Tag: 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: 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.