going through the pain and he's going to be rewarded for it."
On freshmam Christian Vital:
"CV is a very confident player, you'll see him come in with confidence, a swagger. He can shoot it real well. He Went to St. Thomas More and played for a great coach [Jere Quinn] there, so he has a winning pedigree."
Freshman Mamadou Diarra:
"We have Mamadou, a very tough player, an old school player. You've seen a lot of our teams over the years have had toughness, I think that's what he's going to bring. He's a rebounding machine, he's got to get his legs back under him and I think you'll see some monster rebounds. He's old school, he doesn't do a lot of pump-faking, it's all dunks, which I love. A great young man, an infectious smile."
On freshman Juwan Durham:
(working his way back from torn ACLs in both knees) Juwan reminds me of Donyell [Marshall], 6-11, versatile, can shoot, put the ball on the floor. High basketball IQ. He tore both ACLs, but he never made excuses. We stayed on him because we knew what type of heart he had and what type of player he still is. He has to get over the mental barrier and be able to say 'man, I'm Juwan Durham again,' because when you come off of two torn ACLs you don't want to cut like you did. It might happen again. That's what he's going to fight through. I think he's going to be a great, great player, and I don't say that often."
On freshman Vance Jackson:
"Vance is a shooter, he's 6-9 — versatility, size and length. He's going to stretch the floor for us. We always talk about pace, and about spacing. He's going to give us a spacing threat we didn't have last year."
On freshman Alterique Gilbert:
"He's 5-10, about as short as [Ryan] Boatright but as hard as Boatright also. The toughness he has is unbelievable. You're going to love this kid from day one. I'm going to give him the keys, him and Jalen [Adams] and let them fuel our engine. I'm teaching him the little nuances of being an elite point guard, he already has the talent, but how to get respect from your teammates, gain respect each and every day as a point guard, that you can handle the responsibilities."
Sophomore Jalen Adams:
"He's not just 'The Shot.' I just think he's going to do some great things. He came back with great leadership, great intensity. He has great talent, but it has to be congruent with his work ethic. He's so used to prep school, where he can dominate with just talent, but it takes more than just talent, it takes things behind the curtain."
Sophomore Steven Enoch:
"He didn't play that much last year, but everybody saw glimpses when he did come into the game of how good he can be. I think he's going to come in with a sense of confidence, a sense of assurance that he can get the job done."
Sophomore Terry Larrier:
"Terry is a 6-8 versatile guy who is going to come in and excite the crowd. He's probably our fastest player baseline to baseline."
Seniors Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey:
"With both Kentan and Amida, when they step out onto the court, you're going to see a transformation in their bodies. Amida's up to about 245 pounds now, Kentan about 232, with the hard work they put in."
Senior Rodney Purvis:
"Rodney is going to really leave his footprints here at UConn. He lost his God brother [Tyrek Coger to heart disease] this past summer. It takes a strong man to be resilient, to talk to your God brother that day, that morning and find out at 2 O'clock that he's passed away. Rodney is going through the pain and he's going to be rewarded for it."
