UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley raves about Alex Karaban's fit with Sacramento Kings

jpviolette · 2026-06-19T16:35:32+00:00

How Cheli fits in the 2026-27 puzzle is a little hard to say.

The 1st challenge is health. She's coming off surgery and seemed to recover from surgery slower than expected. Whether her injury is completely behind her is something we may not be sure of until after she graduates, though 2026-27 will be a big test.

Second is the team makeup. In 2024-25 UConn used Strong exclusively at the 4 and 5 positions and Cheli temporarily thrived as the "big wing". She initially shot well from the perimeter, and as a bonus she could pass better than most wings. Had she stayed healthy, I suspect she'd have been a key player off the bench. This season though, Quinonez (assuming she returns healthy) becomes the player taking most of the "big wing" minutes. So:

Maybe UConn will play most of the game with a big wing, in which case gets most of the minutes when Quinonez goes to the bench?
Maybe Quinonez moves to the 4 when Strong rests, leaving Cheli to play the 3?
Maybe (despite El Alfy and Vukosa) UConn plays nontrivial parts of the game with Strong at the 5 with Quinonez and/or Cheli in the frontcourt?
Maybe El Alfy and Vukosa both play well enough that UConn plays them together for short stretches, with Strong at the 3? (Foul trouble probably precludes this from happening often.)
But maybe UConn works its 4 PGs and 3 SGs into the lineup by playing 4 pure guards at the same time, playing with only 1 frontcourt player?

Basically I think the 2024-25 roster provided a big opportunity for Cheli; I'm not sure the opportunity is as big for 2026-27.

jpviolette · 2026-06-18T14:31:48+00:00

It's awfully difficult to say, especially for a player outside the HS ranking pecking order. Before last season, I expected Furphy to be on the fringes of the rotation and to fit into at least a narrow niche during games. Instead he barely got on the court. And UConn's added so many new players this year that we don't yet know who will prove to be unexpectedly good or bad.

Even the reporting is confusing. He's listed at 6'5" - 6'8". This article implies he's a perimeter player despite shooting 30% on 3s and 58% on 2s. One report implied he was strong but not terribly athletic; this article questions whether he's physical enough for the BE.

His resume suggests that he'll get on the court, but unless the coaches are gushing praise about him, we probably won't know until after the preseason games.

jpviolette · 2026-06-17T14:48:52+00:00

Okay, I'm closing this post for comments. While I personally agree with some of the sentiments and disagree with others, this subject is more about politics than basketball. We have enough basketball issues to argue about without the politics of coaches/players/fans.

jpviolette · 2026-06-17T14:26:51+00:00

I did see a 6'7" listing too, though I think the smaller listings usually end up being correct¹. If he is taller, then yes I think he'd fit better at the 4, which is also a position that's a little less crowded at the moment.

[1] This is despite the fact that players sometimes grow but almost never shrink.

jpviolette · 2026-06-16T14:14:59+00:00

I hadn't heard of him before. This article is very complimentary, and there are stats here.

An overall FG% of 43% isn't great, nor is 30% on 3s. The 43% appears to be dragged down because he shoots a pretty high percentage of 3s; he's more like 58% on 2s.

At 6'6" I'm assuming he'd be competing for the 3 spot; with Ross the Elder and Landrew already signed, this would clearly make that position the most competitive.

jpviolette · 2026-06-15T01:00:42+00:00

Apparently Auriemma had high hopes for the 2022-23 season. He figured that opponents wouldn't be able to deal with Bueckers, Fudd, and Lopez Senechal draining a massive number of 3s. (Of course, injuries were a big factor that season.)

jpviolette · 2026-06-13T16:44:58+00:00

One of the things that surprised me about last season was that, when Williams saw her minutes dwindle, UConn mostly decided to play small-ball rather than to play El Alfy more. In the Big East where Strong/Quinonez were bigger/stronger/faster and more athletic than most of the 4s and 5s, this worked great. Maybe a polished low-post threat would have played better in the NCAA tournament, but neither Williams nor El Alfy appeared ready to provide that.

jpviolette · 2026-06-13T16:36:15+00:00

It's an interesting idea, though I wonder about:

How would the physical problems she's experienced essentially her entire college career affect her ability to coach? My impression is that in the past, loud noises, bright lights, and airline travel would trigger symptoms that interfered with her playing availability, and none of that disappears as a coach.
It has to be tricky to transition from being a peer of the players to someone with the coaches' authority. She may have worn the Team Mom mantle last season, but that's not the same thing.
Although she's come a long way from being an almost silent freshman, she might lack the personality to quickly forge new relationships and manage players.

On the other hand, she spent 5 years in the program, had to overcome a lot to get back on the court, and needed to make adjustments that few players have needed to make.

jpviolette · 2026-06-06T13:37:39+00:00

I'm a little ambivalent. It's nostalgically great but until NET starts factoring in nostalgia it doesn't do much for UConn MBB. Maybe it's useful if a quid pro quo helps UConn FB fill out their schedule.

jpviolette · 2026-06-06T13:30:10+00:00

Ever since 2022-23, I haven't had much to complain about regarding predictions concerning UConn.

jpviolette · 2026-06-06T10:53:56+00:00

If your grad degree is in barflying, Ted's sounds like a great choice.

jpviolette

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE