As another college basketball season comes to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to put forth some random thoughts about the season. To be clear, I am a life-long Friar fan and am always supportive of my team, so I am not one to be overly critical. There will be honest opinions, but I am a Friar forever.
Season Overview
Not making the NCAA tournament was both a disappointment and a disgrace. The committee will likely be making changes to the selection process after their indefensible job this year. None of that should detract from the overall accomplishments of this year’s Friar team. Despite losing an all-conference player, they managed to win 21 games, including four wins over the top 20 teams. No team in the Big East with those resume points has ever been left out of the tournament before. The fact that Providence, Seton Hall, and St. John’s did not make the tournament was indefensible, and add the way UConn has obliterated their opponents outside of the conference compared to their terrific but much less dominant Big East play. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, UConn is 33-1 outside the Big East, with every win by double digits. In Big East play, they are 35-10, with 14 wins by less than 10 points. The Big East had nine teams that were in the top 70 by most metrics (Matrix!) and finishing at 10-10 was a solid accomplishment. I believe the foundation has been laid and there are better days ahead.
Bryce Hopkins
As the saying goes, sometimes a person isn’t fully appreciated until they are gone. Bryce was struggling significantly with his three-point shooting, which I suspect was due to increased attention, inconsistency as he changed his release, and a psychological funk which can happen to anybody. There’s good reason to believe his shooting would have improved to a similar level to last year as the season progressed. Coach English was asked about on his radio show and noted that Bryce was shooting 39% from three in practice. What was easy to miss is how much he brought to the team every night. He was the number one player in every opponent’s game plans and his shot attempts and scoring average were similar to last year despite his struggles shooting from distance. This is in part because he significantly improved his 2-point shooting percentage and his offensive rebounding. Most important of all was his improved defense over last year. He went from a hit and miss defender to one of the top defenders in the Big East. When he went down, Coach English presciently discussed how he was more concerned about replacing Bryce’s defense and rebounding than his scoring. If he’s 100% by November, I expect a dominant year from him next year, putting him into lottery projections for the 2025 NBA draft.
Corey Floyd, Jr.
I’ll start off by reiterating what I have mentioned numerous times already: Corey Floyd is my favorite Friar on a team where I like everyone. Due to him being the son of a former Friar, I followed his career in high school and AAU, and was disappointed when he enrolled at UConn. When he entered the transfer portal after his freshman (redshirt) year, I heard he was coming to Friartown, and I was thrilled.
After a promising first year, expectations increased for Corey’s sophomore season. His three-point shooting was a struggle all season, causing some people to question his value to the team. His 25% three-point percentage looks rough, but it should be noted that he shot 35% over the final 16 games, and just as important his shooting form was better and even his misses often rimmed out rather than being way off the mark. As someone who watches his pre-game shooting on a regular basis, I have no doubt that Corey will be more like the 42% three-point shooter of 2022-23 next season.
The other part is, like Bryce Hopkins, Corey was a major asset on defense and did not let any offensive struggles affect his performance on defense. I have previously mentioned how the Friars defense and points per minute was much better with him on the floor. What does not always show up in the stat sheet is his versatility on defense, being able to guard multiple positions on the floor, especially after Bryce went down. This was no more evident than in the Creighton game of the Big East Tournament, when with the game on the line and Josh Oduro having four fouls, Coach English opted to go small, and Corey ended up on Creighton’s 7-foot center Ryan Kalkbrenner. Creighton threw the ball down the court to him, and Corey leapt up and stole the pass, ensuring a Friar victory. He was the best defensive Friar not named Devin Carter this season, and I believe he will better next year.
Coaching Staff
I have also mentioned this before, but I have been very impressed with the Friar coaching staff this season, and truly believe this is the group to lead the Friars to the next level. Having sat in the sections behind the Friar bench numerous times this season, I would often find myself paying as much attention to the interactions between staff and players as I would to the game. The mixture of group coaching and teaching that goes on constantly during the game is truly impressive. So many times when a play happens, you can see Coach Felton or Coach Tomlinson go right to a player on the bench explaining what went right or wrong. They and the rest of the staff are also constantly making sure the players keep their heads focused when something goes wrong or they come out of the game.
They have also shown the ability to identify under the radar talent and develop it. Josh Oduro was a nice player in his first two years at George Mason, then became a two-time all-conference in the Atlantic 10, and this year was an all-Big East selection. Richard Barron was a little-known recruit who did not engender any excitement from George Mason fans when he committed there in November of 2022. He also had Friar fans questioning why Coach English was bring in a zero–star player. One year later, Richard Barron received all-Freshman team recognition in the Big East, and became a fan favorite. For next year, Coach Felton discovered Ryan Mela, another lightly regarded recruit last fall. He committed to the Friars early, then went on to become a first team selection in the Class AAA division of the NEPSAC, the top prep conference in the country. These things happen through hard work, dedication, knowledge, and commitment to their jobs. These are the types of leaders that successful programs have.
I will continue to submit observations on the events in and around Friartown through the spring, summer, and fall, because of my love of the team, and because Friartown never sleeps.
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