Category: freshman evaluation

Apostolos Rumoglou Promises to Be Another Interesting International Recruit for Huskies

While the addition of Israeli player Yarin Hasson in late August was a welcome surprise for UConn, the successful recruitment of Apostolos Rumoglou in early September particularly came out of nowhere. While Dan Hurley had dropped hints throughout the summer about the Huskies trying to get two international players to fill out all 13 scholarships, it seemed very unlikely the team would do so by that late in the recruiting period. However, Hurley and his assistants have proven their recruiting prowess over the last few years, and they were able to attract the Greek native quickly to Storrs once they zeroed in on him. Let’s hope that Rumoglou can be a diamond in the rough.

While Rumoglou was not apparently being pursued by any other schools in the last year, he has been successful against tough competition. The 6-7 ,200-pound guard, who recently turned 19, has played significant minutes this year for the PAOK mateco team in the Greek Basketball Champion’s League. Rumoglou played for Greece’s U-18 team in last year’s FIBA European Challenges and shot 37% from three while shooting 31% overall.

Hurley said that the Huskies went after Rumoglou primarily to add depth to the roster and obtain another player who could develop into a valuable weapon in future seasons. Finally, bringing Rumoglou and Hassan shows that UConn is committed to recruiting international prospects.

“It’s important for us to get more guys in here so that we can practice the way you need to practice to prepare for Big East games, which are different than most conference games,” Hurley said after Rumoglou committed. “Just give us some young players that have a chance to develop. Obviously, it is going to take them time because they have never even played basketball in the States here.”   

Hurley implied that the program will need to go after international guys earlier in the recruiting process to get more proven players. The UConn coaches decided that Rumoglou would be a good fit for the roster after watching film. They recruited him via Zoom, and had never seen him play in person before Rumoglou arrived in Storrs.

While Rumoglou’s game may not be as diverse as Hasson’s, he offers a few distinct advantages. He arguably faced tougher competition in the Greek leagues and is almost two years older. Hurley has said this could help him acclimate more quickly to the competition in practice and eventually in Big East games. Rumoglou also gives the Huskies another shooting guard with size who is a strong perimeter shooter. The coaches have already said that his perimeter shooting has been impressive in practice and UConn’s scrimmages against Hartford and Virginia.

While Rumoglou may just be an extra body for the Huskies this season and possibly next year as well, I believe bringing him to Storrs will be a shrewd recruiting move by Hurley. You can never have too much shooting and depth, and all indications point to Rumoglou having a strong work ethic. If Rumoglou can diversify his offensive game and demonstrate solid defensive skills in practice and eventually in games, he should be an impact player as an upperclassman. I just hope that his success could lead to UConn getting international players who make immediate contributions down the line.    

Freshman Evaluation: Yarin Hasson Brings Offensive Talent From Israel to Storrs

Alone with fellow freshman Apostolos Rummglou, Israeli native Yarin Hasson is hopefully the first step in UConn becoming a destination for international players. It may take a while for the versatile 6-9 forward to make an impact in actual games, as he faces a steep learning curve and most get significantly stronger. But Hasson, whom committed to UConn in late August, offers the offensive skills Dan Hurley has began looking more and more from his big men: quality perimeter shooting and passing.

Hasson, who only just turned 18, played his high school ball for Gimnasia Realit in Rishon Le-Zion. He is also a member of Israel’s U18 national team and played for the Maccabi rishon le Zion club team. The big is considered one of the best prospects in the country.

Hasson, who was encouraged to play in the U.S. by recruiter and countryman Yuval Shaham, committed to the University of Denver last spring. After admission issues with the school however, he chose to decommit and was recruited by a number of schools. Hurley and assistant Luke Murray discovered Hasson a few months, and were impressed by his YouTube videos and the Zoom conversations the trio had.

For Hasson, the coaches and school made an immediate impression on him.

“When I talked with Coach Hurley and Coach Murray, I really liked what they said to me,” Hasson told CT Insider. “They like to work hard, they have passion for the game. I liked that because that is my mindset, too.”

While there is little video out there of Hasson right now, the clips available immediately show why the Huskies decided to go after him as a developmental piece. Hasson showcases a good stroke from deep, quality passing ability and the ability to score inside as well. In addition, Hasson has been praised for his basketball IQ. Down the road, it’s easy to imagine that he could be a dangerous weapon on offense in multiple ways. While there is little information about Hasson’s defensive ability, he said he believes he could be an effective shot blocker.

As promising as Hasson is, he will not be a finished product for a while. Sham and the UConn coaches have said that he needs to become much stronger and adapt to the Huskies strength and conditioning program. Hasson, whom just turned 18, will also be much younger than the average freshman. As strong as his basketball IQ is, he obviously has a steep learning curb with the level of competition the Big East offers compared to the leagues he has competed in before. Hasson will be a valuable practice player this season, but I strongly doubt he won’t get any real minutes for at least another season.

Hasson quickly made a strong impression on his new teammates when he arrived in Storrs. Andre Jackson in particular has a lot of praise for him back in September. The junior singled out Hasson’s energy level and focus, and gave him kudos for his ability to adjust quickly to a new country and culture.

If Hasson is successful at UConn, the program may finally be able to consistently start getting international players to come, something that has not happened since the reign of Jim Calhoun. Hurley has made it clear he would like to bring on the occasional international player, particularly since they have the reputation of being more fundamentally sound than the average U.S. player coming out of high school.

Hasson is particularly unique because he may be able to open a pipeline to attracting Israeli players, something that UConn had great success with in the early years of Jim Calhoun’s tenure. In particular, Nadav Henfeld and Doron Sheffer were key building blocks to the Huskies becoming a preeminent program. Hasson spoke about the appeal UConn still has for Israeli players and fans.

“In Israel, UConn is really an iconic university and it’s really well-known here,” Hasson said. “Second, UConn is for real a big (basketball) school, a really high-major school, in the Big East. “I believe I can play at this level.”  

Hasson is exactly the type of player UConn should be bringing to Storrs to fill out the roster and serve as a developmental piece. His work ethic and basketball IQ will make him a valuable practice player, and Hasson’s versatile offensive game will immediately be a valuable skill set. If Hasson can get stronger and adjust to the level of competition over the next two years, he should be a valuable rotation player as an upperclassman. Throw in the possibility Hasson’s success could attract quality international players, and he offers a ton of upside.

Freshman Evaluation: Alex Karaban set to Bring Diverse Offensive Game to Team

Karaban, a Massachusetts native, played two seasons at the New Hampton School, earning the New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the year for the 2021-22 season. After committing to play at UConn last August, Karaban played part of a post-grad year at IMG Academy in Florida before joining UConn during the spring semester. Karaban got the opportunity to work out, compete in practice and watch his older teammates from the bench during games.

During his senior season at New Hampton, Karaban averaged 25.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 blocks per game while connecting on 60.3% of his field-goal attempts. He led the school to the NEPSAC Class AAA tournament championship, being names the MVP of the title game. As a member of the AAU team Expressions Elite, he averaged 18.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocks and earned selection to the All-Peach Jam Second Team. At the time of his commitment, Karaban was ranked 42nd in his class by ESPN.

Karaban is a 6-8 forward and entered UConn weighing 230 but had since lost 15 pounds as of the middle of August. He is a high-quality midrange and outside shooter but can also use his bulk to beat defenders at the rim. Karaban is also considered a solid passer and is an outstanding free throw shooter. He should develop into a strong rebounder for the Huskies, and multiple writers have particularly singled out Karaban’s work on the offensive glass.

Karaban will be a work-in-progress on defense at the start of his career. He was considered a solid defender in high school, particularly when playing team defense. Karaban will likely most have to work on developing more speed and improving footwork. His basketball IQ, which was signaled out for praise by Dan Hurley when Karaban committed, should help in this area and allow Karaban to adjust to different defensive schemes. It will be interesting to see if Karaban becomes an effective shot blocker over the course of his UConn career.

Karaban’s stock has only risen since the team has returned to consistently practicing over the last two months. Much of the information coming out of practice has indicated that Karaban has consistently impressed the team with his shooting, rebounding and overall effort and basketball IQ. Hurley admitted a few days ago that Karaban had a solid chance to start at forward. Although I believe Samson Johnson will be the nominal starter at the four to start the year, I’m very confident the pair will split starter’s minutes while Andre Jackson is out with injury the first two weeks of the season.

While Karaban may not be the most acclaimed recruit Hurley has recruited to Storrs during his tenure, he may be the one I am most excited to watch. The ability Karaban could have to stretch the floor makes him stand out from any other freshman big man. When you add on Karaban’s ability to score and rebound around the rim as well and basketball IQ, he could quickly become something special. If Karaban is successful, it will only help UConn’s ability to attract top recruits in the Northeast and more versatile bigs. Now just become more refined on defense, Alex.